Choosing the right thing for your baby, is the most difficult and important decision a parent has to make. Many a times parents seek elderly advice or read about it, like the best things to give their babies with regards to food, toys, medicines etc. There has always been a debate when it comes to pacifiers. A pacifier is a quick and easy way to turn those tears off and give a minute of break to all the mommies.
Here’s a quick read one needs to do before opting for a pacifier.
What is a pacifier?
A pacifier is a rubbery nipple that is generally made up of silicon used to satisfy a baby’s sucking habit.
There are some good advantages of using a pacifier—but there are also some important drawbacks. Read on to learn the pros and cons of pacifiers and how to decide what’s correct for you and your child.
An advantage of using a pacifier is that sucking a pacifier helps in opening the air space around the baby’s mouth and nose, thus ensuring that your little one gets ample amount of oxygen.
Another advantage of letting your baby use a pacifier is, the baby tends to wake up early and not sleep deeply, which makes them less susceptible to SIDS. The pacifier is always in your control, unlike the baby’s thumb. Doctors say that the thumb sucking habit is much harder one to break. Pacifier can be put and removed whenever the mother wants to as she has a total control of it. One needs to know the types of pacifiers to look for – Nipple shaped and nipple covered, chose latex over silicon and has rings at the back of the pacifier.
Pacifier also eases air travels when with your baby. The sucking motion when using a pacifier can help in easing your baby’s ears. Your baby might feel discomfort every time a plane takes off or descends. Using a pacifier during this time will surely provide ease & comfort to your little one’s ears.
While all these were the pros of opting a pacifier, time to glance over few cons too.
We all know that the baby will soon become a toddler and continuous habit of sucking a pacifier can surely cause a bad habit to a toddler. Hence, one must avoid pushing a pacifier in the baby’s mouth when not needed. Continuous sucking of pacifier can be a hindrance in the growth and shape of the teeth, making it look misaligned.
While, pacifiers give a rest to the mothers, it may also cover various reasons that hide the baby’s tears. E.g. the pacifier will allow your baby to stay quite even when the baby is going through a stomach ache, has a soiled diaper and so on. During such situations, a mother won’t know what the baby is going through. Hence, it is always advised to pluck out the pacifier within a certain amount of time.
Imagine your baby is habituated sucking the pacifier and falling asleep and one fine day you tend to lose the pacifier. What would you do? Thus it’s wise to indulge and let indulge in good habits for you and the baby. You surely can purchase a pacifier but be careful how much time would you like your baby spending time with one.
Also, using a pacifier for a longer period can also affect the shape your baby’s teeth & hence using it for longer durations is not advisable. Pacifiers can be quite addictive too & hence as parents, you need to restrict their use.
Using a pacifier can have its pros and cons. What matters is how it is used and for what period. We recommend you first consult your paediatrician before buying a pacifier for your child.
(Note: We at Mother Nurture only provides recommendations based on best practice that a parent should follow. These recommendations should always be discussed with your doctor or paediatrician. It is always best to follow your doctors/paediatrician orders. Please contact your doctor or emergency services, in case of emergency or if your child is unwell or not responding well to recommendations provided.)
