How to accustom a child to a pacifier?

For parents, weaning a baby off of a pacifier can be a helpful but challenging process. While some babies take to it immediately, others might require some encouragement. It’s critical to understand how to handle this in a tactful yet efficient manner.

Pacifiers are a common source of comfort for parents, particularly during fussy periods or to aid in sleep. The secret is to introduce it to the child at the appropriate time and make sure they have a good experience. In this process, consistency and patience are crucial.

This post will discuss helpful strategies for weaning your child off of a pacifier and provide advice on when and how to use it most efficiently.

Pros

• Stop baby crying.
• Adjust feeding schedule.
• Ease gas passage, thereby helping with colic.
• Get ready for a walk faster.
• Wait your turn at the clinic and other establishments.
• Try on baby clothes.
• Go shopping with your baby.
• Calm and distract the baby on a trip.

This sanitary item can also prevent night terrors, aid in teething, become a barrier to picking up objects off the street and chewing through everything in the apartment, and stop a finger from being sucked.

Cons: is it worth it?

The detrimental effects of pacifiers on speech development, nursing, and biting have long been written off as unimportant drawbacks. As long as the product is chosen carefully, there is no negative impact on the baby’s growth or health.

However, there are some disadvantages to pacifiers:

• A baby who is used to it is more likely to catch some kind of infection.
• A child with a pacifier, waiting to be fed, may fall asleep hungry.
• Weaning may also be a problem.

It is not advised to become accustomed to it if there is no specific need for it.

Opinion of E. Komarovsky

A well-known physician suggests against using a pacifier on a baby if the mother experiences difficulty producing enough milk. Recall that a child’s natural instinct is to sucke in order to take in breast milk. Additionally, the child’s effect on the mother’s nipples will be less intense if you channel this reflex toward a pacifier. In cases of lactation, this may be crucial.

However, it also happens to have no effect whatsoever on the baby sucking on the mother’s breast or the quantity of milk produced. A pacifier can assist the mother in relieving her breast temporarily and maintaining quiet in the room if the baby has a strong sucking reflex.

From what age can it be given?

Though some mothers give their babies a nipple every month, at six months, or even a year or 1.5 years old, for example, during the excommunication from the chest, you can offer the baby a dummy from birth. This is not against the law, but each case should be considered individually regarding the wisdom of accustoming. Giving it to a newborn between the third and fifth day after birth, when the mother’s milk production has already started to improve, is advised.

It can be beneficial to wean and soothe a child by getting them used to a pacifier, but it’s crucial to do so without interfering with breastfeeding or subsequent weaning. When your baby is calm and not overly hungry, introduce the pacifier first; do not force it. Make sure the pacifier is kept clean and in line with age. Your child will eventually come to rely on it out of comfort, but watch how much of it they use at once to avoid dependency.

How to choose the right one?

Because the pacifier is so unlike the mother’s nipple, the baby might not recognize it. As a result, when a newborn is created, it resembles the nipple of a woman. Their anatomy makes them appropriate for a child’s mouth.

Additionally, if the pacifier is the wrong size, shape, or material, the baby might refuse to take it. It is advised to buy your baby a variety of pacifiers (from various manufacturers and shapes), allowing him or her to select the one that best suits their needs on their own.

Consider the product’s age indication when making your selection. Children’s stores offer a variety of dummies, divided into sections for infants under three months, babies three to six months, and kids older than six months.

Dummies are also relevant. They originate from silicone or latex. The child may favor any kind of material. Products made of latex are softer and more frequently given to newborns.

Tricks

• It is much easier to accustom the baby-articulate to the dummy, since such a child is already familiar with the nipple. But in teaching the baby on breastfeeding you have to resort to different tricks:
• Sometimes it is recommended to lubricate it with something sweet-honey or jam. In this case, caution is needed, as the kids may have an allergy to such sweets.
• You can also lubricate the product with mom"s milk. The kid will react to the usual taste and take it. If the child is artificial feeding, this trick can be done with the mixture.
• It is recommended to slip it to the baby immediately after breastfeeding, replacing it with a mother nipple and without changing the position of the baby.
• You can give the baby water or complementary foods from a bottle, and then offer a dummy that will repeat the nipple on the bottle in shape.

It may take some time to get a child used to a pacifier, but persistence and patience are essential. Since each child is unique, it’s critical to approach this with an open mind and flexibility.

When your child is calm and content, it is best to introduce the pacifier to them. Offer it to them right before naps or bedtime.

Observe the wants and needs of your child. Avoid pressuring them if they resist. You can always give it another go at a later time, or assess whether or not they actually need a pacifier.

Video on the topic

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