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The Pacifier Debate: Why It Can Solve a Lot of Issues
Do you want to start a fight among new mothers? Then you should mention the word “pacifier.” All parenting
decisions are emotional and have strong proponents on each side, but pacifiers are one of those parenting issues on
steroids. Everyone thinks they know the answer and that their opinion is the one that counts. It doesn’t help the
matter that there is conflicting information about pacifiers in the medical communities and that many doctors’
professional opinions on the issue are often clouded by their own personal feelings on the debate.
So, to use a pacifier or not use a pacifier - that is the question facing most parents. There really is no easy
answer. Many families have their own reasons for making decisions about pacifiers that transcend the debate, but
one thing is for sure. There is a lot of evidence out there that suggests that pacifiers not only are safe for
children, but in some cases, they can actually actively help make children safer.
The strongest piece of evidence the pro-pacifier crowd has in its arsenal is the results of a 2005 study of babies
and pacifiers. According to the results of the research, pacifiers seemed to dramatically decrease the incidence of
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). How can pacifiers do this? Experts are exactly sure, but then they aren’t
exactly sure why children die of SIDS. There are theories, however. Many doctors believe that SIDS occurs when an
infant rolls into its face, blocking its airways, and either is too deeply asleep to wake up and correct them, or
they lack the strength to roll over. Experts believe that pacifiers might help prevent SIDS in a few different
ways. For one, having the pacifier in their mouth may prevent infants from falling so deeply asleep that they do
not wake up when they are in danger. Another theory is that because pacifiers press down on the baby’s tongue, they
keep a constant airway open for the baby.
For all new parents, this advice is nothing to sneeze at. After all, parents take the time to find out the current
guidelines for how a baby should sleep to decrease the risk of SIDS, so considering the benefits of a pacifier,
especially if you have a history of SIDS in your family, is the right thing to do. Pacifiers have other, less
dramatic but worthwhile uses as well. If your baby is colicky, then a pacifier can work wonders. There is a
difference between normal “fussing” and colicky crying, and there is a difference between fussing and
uncontrollable crying in a baby, colicky or not. There is a point where you should not just let your baby cry it
out.
Sometimes, a baby needs to be calmed down, and for some babies, only a pacifier will do. If your baby needs a
pacifier to be calm and get the rest they need, then you should not hesitate to give it to them. Don’t
underestimate the value of protecting your own sanity as well. Some mothers think they are being selfish if they
give their baby a pacifier to quiet them down - nonsense. To be a good mother, you have to stay in control and to
do so you need your rest. If you need a little help from a pacifier, so be it - every mother needs help along the
way.
The truth of the matter is that some babies take to pacifiers and some don’t. But, if your baby is the type that
finds peace in sucking on a pacifier, then in the absence of one, they are likely to discover their thumb.
Transferring that urge to a pacifier rather than a thumb is a good thing for child’s hygiene, not to mention their
teeth down the line.
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