When young parents find that their baby is always crying, they are especially anxious and will always give a pacifier to comfort them. It has a very good alleviating effect on solving the baby's crying. However, when we use pacifiers for babies, we must also know how to use them.
So, can the baby sleep with a pacifier?
The things used by children need to be used normally after understanding, because every thing needs to be used at a certain age. Children's illness conditions are different in different periods, which is why we use food. So, can children use pacifiers?
If you only give your child a pacifier during bedtime, and only for her to sleep well, not for your own troubles, she should not become overly dependent on the pacifier. This shouldn't affect her dental development, unless you keep her in childhood. Because children love pacifiers most in a few months or a few years old, they only have baby teeth in their mouths, and permanent teeth usually don’t grow until about 6 years old. At that time, they usually don’t pacify pacifiers anymore.
Many children use pacifiers to soothe themselves when they are 1 to 3 years old or even in preschool. A pacifier can also be used as a transitional item that some experts call, that is, something used to relieve stress and help your child adapt to new things or challenging situations (such as starting a nursery or long-distance travel, etc.). Although there is no need to prevent your baby from using a pacifier after he is over 1 year old, it is good to start coaxing him to give up the pacifier as soon as possible now.
For example, if your baby seems to be prone to ear infections, not using a pacifier may be alleviated. Studies have shown that children who do not use a pacifier have a 33% lower chance of developing otitis media. Try to limit the time your baby uses the pacifier. At the very least, be sure to use the smallest, new-born baby model, because this pacifier is smaller and softer, and it is less likely to affect your baby's speech. By the time your child is 18 months old, it is best to quit pacifiers altogether.
How to use pacifiers
Because the pacifier is directly in contact with the child’s mouth, if you don’t pay attention to some cleanliness, it will easily cause some bacteria to enter the baby’s mouth, posing a threat to their health, and this will cause a growth problem for the child. It has been adversely affected.
Don't put pacifiers indiscriminately
You can often see some mothers who do the disinfection of feeding bottles and pacifiers very well, but they put the pacifiers on the small bed next to the baby, or hung on the baby’s chest. Some people do not disinfect the pacifier at all, and some people only disinfect it once a day. If you see that the pacifier is soiled, you can only rinse it with boiling water or wipe it with your hands.
Pacifiers should also be "used once and disinfected once"
This kind of situation is most common when the baby is taken care of by a nanny or an elderly person. Even the cord to tie the pacifier is very dirty, and it continues to be used, which is very inconsistent with basic hygiene principles. They often think that washing pacifiers once a day is enough. If this is the case, why do you need to prepare 6 bottles and pacifiers a day and use sterilized pacifiers every time?
in the first 2 months, it is not recommended to use a pacifier
Some parents even put a pacifier next to the newborn baby at any time, as long as the baby cries, it will be fed to him. This practice is not in line with the principle of using a pacifier and is not hygienic; it is never medically recommended for the newborn baby For babies or babies who are only one or two months old, take a pacifier, and the pacifier is unclear. Beware of germ infections.
Usually, babies with pacifiers are also frequent visitors of pediatricians in outpatient clinics. Unsanitary pacifiers make babies more likely to suffer from respiratory infections and gastroenteritis. Therefore, when taking care of babies, many small details cannot be ignored.
Pros and Cons of using pacifiers
Pros:
satisfies the need for sucking
In the first 6 months after the baby is born, there is a very strong need for sucking. Some babies can be satisfied by feeding and sucking their mother's breasts. But some babies have very high sucking needs. Even if their stomachs are full, they still think about sucking. For example, some babies love to eat their hands and chew with gusto every day. Even if the skin of their fingers is broken, they still think about sucking. Don’t persevere.” The recommendation for babies in this situation is to use a pacifier to free the baby’s hands, and it is easier to get rid of the pacifier than to eat your fingers.
Reduce the occurrence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
Within 6 months after the birth of a baby, it is a period of high incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Research papers have confirmed that using a pacifier while sleeping can reduce the probability of sudden infant death syndrome by at least half.
It’s easier to quit a pacifier than to eat your hands
As we mentioned in the first article, due to the high sucking needs of babies during the oral period, they will eat when they can’t sleep, eat when they grow teeth, and eat a few mouthfuls when they are bored. Because it is much easier to quit pacifiers than to quit finger eating, so if babies before 1 year old love to eat hands, they can consider introducing pacifiers.
Exercise sucking ability
This point is more for premature babies or babies with weak sucking ability. In addition to normal drinking, it is generally recommended to use more pacifiers to help exercise sucking ability.
Cons:
nipple confusion
I want to emphasize here: Newborn babies under 1 month should not use pacifiers. Premature introduction of pacifiers may cause nipple confusion. The recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics is that when the baby is 1 month old, he can pump milk regularly and the mother's milk supply is stable, so he can use the pacifier with confidence.
Impact on teeth
Many mothers who want to use pacifiers for their babies have this concern: I heard that pacifiers will affect their teeth. The mothers who had been quite active with the soothing function of pacifiers were hesitant because of this. In this regard, the American pediatric dentist pointed out that before the age of 2, any dental problems caused by the use of a pacifier can be self-corrected after 6 months of stopping use.
So how to use the pacifier to make the baby sleep peacefully?
1. When the baby just sleeps, he can eat the pacifier. When the baby has entered a deep sleep state, the mother can take the pacifier out of the baby's mouth, because sucking this pacifier for a long time will make the baby's stomach If the cold air enters the tunnel, it will cause the baby to have abdominal pain for a long time. If it is during the teething period, often eating a pacifier may also cause the teeth to be arranged irregularly.
2. When the baby is sleeping, in order to help improve the quality of sleep effectively, it is necessary to pull the curtains in the bedroom in time to form a relatively dark environment. Before going to bed, you can put on comfortable pajamas or take a warm bath in advance. The body's blood is well circulated, which helps the baby to sleep well.
3. During the daytime, mothers can take the baby to do more outdoor exercises, so that the baby's energy can be effectively vented. At night, the family should not speak loudly, let alone watch TV or play mobile phones for a long time, and don't give the baby for dinner. Eating too full, because it will burden the stomach and is not conducive to the quality of sleep, mothers also choose to provide a separate cot for the baby.