2006-12-18 12:55:44 · 38 answers · asked by Christie G 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Baby Names
My baby loves her pacifier. There are definately pros and cons. The biggest concern is that it's bad for their jaw development. There are orthodontic pacifiers you can use that are sized according to age. I figure it's better than a thumb, but babies need help putting it inuntil their older. They recommend trying to wean them off by 3-6 months.
Some babies need to suck to soothe themselves, some need a blanket, some a cuddle, etc.
If you can get by without one... great. But their not such a bad thing.
2006-12-18 13:02:33 · answer #1 · answered by naenae0011 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The sucking motion is comforting to babies, some even suck there thumb in the womb. When I think about it, the pacifier is the lesser of two evils, it will be a little easier taking the pacifier away when the child is ready, you can't exactly take there thumb away! If you take it the pacifier away before the child is ready, you may land up with a thumb sucker anyway. My son used his pacifier during the day when he was a few months old, and now we are slowly weaning him off so that it is just at bed time. When he is ready we will take the next step!
2006-12-18 13:10:31 · answer #2 · answered by mydrms19 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My first son used one and it was great and he is perfectly fine. (he is now 9 and has perfect teeth)My second and third son wouldnt touch a pacifier. I tried, but they hated it. Now if my daughter on the way will take one then great. It helps to soothe them and for them to sleep better sometimes, which after my 3rd son, I need a baby that will sleep..lol. My son who is now 3 didnt start to sleep through the night until he was older than 2. From newborn to 15 months or more, he was waking up every 2 to 3 hours.... Very tiring. Wish he would have taken the pacifier, but no such luck. Its fine for the babies as long as you dont let them keep using it for a long time. I took my oldest sons bottle and the pacifiers away by the time he was 15 months and just threw them away. He was fine with that. You can let your baby use one, just dont let it go overboard and let them keep using it until they are 2 or 3.........It drives me crazy when I see a parent with a 4 year old running around with a pacifier in their mouth.
2006-12-18 14:07:18 · answer #3 · answered by Blondi 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There are actually some pros to pacifiers other than getting the baby to stop crying. It has been shown to reduce SIDS and it helps babies develop the muscles needed for eating which is especially helpful if you have a premmie. My pediatrician told me to give my twins a pacifier as much as they would take it because they were so small and weak it would help them to eat better and it did. My last two were strickly breastfed and never had an interest in a pacifier but the only time I see a problem with it is if you give one over the age of one. It is purly a personal decision though.
2006-12-18 17:16:47 · answer #4 · answered by pebble 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I thought the same thing. My girl (5 mo) never needed one but I just read that it is now recommended to put your babe to bed with one. The sucking action releases some hormone or something that decreases the risk of SIDS. The only reason I didn't try the pacifier is that I didn't want to use it for the wrong reason. If my babe needs to such, she has a thumb and then she can decide to use it. Too many people ignore the needs of their child by plunking in a pacifier in their mouths when they cry. Babies cry b/c they need something -change, food, love, cuddle, burp... so it is easy to plop a pacifier in their rather than go through the frustration of trying to figure out what is wrong.
2006-12-18 15:30:46 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Some babies have a strong need to suck. A pacifier can be a good thing. It is easier to break the binkie habit than thumbsucking.
Relax. If a baby is comforted by a pacifier, what's the big deal.
If a toddler walks around with it, maybe it is time to wean him away from the habit. Note: babies who suck thier thumbs or suck binkies are often late talkers.
2006-12-18 14:52:54 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Pacifiers aren't the best thing to use when a baby is a newborn, especially if you plan on breastfeeding. They can cause "nipple confusion" where the baby will have trouble adjusting the way he/she sucks to nurse, vs. harder sucking for a pacifier. Once breastfeeding is well established however if you are finding that your child needs a lot of non-nutritive sucking to calm him/herself, then a pacifier is a great alternative to thumb-sucking. Choose a name brand pacifier such as Nuk or Soothies if you choose to allow your child to use a pacifier. Best of Luck! Dee...Mom of 4 and labor and delivery nurse for 14 years.
2006-12-18 15:25:06 · answer #7 · answered by Dee Starr 1 · 2⤊ 1⤋
If they like it, they end up becoming dependent on it. I have no regrets of having my daughter use one, as she was very colicky and it really was helpful when she was soothing herself. If your child doesn't want one, that is one less thing you have to get them to not use anymore! But I did read a lot lately about how pacifiers are one of the things that can prevent SIDS. So if your child wants a pacifier, don't sweat it.
2006-12-18 13:53:57 · answer #8 · answered by ReeberKaseyMarcus 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Babies need to suck! It is a comfort/coping mechanism they have for soothing themselves when they are tired or upset or otherwise under stress, and I don't think they should be deprived of being able to use one of the first coping/self-soothing skills they develop. Most babies who aren't allowed passifiers will find their thumb or fingers, anyway, to satisfy that "sucking" need. Passifiers also satisfy the need babies have to suck, but unlike a thumb or a finger, they can be put "away" when it's time to wean baby off of them.
All three of my kids used passifiers, and I didn't have any trouble at all weaning them off - at about 5 months of age, they seemed to lose interest in them on their own. To contrast, my brother and his wife felt the same way you do - they refused to use a passifier, and their daughter found her hand by the time she was about two months old. She is now 4, and still sucks her fingers.
As for worrying about jaw development - sucking a thumb for too long can cause greater problems because of the pressure the sucking motion makes the thumb put on the roof of the mouth and the backs of the top front teeth - the thumb literally pushes those teeth out into what is commonly known as "buck teeth." After their months of using passifiers, none of my kids has any serious jaw development problems, and they are now 10, 10, and 14.
2006-12-18 13:15:19 · answer #9 · answered by Poopy 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
What is the baby name? I think you posted this in the wrong section but pacifiers are things people use because it reminds the child of a nipple. In the end they are something you have to wing the child off of. Good Luck
2006-12-18 12:58:17 · answer #10 · answered by Precious1 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