It's hard to argue that the so-called "pacifiers" have given and continue to give comfort and safety to thousands of babies and young children around the world. Many mothers are immensely grateful to this product. Despite this, recently more and more people are against them. Why? In this article, both facts and myths about pacifier-nipples are collected. So you can form your own opinion and decide: a dummy is a friend or foe for your child? After all, as we know, every medal has two sides ...
Than a good dummy.
Give the baby a crying baby and see what happens. The cry fades away, the child sucks furiously, calms down and begins to fall asleep. For exhausted parents who have forgotten what a calm dream is, this may seem like a miracle.
1. Young children not only have a strong sucking reflex, but also like to use it, so they like the dummy.
2. A dummy can help your child fall asleep and sleep peacefully for a long time. If he wakes up, sucking a dummy often brings him back to sleep - you do not have to wake up and soothe him.
3. A dummy gives you a break from feeding. Many children want to continue to suck, even when they have enough milk.
ATTENTION: Sucking a pacifier instead of a breast with newborn children can spoil the mother's milk, or, at least, affect the decrease in its quantity. For this reason, when breastfeeding, babies should not be given a pacifier until they reach the age of four to five weeks.
4. According to the Foundation for the Study of Infant Mortality cases, putting your child to bed with a pacifier can reduce the risk of sudden child death.
5. The latest study shows that adults, who in childhood were "fans" of a dummy, are less likely to become smokers.
Not all children like pacifiers! If the child does not take it right away, do not force it. This will not work.
At different ages the baby dummies perform a different function. The opinions of experts on this issue diverge. But basically they are:
6 months
Some experts argue that if you get rid of the dummy, when the baby is about six months old, your child will adapt to the surrounding world very quickly. This is because babies do not have long-term memory quickly forget that they have ever had a dummy.
12 -18 months.
At this age, your baby begins to babble, pronounce more or less coherent sound combinations and short words. However, if he has a dummy in his mouth, he can remain silent all day. This means that the development of his speech can be slowed down. So, if the child at this age is still very attached to his pacifier, try to wean him, especially during the day.
If you think that now is the time to get rid of the pacifier, the child will not be too happy about this and you can expect a few sleepless nights. Especially if the child usually falls asleep only with her.
3 years.
At this age, a pacifier is a threat to teeth! Teeth may begin to suffer if the baby still uses the pacifier for long periods of time. Abuse of a pacifier at this age can "force" his upper teeth to grow slightly forward and cause bite problems, which will be very difficult to correct later. Although, according to experts, some children are more prone to these problems than others. Sucking a thumb is still seen as a more dangerous habit for the teeth than dummies. The harmful effects of the latter can be minimized by using special pacifiers orthodontic form.
ATTENTION: Sucking pacifier lozenges can lead to serious trouble! Never buy them to a child! This will lead to decay of the teeth.
At the age of three, the child is a fictitious addict. And, it may take some time to convince him to abandon his "drug" - a dummy. Be persistent. Use the power of persuasion: "Nipples are for babies, and you're a big boy, are not you?" Often it does its job. Or you can try to persuade him to throw a dummy in the trash just before his birthday. Tell him that he will receive an extra gift if he does it. But be ready for tears when he realizes what he did!
4 - 8 years.
Some children are more susceptible to pacifier dependence than others. If your child is older than four and still refuses to part with it - do not worry. You are not alone. We've all heard stories about children taking four or five dummies with them to bed and parents are forced to keep a couple of other things in reserve, just in case. " But even the most inveterate "dummies" refuse it until the age of eight. That's for sure!
Plan of action for weaning from a pacifier.
Ask your dentist for help. Take your child for an examination and ask the dentist to explain to him how he can spoil his teeth with a pacifier. He probably heard your persuasion a thousand times and does not react to them. The opinion of an outsider is usually of great importance to the child. So there is a possibility that he will believe the dentist sooner than you.
Set the date. Be reasonable. Choose a quiet weekend when you have the opportunity to give the child more time. In addition, you can sleep in the case of a sleepless night. And make sure that it is time for your child too. Do not even think about taking his dummy if he is going through difficult times now. For example, if you just gave birth to a second child, moved, returned to work, or he was recently sick. This is not a good time to wean the child from the pacifier.
Replace it. If the child is worried about the lack of a pacifier in bed, give him something to cheer him up. Let him embrace a soft toy or his new blanket. Let him decide what he wants to take with him to bed.
Bribe and praise. If he can sleep one night without a pacifier, tell him that he will receive a small gift the next day. When this happens, praise him constantly and enter his trust. Tell him how smart he is and how proud you are of him.
Do not back down. If he managed to survive one night without a pacifier - he can do without it and the next night. So do not give in if he suddenly decides that he wants his pacifier back. Remember, it is in your power to make a dummy friend or foe for your child. If you give up, he will lose confidence. This will be a real problem for you.