There's a huge debate on whether to give young ones pacifiers or not. Please if you have any idea & also a valid reason please do write in. I know of mothers who want to give their child pacifiers as it relaxes the kid but because of some fears they are stopping themselves. So please do help. Thanks
I used pacifiers on two of my three kids. My eldest son didn't like them, he preferred to suck his thumb, and it took me 5 years to break him of that habit. The two younger children loved them, and I managed to wean them off them before they were two years old. There were no problems with their teeth, and it kept them happy, so I don't see a problem. Just don't dip them into sugary stuff to make them more attractive, otherwise, you could be replacing one problem with another.
The only problem that I know a pacifier can cause is on the baby's teeth. My son never liked sucking on one so I never did really have a problem. But I have a nephew who used one, and once he was weaned from the bottle, he also stopped liking the binky. I guess, it's still up to the parent, I mean if you let your child be dependent on it then it could be a problem in the long run. My sister-in-law said that it should be the last one you offer to a crying baby. Don't get the habit of offering it when the baby starts to cry.
It helped out my little cousin. She loved it, but we did stop giving it to her as soon as her teeth were coming in. The worst is when you see a baby drop it in the store and the parent just wipes it off and gives it back to them so they'll be quiet.
Pacifiers are great for babies. Their life savers, but it can be hard to break the kids from it. Some kids become addicted to it and the moms keep letting them have it. I've seen kids 5 and 6 years old with pacifiers in their mouth. And I think that's just ridiculous. It has its cons and pros.
Thank you all for your valuable comment. Is there any specific age bar after which the kids must just not be given pacifiers. Please help me also to know if they really affect the jaw structure? Thank you
My son never really liked his binky. But I think you can stop giving it to your child at the age of 2-3 because by this time the child should be able to have a regular schedule for feeding. But if you can't, there are those specialized orthodontics pacifiers that are more friendly to the teeth.
I have heard that pacifiers can create issues if the mother is breastfeeding. The advice that I was given was to wait until breastfeeding was well established, which is generally at the 6-8 week mark. I was told that sucking on a pacifier requires the baby's mouth to move differently than it would on the breast. This can cause soreness, pain, and/or latching issues. I waited 8 weeks to introduce her to the pacifier, but she was never really interested in using it as a soothing mechanism. It was a great teething tool though. I would have to agree with other posters that if the pacifier helps to settle your child and you are sure that your baby is well fed, it can be beneficial.
I have three kids and only one of them used a pacifier until she was 2 years old. My eldest and youngest sons didn't like them at all. My mother-in-law did caution me on using one for my daughter. She said the teeth development may be affected. But now that she's almost 4, her teeth have developed just fine. I'm grateful though that she was okay with not using her pacifier anymore. My mother, on the other hand, encouraged me to use a pacifier if it will help my daughter to sleep. She said my siblings and I, all grew using a pacifier and we had normal teeth development.
I would try to limit my son on using his pacifier. He doesn't like it that much, so it's okay. He mainly uses it to go to sleep. I am now in the process of trying to get him to go to sleep without it as he just turned 18 months yesterday. I think around the time they start talking is when they should be taken off the pacifier.
There is research that shows that providing a child with a pacifier for the first six months of life while they are sleeping can reduce the risk of SIDS. I should share that I did not give my child a pacifier because I worried about him becoming dependent on it and having a hard time separating from it. I did not want to have a three old still using a pacifier and I worried about it impacting his speech development. I did not have a problem with comforting him without one, though I must say he developed a habit of putting the corner of his blanket in his mouth. I think that as long as a parent is mindful about the pacifier and takes measures to promote a healthy separation from it, there is nothing wrong with giving one to a child.
Pacifiers can potentially lead to language delay and dental problems such as open bite and high palate or roof of the mouth. I have seen cases kids whose parents have to spend thousands of dollars on orthodontic treatment as a result of pacifier use. It is suggested to stop use of pacifiers by age 2 to make sure the jaw and bite of your child forms correctly. If your child has developed an alternative to sucking thumb once the winning pacifier there is other options. Appliances can be made and inserted in the mouth to correct the problem and this would be something you can discuss with your local dentist. Pacifiers can lead to various health issues such as inner ear infections and if you don’t properly clean your pacifier regularly. You can put many pacifiers in your dishwasher or boil them on the stove. Make sure that the pacifier you select doesn’t have any recalls and it has proper ventilation holes. Not all babies will take a pacifier. Many breastfed babies will spit them out. Then you are dealing with a frustrated child and confused parent and everyone is not happy.
In most Asian countries we would never use pacifiers. It was generally dissuaded as a bad habit. The child needs to be fed when he/she is hungry and use the mouth to express himself/herself. Language development is delayed due to the use of pacifiers. My children started to speak at the age of nine months. Studies conducted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison found an association between psychological developments and pacifier use. This was not just a single study, researchers repeated the studies three times and the results were the same. The boys who used pacifiers frequently as infants scored poorly on the emotional intelligence test, say the researches. This was reported by fox news in September this year. Dental problems are again more common with children who sucked on pacifiers as infants. SIDS is more common with infants who have been introduced to pacifiers early.
