Should you or shouldn't you use pacifiers with your baby? If you should, which kinds are best? I've got those answers for you!
The common misconception with pacifiers is that they cause crooked teeth and/or interfer with breast-feeding. According to the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics), pacifiers do no interfer with breast-feeding or cause crooked teeth. However, they do suggest you wait until your newborn is 1 month old before giving them a pacifier to make sure that breast-feeding is firmly established.
The AAP actually recommends pacifiers at bedtime and naptime for the first year of your child's life. According to studies done, pacifiers actually reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). (Note: It is suggested to stop all pacifier use after the age of 2.)
We used a pacifier for Brody at naptime and bedtime and during the day to soothe him until he was a year old. When Brody turned one, we cut the pacifier time to only when he was sleeping. Whenever he would wake up, we told him that paci had to go "night, night" and we had to leave it in the bed. Surprisingly, he was just fine with that and transitioned well.
It is also important to note that not all babies will use a pacifier. Some love them and some want nothing to do with them. It all depends on your child and their preferences. However, if you can get them to take a pacifier over thumb-sucking it is recommended. Thumb-sucking causes your child's top jaw to go forward and bottom jaw to go backwards. This can cause jaw malformation over time. Their thumb can also contain harmful germs.
So, since pacifiers are recommended, which ones are the best? There are so many out there. We have a WubbaNub and Brody loves it! It is a pacifier attached to an animal of some sort. There are all kinds of animals you can get with them. It is great because he is old enough to find it in his bed while he is sleeping if it falls out and put it back in his mouth. It saves us a trip to his room! Being from Texas, naturally we have a Longhorn WubbaNub!
When we were at the hospital, we got a Soothie pacifier. Brody loved this brand and used it for a long time.
I think these pacifiers are the best. I like the shape that represents a nipple (it helps them stick with breast-feeding easier) and the holes on the sides for breathing. I do recommend getting a few different types of pacifiers and see which one works best for your baby. They may have a few they like or they may have only one brand they like. Each baby is different. I do recommend using one for at least the first year of life. My main motivation for this is to help prevent SIDS.
Good luck paci searching!
The common misconception with pacifiers is that they cause crooked teeth and/or interfer with breast-feeding. According to the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics), pacifiers do no interfer with breast-feeding or cause crooked teeth. However, they do suggest you wait until your newborn is 1 month old before giving them a pacifier to make sure that breast-feeding is firmly established.
The AAP actually recommends pacifiers at bedtime and naptime for the first year of your child's life. According to studies done, pacifiers actually reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). (Note: It is suggested to stop all pacifier use after the age of 2.)
We used a pacifier for Brody at naptime and bedtime and during the day to soothe him until he was a year old. When Brody turned one, we cut the pacifier time to only when he was sleeping. Whenever he would wake up, we told him that paci had to go "night, night" and we had to leave it in the bed. Surprisingly, he was just fine with that and transitioned well.
It is also important to note that not all babies will use a pacifier. Some love them and some want nothing to do with them. It all depends on your child and their preferences. However, if you can get them to take a pacifier over thumb-sucking it is recommended. Thumb-sucking causes your child's top jaw to go forward and bottom jaw to go backwards. This can cause jaw malformation over time. Their thumb can also contain harmful germs.
So, since pacifiers are recommended, which ones are the best? There are so many out there. We have a WubbaNub and Brody loves it! It is a pacifier attached to an animal of some sort. There are all kinds of animals you can get with them. It is great because he is old enough to find it in his bed while he is sleeping if it falls out and put it back in his mouth. It saves us a trip to his room! Being from Texas, naturally we have a Longhorn WubbaNub!
Brody also really liked Gumdrop pacifiers. He always used either the Soothie or the Gumdrop. He did not like "traditional" pacifiers at all.
Good luck paci searching!
Until next time,
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