Many times, parents ask themselves if it’s a good idea to give their infant a pacifier. Some babies may grow dependent on their pacifiers, but some find comfort in sucking on it. Renowned pediatrician Dr. Komarovsky provides insightful information on this subject to assist parents in making decisions.
Pacifiers can affect a child’s development in both positive and negative ways, according to Dr. Komarovsky. It’s critical to know when and how to use a pacifier in a way that helps the child and doesn’t have long-term negative effects.
This article examines Dr. Komarovsky’s viewpoint on the use of pacifiers and provides helpful guidance on how to wean your child off of them gradually. His methodical and lucid approach helps parents identify the best solution for their infant’s requirements.
| Topic | Dr. Komarovsky"s Opinion |
| When to introduce a pacifier | Dr. Komarovsky suggests introducing a pacifier when the baby shows a need for sucking, typically after breastfeeding is well-established. |
| Risks of using a pacifier | He mentions that prolonged use can affect teeth alignment and speech development if not stopped at the right age. |
| When to stop using a pacifier | Komarovsky recommends stopping pacifier use by the age of 2 to avoid dental and speech problems. |
| Benefits of pacifiers | Pacifiers can help soothe a baby, reduce stress, and even lower the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). |
- "Pros" and "cons"
- How to choose the "right" pacifier
- Pacifier and bite
- Video on the topic
- How to choose a pacifier for a child? – Dr. Komarovsky
- Why you shouldn"t sterilize nipples? – Dr. Komarovsky
- Orthopedic pacifiers are better than regular ones? – Dr. Komarovsky
- How does sucking a pacifier affect the bite? – Dr. Komarovsky
- How to wean off a pacifier Dr. Komarovsky 1
- Pacifier for a baby – Dr. Komarovsky – Inter
- Pacifier is harmful for teeth? – Dr. Komarovsky
"Pros" and "cons"
The baby will probably start sucking his finger as soon as he can get it to his mouth if a pacifier is not provided on principle. All newborns have this unsatisfied sucking reflex, which goes away on its own after a certain age. A child does not suck his finger out of boredom or even because he wants to. Evgeny Komarovsky says that this is an instinct and that fighting it is totally pointless.
Komarovsky asserts that a pacifier is preferable to a finger in this scenario. Although its benefits are indisputable, its harm is greatly exaggerated because it
- helps satisfy the sucking reflex;
- calms the child, puts him to sleep;
- stimulates intestinal peristalsis, develops facial muscles.
Regarding the pros and cons of pacifiers in pediatrics, there is no agreement. While some physicians advise against giving it to the unborn child, others say it is harmful. According to Evgeny Komarovsky, there is no doubt about it: you must pay attention to the child directly. Let him be a suck if that’s what he wants. Do not press for the pacifier if he spits it out. It’s not a good idea to get him specifically used to it at two months, three months, or later, when teeth start to erupt.
If a pacifier solves some specific problems of the child, there is nothing wrong with it, but if the pacifier itself turns into a problem, you need to try to part with it or endure it. For example, many children at 5-7 months “lose” the pacifier when falling asleep or take it out of their mouth themselves, and then get scared and start screaming at night until relatives come to their aid and return the pacifier back. In this situation, only the parents themselves need to evaluate the pros and cons and decide what is easier for them to endure – screaming without a pacifier for several nights or occasional screaming because of the pacifier, which will pass when the baby realizes that he should not touch it with his hands.
Mothers frequently worry that their child’s mental health will suffer when the time comes to wean him off of the pacifier.
The doctor is certain that there are no violations of mental and emotional development involved in weaning a child off of a pacifier. Such information is disseminated by ignorant and poorly educated individuals.
Reduced lactation is another point raised by pacifier critics. It is said that after a child has sucked on a pacifier for too long, she will naturally produce less milk and eat less of her mother’s milk. Komarovsky suggests that instead of panicking, you should focus only on the facts. If the baby is developing normally and growing well, you shouldn’t be concerned that the pacifier prevented him from finishing his meal.
