Pacifiers are a BIG debate in the parenting community. When
raising our children we are forced to answer the question of whether of
not to load up on rubber nipples and clothing attachers. Let me start by
giving you my opinion. I love them! When lucas was born, the hospital
we used gave me a soothie pacifier for him. This was a god send, turns
out he never liked typical bottle nipples or the traditional design of
the binki. These little rubber inserts were the first i had seen of
their kind. I included a link to buy, just in case you share my love of
them.
After we brought him home from the hospital, we started having problems with reflux. He wasn't losing weight, but every time he ate, my poor little guy projectile vomited his food right back up. We saw the doctor numerous times. In the end, with a little bed elevation, we kept Lucas' reflux problems at bay by choosing to limit bottle and breast intake and supplement his suckling with a paci. He would drink around three ounces pure unadulterated breast milk and when his eyes started to roll into the back of his head because the knockout juice was working, mommy put the boob away and in went the paci. Sleep transition after the big burb was much easier. Now, at fifteen months, Lucas uses NUK ortho-pacifiers and only when it's time to sleep, or sooth, when he's cranky. Riley was completely off his pacifier around his second birthday.
Turns out i made a good judgement call. Pacifiers are recommended for use up to age two. The AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) says that giving your child a pacifier while he or she sleeps is linked to a decreased risk of SIDS, though the reason is still unclear. Not a lot of parents know that pacis can be more good than bad for their kids. And contrary to popular belief, pacifiers are not yet proven to be linked to buck teeth. The Mayo Clinic encourages binki use for the first six months when the risk of SIDS is at it's highest.
Sharing your love of the pacifier these days seems to have more risks: those without children ridicule the use and those with are always throwing unsolicited advice and stories to help "inform" you to it's great addiction power. The truth is, moms and dads, a pacifier addiction is much easier to remove than thumb sucking. You can physically remove them from the situation. In time there are hundreds of remedies to "fix" pacifier use that don't involve putting something on it to keep it out of the mouth (a common thumb sucking technique, yucky tastes prevent sucking). One tip i read even suggested putting a small hole or cutting the tip off to make your childs binki less enjoyable. Some think pacifier use is simply selfish. Your child doesn't "need" it, parents just use it as a coping mechanism to stop baby from crying or to prolong feedings. That is sometimes the case, people have been known to abuse the great soothing powers for personal gain but pacifier use it dependent upon the parent. Only you can make healthy choices for baby this young.
Coming full circle, I use pacifiers because of how they help me and my kids. Lucas stopped projectile vomiting. Sleep does come a little easier. Bumbs and bruises hurt a little less, and trust me, when there is a two year old older brother, there are LOTS of bumps and bruises. My opinion is only one, I want to hear your opinion. What are your opinions of the pacifier?
After we brought him home from the hospital, we started having problems with reflux. He wasn't losing weight, but every time he ate, my poor little guy projectile vomited his food right back up. We saw the doctor numerous times. In the end, with a little bed elevation, we kept Lucas' reflux problems at bay by choosing to limit bottle and breast intake and supplement his suckling with a paci. He would drink around three ounces pure unadulterated breast milk and when his eyes started to roll into the back of his head because the knockout juice was working, mommy put the boob away and in went the paci. Sleep transition after the big burb was much easier. Now, at fifteen months, Lucas uses NUK ortho-pacifiers and only when it's time to sleep, or sooth, when he's cranky. Riley was completely off his pacifier around his second birthday.
Turns out i made a good judgement call. Pacifiers are recommended for use up to age two. The AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) says that giving your child a pacifier while he or she sleeps is linked to a decreased risk of SIDS, though the reason is still unclear. Not a lot of parents know that pacis can be more good than bad for their kids. And contrary to popular belief, pacifiers are not yet proven to be linked to buck teeth. The Mayo Clinic encourages binki use for the first six months when the risk of SIDS is at it's highest.
Sharing your love of the pacifier these days seems to have more risks: those without children ridicule the use and those with are always throwing unsolicited advice and stories to help "inform" you to it's great addiction power. The truth is, moms and dads, a pacifier addiction is much easier to remove than thumb sucking. You can physically remove them from the situation. In time there are hundreds of remedies to "fix" pacifier use that don't involve putting something on it to keep it out of the mouth (a common thumb sucking technique, yucky tastes prevent sucking). One tip i read even suggested putting a small hole or cutting the tip off to make your childs binki less enjoyable. Some think pacifier use is simply selfish. Your child doesn't "need" it, parents just use it as a coping mechanism to stop baby from crying or to prolong feedings. That is sometimes the case, people have been known to abuse the great soothing powers for personal gain but pacifier use it dependent upon the parent. Only you can make healthy choices for baby this young.
Coming full circle, I use pacifiers because of how they help me and my kids. Lucas stopped projectile vomiting. Sleep does come a little easier. Bumbs and bruises hurt a little less, and trust me, when there is a two year old older brother, there are LOTS of bumps and bruises. My opinion is only one, I want to hear your opinion. What are your opinions of the pacifier?
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