Is Pacifier Good For Your Baby?
Most parents have bought pacifiers for their newborn baby but most of the parents would wonder is the pacifier good for their baby too. In fact it’s very natural for babies to suck. We notice that babies suck their thumbs or fingers before they’re born. I didn’t buy any pacifier for my Baby Moon but my mom said babies are born wanting to suck and wanted me to get her a pacifier. Therefore the question of getting a pacifier is often debated.
After some researches, I found that pacifiers have it’s advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages
- Help your baby go to sleep. This was the main reason my mom told me when wanted to get pacifier for Baby Moon. She said a pacifier might do the trick if the baby has trouble with the sleep. And we found that it really help to settle down the baby.
- Babies are always happy when they are sucking on something and a pacifier may actually soothe a fussy baby.
- This is one of the most important information for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) by researchers. They found that pacifiers may help reduce the risk of SIDS and this is another tool to keep your baby safe other than the baby monitor.
- It’s good to use when you need to divert the attention of your baby especially during blood tests or injections. It also offers temporary distraction for you to get the time to prepare your nurse or milk bottle.
- If compare to suck on baby’s thumb or fingers, pacifiers are easier to break the habit. You could slowly break the habit of sucking the pacifier by hide the pacifier or throw them away. You hardly control your baby when they suck on their own fingers.
However, pacifiers have its disadvantages too.
- When your baby too dependent on the pacifier to sleep, you need to prepare extra pacifiers in case of the lost. Your baby might also have frequent middle of the night crying spells when the pacifier falls out of your baby’s mouth.
- If you give your baby pacifier too early, they might have problem learning how to nurse and it may interfere with breastfeeding. This is because it’s different when comes to sucking on a breast and on a pacifier.
- Pacifier may lead to dental problems if your toddler cannot kick the habit. Your toddler’s top front teeth may slant out or the upper and lower jaws may be misaligned when he use a pacifier persistently.
Tips when using pacifier
- Don’t force your baby to use the pacifier if she doesn’t show interest in it.
- Don’t introduce pacifier too early before they settled down into a regular nursing routine. Recommended to get your baby pacifier only after one month old if you are breastfeeding.
- Pacifiers may have different shape for different ages of baby. Choose the correct size and shape to prevent your baby from get choking.
- Always clean the pacifier before give it to your baby.
- When get a new pacifier, wash it with soap and water to make sure the pacifier is safe to your baby.
- Check the pacifier and replace them often.
- If you are using pacifier string or strap, don’t let them to get caught around your baby’s neck.
- Never pop the pacifier back to baby’s mouth when it falls out of her mouth while she is sleeping.
- Try to kick the habit during the age of 2 to 4.
Baby Moon on pacifier. She kicks the habit by herself at her age of 1.
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Oh my, that pacifier looks so big!!
The funny thing was my son didn’t like the pacifier at all. Offered to him when he’s newly born and he spitted it out immediately.
I guess it depends on the child’s character as well. We were fortunate ours didn’t really show much signs of wanting to suck anything. And we conscientiously did not want to introduce the pacifier to him either. Not sure if we can repeat the same process if a second one comes along! Thanks for the tips tho
Hi Ryan mami & Footyman,
The baby too tiny and so the pacifier looks very BIG! haa..
Actually my Baby Moon doesn’t like pacifier too.. Just my mum wants her to sleep well and “force” her to accept it.. haa..
So, I think by nature babies don’t know there is a thing called “pacifier”, is the adults who introduce to them.. haa..
Very lucky Baby Moon kicked the habit very soon. Otherwise I headache..
Hi there, baby Moon looked so contented with her pacifier. This is a very informative post.
Btw, thanks for dropping by my blog the other day.
Haa.. why you called yourself “fussy mum”?
I just feel that the pacifier very cute so I took down the photo.. Now my Baby Moon likes Micky Mouse a lot.. She always says “mau” mau”..
Hi. Ryan wanted a pacified so much when he was younger. We were also seriously comtemplating whether to give him or not because we are afraid that he might have difficulties kicking the habit. Anyway, we gave in and bought him a couple. He only liked it for about a month. Now he is very contented sucking the string of his bolster.
Hi Daddy Ryan! Oppss.. the string of his bolster?! Then what’s your thinking about kicking this habit?
I quite concern about the bolster problem for my Baby Moon. I don’t really want her to carry a specific bolster when go out and without the bolster she couldn’t get sleep. So I didn’t let her hug any bolster when get sleep. Heehee..
My friend emailed me a link to a site that has a publication on losing the binky (it is free, makes money by advertisements). I have not tried it yet because my son is only 6 months old, but I think I will try the method out when he is around 1. It is http://www.bye-bye-binky.com for anyone who is interrested. If you do, let me know your thoughts….Bella
Thanks Bella for your sharing..
Hey Bella,
Thanks for sharing, I checked out Bye-Bye-Binky.com (not only was it free, but they didn’t even ask for my email, thank goodness). We followed the poke and cut steps and three days later she was done, and the decision was hers. She even refused a binky at daycare yesterday! I tried to give her one during a major meltdown last night, but it seems even I have lost one of my best soothing tools (lol, it’s all good though). Thanks again for your blog. Kind Regards, Jill
most dental problems are caused by bad habits like eating too much sugary foods’;,