It is unlikely that a pacifier is the cause if there are indicators of malnutrition, low weight, or other symptoms of delayed physical development. Instead, you need to identify the problem. Sucking during meals is dictated by instincts like hunger, and sucking on a pacifier satisfies another instinct: the need to suck.
How to choose the "right" pacifier
Pharmacies and children’s stores now stock an enormous assortment of pacifiers on their shelves. There are latex and silicone, big and small, with and without rings. It can be challenging for parents to determine which pacifier is "correct," particularly if they have never chosen one before.
According to Evgeny Komarovsky, the bite is lessened by a pacifier that is chosen carefully.
When sucking, a child’s tongue should normally be heavily loaded, and their perioral and facial muscles should be in good functioning order. With the aid of this "training," the lower jaw, which is smaller at birth than the upper, grows more rapidly and catches up to the upper jaw by six months. You should be aware that the ideal pacifier is one that is physiologically adapted to resemble a woman’s nipple as much as possible.
Silicone pacifiers are white, while latex pacifiers are yellow. Unlike the rubber ones that were popular with our grandmothers when they were little, both of them have a long lifespan. Silicone ones, on the other hand, do not trigger an allergic reaction and can withstand repeated boiling.
Of all the options available, Komarovsky advises choosing silicone pacifiers with anatomical or orthodontic shapes and the right size for the child’s age. Sizes "one" and "two" correspond to ages up to and including six months. Additionally, "three" comes after a year and a half. The Latin letters A, B, and C are used by foreign manufacturers to indicate which size these are.
To prevent the kid from inadvertently choking on pacifier parts, it is preferable if the pacifier is not large and has easily disassembled parts.
It is preferable to switch from the silicone pacifier to a latex one when the first teeth erupt because latex is softer and won’t cause tooth deformation. Since latex pacifiers wear out more quickly and are less suitable for boiling, you should replace them roughly every six weeks.
Pacifier and bite
The bite is the go-to defense used by anyone opposed to pacifiers. Yes, Evgeny Komarovsky says, it is affected by the pacifier. It is not the only one, though. Is there enough vitamin D in a child’s body? This is where the metabolism is more affected by this (how much a child receives and how calcium assimilates, phosphorus).
The load on the jaw is increased if the child is "artificial" and only interacts with his nipples in his daily life. There are additional risks of the bite changing if he sucks on both of the mother’s breasts and then uses a pacifier to feed his sucking reflex.
The quantity and quality of solid food a baby is fed has an impact on the condition of their bite once they erupt.
Furthermore, a great deal of information regarding the shape of the jaw and the relative positions of the upper and lower jaw is encoded in the child’s genetic code, which is present even before birth.
Therefore, it is impossible to compare an improper bite to a pacifier. To date, no physician has been able to refute this claim with evidence. As a result, the risk is mostly hypothetical.
Dr. Komarovsky’s viewpoint on pacifiers emphasizes that, depending on how they are used, they can be both beneficial and possibly harmful. In particular during the first few months of life, he thinks pacifiers can calm infants and aid in their sleep.
He does caution, though, that a child’s continued use of a pacifier could result in dental issues and make it harder to wean them off of it in the future. As a baby gets older, parents should monitor their usage and gradually cut it back.
Giving a pacifier to a child is ultimately a personal choice, and parents should weigh the advantages and potential disadvantages. Potential problems in the future can be avoided by knowing when to introduce and eventually phase out the pacifier.
While pacifiers can be a useful tool for calming babies, parents should use them carefully, says Dr. Komarovsky. He suggests using pacifiers as a temporary comfort and phasing them out gradually as the child grows older, cautioning against relying too much on them. Additionally, Dr. Komarovsky emphasizes the significance of practicing proper hygiene and being aware of any potential dental problems that may result from continued use.
