The Pacifier Wars

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

16 Jul 2006 08:00 AM

Over the years, there has been a tug of war between proponents of the pacifier versus those who are against the pacifier have swung the pendulum back and forth. When my daughter was born, pacifiers were recommended against (especially if you were breastfeeding) and now once again the pendulum is swinging back to be in favor of the pacifier including as an aid to help reduce the changes of SIDS.

Pro Pacifier

On the pro pacifier side of the fence, there are the medical studies that suggest the babies sucking reflex helps to prevent SIDS. The pacifier is a great substitute for the nipple when the baby is seeking comfort sucking rather than sustenance sucking. Babies do many things out of comfort seeking and suckling is one of them - the pacifier can help comfort your infant and avoid overeating even at such a young age.

Anti Pacifier

The arguments against the pacifier are that it can lead to malformation in the mouth and of the teeth. That it creates dependence for the infant that is hard to break as they get older. There are also arguments that the pacifier can serve as a deterrent to breast-feeding babies because the shape of the nipple is so different.

My Views On the Pacifier

I've described some of our issues with breastfeeding and the bottle for my daughter. The pacifier is a totally different story. She wouldn't take a pacifier - the first week of her life, we used the pacifier to settle her down - but she started spitting it out very quickly. In fact, she treated the pacifier like an insult. By week two, we'd tossed the pacifier into the trash and never bothered with it again.

What has been your experience with the pacifier?

Related Articles:

Getting Rid of the Pacifier

When Your Baby Won't Stop Crying

Flying with an Infant

Pacifiers - A Good Idea?

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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