Parents have used pacifiers for ages to calm crying infants. Are they really right for your baby or maybe you can dispense without it? In fact, the use of pacifiers has the pro’s and the con’s. Here are some of them.
Pacifier Pros
A pacifier could save your baby’s life
Experts believe that babies who suck on a pacifier might not sleep as deeply and would wake more easily than babies who don’t, making them less susceptible to SIDS. So if you give your baby a pacifier while she’s asleep, you might lower her risk of SIDS by more than half.
Boost Self-Soothing Habit
When your baby sucks on pacifier, it will help him/her to relax, control feelings and also make your baby feel secure.
Thus, the comfort factor will be doubled and it will ensure a calmer baby and more relaxed parents.
Satisfy the suck reflex
Babies have a natural need to suck. The bottle or breast usually meets this need, but the desire can linger even after the belly is full. A pacifier can help.
Pacifier Cons
Dental problems
Children who suck anything – thumb, finger or pacifier – past age 2 have a higher risk of developing protruding front teeth.
Your baby may get attached to the pacifier
If your baby becomes used to sleeping with the pacifier, you may find he awakens every time the pacifier falls out of his mouth. That means you may find yourself running to the baby in the middle of the night, every time he loses the pacifier, to put the darned thing back in the baby’s mouth.
Ear Problems
Some studies reveal that infants who use pacifier are more prone to ear infections than infants who do not use it. There are two times increased chances of infections in babies who suck pacifier.
What do you think about using pacifiers? What pacifiers for newborns are the best? Please, share your experience with us.
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