How to wean a baby from a pacifier and what will happen if this is not done

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Lifehacker has collected eight effective tips.

The sucking reflex is the most important survival mechanism for all mammals. Human babies begin to practice it in the womb, improve the skill by 36 weeks of development and apply it in practice already in the first hour after birth.

Falling to the source of food, the baby feels not only fed, but also protected. But apart from the mother's breast, a child who recently came to this world feels anxiety. The nipple helps to calm down and satisfy the sucking reflex.

Can a nipple harm a baby

The dummy is associated with several theses that relate to the health and development of children. Let's see how this is justified.

1. The nipple is harmful to breastfeeding

Neither WHO nor the United Nations Children's Fund officially endorses the use of the Pacifier use in the first month of life, arguing that it interferes with the natural feeding process. However, medical studies on Effect of restricted pacifier use in breastfeeding term infants for increasing duration of breastfeeding, conducted with the participation of the same WHO, do not confirm that the pacifier affects the duration or quality of breastfeeding.

2. It reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome

Pacifier use and SIDS: evidence for a consistently reduced risk that the dummy reduces the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), which occurs in infants under one year of age from respiratory arrest during sleep. For this reason, the American Academy of Pediatrics even recommends the American Academy of Pediatrics Announces New Safe Sleep Recommendations to Protect Against SIDS, Sleep-Related Infant Deaths to offer a pacifier to babies over a month old - when they have already gotten used to sucking milk.

3. Promotes the development of ear infections

Another subject of scientific controversy is whether the nipple increases the risk of ear disease. One study shows that one-year-old babies who chew on a pacifier for at least 5 hours a day are twice as likely to have otitis media (otitis media) than babies who do without it.

A cautious and considered opinion boils down to the following: the nipple increases the risk of developing otitis media, especially with prolonged use. But this is far from the only and not the main cause of the disease.

4. The nipple inhibits speech development

There is an opinion that the continuous chewing of the nipple after a year prevents the child from learning to speak. Calm: there is no solid scientific evidence for this hypothesis yet. Two small studies of How to Ditch the Pacifier, conducted in the United States, found no difference in communication skills between children who like to suck on a pacifier and their peers who do without it. Observations of The relationship of bottle feeding and other sucking behaviors with speech disorder in Patagonian preschoolers, conducted in Chile, showed that the habit of sucking on the nipple or fingers still inhibits speech development, but only in children over three years old.

5. She provokes dental problems

Most often, the development of two dental problems is attributed to the nipple - early childhood caries and malocclusion.

In the first case, Pacifier use and early childhood caries is to blame: an evidence-based study of the literature is not the dummy itself, but its improper use: for example, when parents smear the surface with jam, honey, or dip it in sugar so that the children are sweeter. But the nipple bite can really be affected by Effects of oral habits’duration on dental characteristics in the primary dentition, if the child does not let it out of his mouth after two years. But it is much worse, from the point of view of dentists, when children suck their fingers instead of a pacifier.

Based on evidence-based medicine, the Canadian and American Dental Associations make the following Recommendations for the use of pacifiers:

• If there is a choice between a nipple and a finger, the nipple is definitely less harmful and in the future it will be easier to wean it.
• Keep your dummy clean. It is categorically impossible to smear it with syrup, honey and other sweeteners.
• Get rid of the nipple before the first molars appear (that is, before the age of five), but preferably earlier - after two.

How to wean a baby from a pacifier

By the year when the child has already had its first teeth and is ready to switch to solid food, the sucking reflex gradually weakens. And between two and four, it fades away completely, and in this interval, children usually refuse the nipple themselves.

Should I wait for the child to quit the habit on their own? Or take away the pacifier earlier? And if earlier, when exactly? There are no unambiguous and only correct answers to these questions. You need to make a decision based on your child's best interests. And you certainly shouldn't be guided by the disapproving remarks of neighbors and grandmothers: "So big, but still with a pacifier!"

If you understand that the hour has come and there is more harm from the nipple than good, the main thing is to be patient and tune in to the positive. Try to make the goodbye feel like a fun game rather than a psychological thriller with tantrums. These tips will help you break the habit painlessly and peacefully.

1. Find the optimal time

You should definitely not take the pacifier from children when they feel bad, are upset about something, are constantly naughty or cry. Do not exacerbate the stress, wait for the child to recover or come to a normal frame of mind.

2. Make sure that the nipple is less visible

For starters, just try to limit the communication time. If the nipple is constantly dangling around the neck, then the temptation to chew it at the slightest opportunity is too great. Get out of sight and give out when the child is too nervous or goes to bed.

3. Skip the mustard

Surely you have heard about the effective old-fashioned method: smear the nipple with mustard, pepper or chloramphenicol ointment. However, such substances can cause irritation of the mucous membranes and allergies. And if the method still seems appropriate (because that's how you weaned you off), consult your pediatrician for a more gentle composition.

4. Distract

Notice that your baby is looking for a pacifier? Engage him in a new game, offer to read or sing a song, watch a cartoon, go for a walk. Any means are good - just to distract from thoughts of a dummy.

5. Find a replacement

By understanding why the child is so dear to this piece of rubber, you can fill the void that will arise after the breakup. For example, if a pacifier helps you fall asleep, suggest another way: present a new plush toy that is so pleasant to cuddle with, or turn on your favorite lullabies at night.

6. Praise for giving up the nipple

Suppose a child, through your efforts, lasted several hours without a nipple, calmed down or fell asleep. All these achievements are lavishly commendable. You can even brag about the little hero's successes over the phone. Call your relatives, friends, or at least an imaginary forest animal and tell us how great your child is.

7. Bargain and Negotiate

With a two-year-old, you can already discuss the upcoming changes, discuss conditions and even come up with a beautiful farewell ritual together. Here are some proven options.

• Offer to trade the pacifier for something more useful. Go to the store together and buy a new toy, "paying" with a dummy.
• Bury the pacifier in a flower pot (along with the seeds) and watch the greens or flowers grow out of it.
• Reassure the baby that he is already big and it is time to give the pacifier to the baby who needs it the most. Then praise your generosity.
• Tell us about the "dummy fairy" who takes away nipples from adult children at night, leaving a gift in return.
• Take the pacifier to the forest and solemnly hang it on a tree as a gift to the birds.

8. Do not scold your child and do not worry yourself

Each child experiences parting with a pacifier in its own way. Someone says goodbye to her quickly and painlessly. In other cases, it will take weeks of persuasion, with a gradual reduction in dummy time. In any case, do not shame the child for his weakness. And do not worry yourself: no one has gone to school with a pacifier yet, which means that all children will eventually wean from it.