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Giving
up the Dummy or Pacifier
Article
brought to you by InfantsBabiesToddlers.com
Pacifiers are a contentious
issue. We believe that the benefits that pacifiers offer outweigh any
possible negatives.
Pacifiers have been shown to
decrease the risk of SIDS.
They have a significant calming
effect on most babies.
The disadvantages are:
1.hygene (they must be kept
clean).
2.Young
babies who are pacifier dependant can cry or call at night when they
lose the dummy/pacifier while sleeping. They are often unable to find
the pacifier or do not have the manual dexterity to put it back in
their mouths.
3.Tooth development can be
effected in older babies.
So, apart from hygiene issues,
there is only one major medical reason to stop using a
pacifier and that is TOOTH DEVELOPMENT. The direction of
growth and position of teeth, affects speech,
jaw position, facial appearance, chewing effectiveness and the future
positioning
of adult teeth.
So,
the use of a
pacifier is
not likely to have too much effect on baby before teeth appear, but
when teeth start coming through, if your baby constantly uses a
pacifier, you will begin
to notice that baby’s front teeth will move to accommodate
the
pacifier. The front
teeth will start protruding forwards and their growth may slow so you
can see
a gap where the pacifier sits when your baby smiles. This is the time
to
seriously
consider retiring the pacifier.
Sometimes easier said than
done! We know! And some argue that a pacifier can be removed, but if a
persistent child then reverts to thumb sucking, it may be a bit more
challenging.
Safe, awful bitter tasting nail
biting remedy solves the thumb and finger sucking habit
fast.
OK, how to do it:
1.
Cold Turkey. Just
take it away without
baby knowing and deal with the tantrum.
2.
If your baby is a bit
older and you can talk to them meaningfully, set a date and talk to
them about
saying goodbye to the pacifier on that day. Explain that they are a big
boy/girl now and big kids don’t use pacifiers. Because it has
not happened
suddenly and they have been able to get used to the idea, this is often
a very
effective method.
3. Cut a small piece off the
end of the pacifier. Make sure it is still clean and SAFE, that no
pieces can
come off and be swallowed. Some babies will just give it up because it
feels
different now, others will persist. Keep cutting a small piece off
every other
day until after about two weeks only a stub is left. Problem solved.
Article
brought to you by InfantsBabiesToddlers.com
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