The pacifier is a magical object in certain situations: to calm the baby, to help fall asleep ... has even been linked to the prevention of sudden death in the first months. Suction is a reflection that calms babies, provides them with security and tranquility apart from food. Therefore it seems unimaginable that the pacifier could be harmful at some point and yet it is. The pacifier in certain circumstances does not help the baby or at least not in the medium term.
For example, in newborns it is not recommended. It is best to avoid the pacifier during the first days of life and even when breastfeeding is well established, around the month of life. If after you have given the baby a pacifier and he has become accustomed to it, the months go by and he does not leave it, we will have to make it easier for him to do so, since that is when more problems can generate in the child. How to help the child leave the pacifier after the year?
It is after twelve months when specialists point out the risks of frequent use of the pacifier (there are also risks when you suck your finger). This increases the risk of dental problems (discussed below), as well as the risk of accidents or language development.
According to the Spanish Society of Pediatric Dentistry, non-nutritive sucking would cause the lower central teeth to gradually deviate inward, while the upper ones tend to separate and protrude outward. If the use of the pacifier is lengthened, the fangs collide with each other and both rows of teeth do not close properly. In addition, the action of sucking puts into operation a series of muscles of the face and a position of the particular tongue, something that over time the upper and lower lines lose their parallelism.
In Babies and more When to remove the pacifier to avoid oral problems due to prolonged use?Therefore, pediatricians advise limiting the use of the pacifier until one year of life (although in the SEOP they delay that abandonment until two or three years). According to the AEP:
To avoid other adverse effects of the use of the pacifier it is recommended, in all children, to limit its use until the year of life, which includes the maximum risk ages of the SIDS and those in which the infant is more in need of sucking.
Of course, when prolonged use of the pacifier is added the use of this as "candy", permeating it in sugary liquids, honey ... dental problems and other risks increase (caries, obesity ...).
Tips to help our child leave the pacifier
In short, we have offered the pacifier to the child and now we cannot let the years go by without taking it away. Nor can we make it disappear radically. These are some tips to help our son leave the pacifier.
Start by removing the pacifier during the day, little by little, in certain situations, not offering it to the child, it may surprise us by not missing it much ... If you ask, explain why it is not good to use the pacifier so much now that It is not a baby.
If we identify the situations in which our child needs the pacifier, we can offer an alternative, like a doll, a stuffed animal ... and anticipate those situations so that it is quieter.
Of course, the alternative we offer to the pacifier cannot be a candy or a sugary drink ... since the remedy would be worse than the disease.
In situations where we can distract the child before giving the pacifier, it is advisable to do so and not go to him as a first resort (nerves, crying ...). It is much more laborious for us, but remember that it has a pacifier because we gave it to him.
Perhaps the hardest time to leave the pacifier is to sleep. If the child does not calm down at night, accompany him explaining that you do it to calm down and to see how much he is sleeping without a pacifier, pet him, tell him a story to sleep without "tete" ...
You can prepare a "ritual" or party to say goodbye to the pacifier, is a simple trick that usually works with many children: a pacifier tree, put it as an ornament somewhere (not within reach of the child), inside a small box ...
If you have fairy tales, you can turn to pacifier fairy, which takes these little gadgets for smaller babies who do need it.
If you are going through a situation of important change (moving, entrance to school ...), better postpone the abandonment of the pacifier, since it would be another change that can cost you to assume and burden you with too much stress.
If in this process during the day you surprise the child with the pacifier in the mouth, do not blow it away, forcing it, to avoid being hurt and of course do not get angry with him. Explain to him that you had talked about not taking the pacifier during the day.
Do not use worn pacifiers, they pose a danger to children. Explain it to your little one when the pacifier starts to deteriorate and he understands that it has to be changed ... for something else. How about a "older" toy?
In Babies and more The effects of sucking your finger and the pacifier longer than recommended (and how to avoid it)The key to encouraging your child to abandon the pacifier It is in controlling the times, reducing its use and preparing most times for a difficult goodbye. On other occasions, we will be surprised that our son or daughter gets rid of the pacifier with an amazing facility, which can happen especially if he got used to it late (this is what happened to me with my little daughter, to which we "force" to use a pacifier because he didn't leave his finger).
Finally, remember the issues to consider before offering your baby's pacifier, as it is not mandatory (in fact it is not recommended at first so that it does not interfere with breastfeeding). Every baby is a world and if you don't finally use it, there will be no concern about how to remove the pacifier from the child so that it does not harm him.
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In Babies and more | When is the use of the pacifier harmful? AEP Recommendations on the use of the pacifier, The effects of sucking the finger and the pacifier longer than recommended (and how to avoid it)
