DOES THE BABY REALLY NEED A PACIFIER?

DOES THE BABY REALLY NEED A PACIFIER?

Everyone at the time of being parents we have raised this question. The need or not of the use of the pacifier is a question that continues creating doubts and diverse opinions. Next we will approach this topic with useful recommendations and professional opinions to give answers to all your uncertainties.

It is increasingly thought that the need for a pacifier is relative . However, occasionally the pacifier may have no contraindications and may even be convenient for the baby.

Babies are born by nature with the sucking instinct . To nurse is a natural act that nourishes them, but it is also an activity that relaxes and calms them. In addition, the action of suction on the part of the baby is necessary for the secretion of breast milk . Above all, at the beginning of motherhood until milk production is regular, which usually happens in a short time.

For this reason the pacifier is discouraged in the first days after birth. At least until milk production is regulated. However, sometimes, the pacifier is introduced prematurely, when the mother secretes excess or insufficient milk. Also when it has cracks or discomfort, or when the baby is not attacked well.

Their inclusion before the breastfeeding is regulated can interfere with milk production , making milk scarce and / or less nutritious. For this reason it is advisable to wait until milk segregation is continuous and regulated. It happens approximately after two weeks or a month.

When breastfeeding is regulated, it can be decided whether it is convenient for our baby to use the soother or not. Obviously it is a decision of the parents . 

The baby can continue without a pacifier in a natural way.

 Sometimes babies who are breastfed from the moment of birth usually do not accept the comforter well. This often happens when breastfeeding is done on demand or when the baby is allowed to suckle to relax, usually before going to sleep.

For parents it is time to decide whether to introduce the pacifier or not. And for this it is necessary to consider different circumstances of the baby’s environment.

Breastfeeding often causes discomfort in the nipples, which can sometimes be painful, causing cracking and reddening. Breastfeeding is a fascinating but at the same time exhausting stage for the mother, due to her constant willingness to breastfeed and relax her baby.

So sometimes, the use of the pacifier, if accepted well, can release some moments of the day to the mother. For example to rest or dedicate to herself. In these cases, since the demand for suction may be habitual, the soother can comfortably offer relief and make the baby relax, without negatively affecting it .

Sometimes babies when they are satiated with milk they reject the breast, but continue with a great need for suction. Surely because the action of sucking relaxes them . They usually suck their hands or anything at their fingertips. In these cases it would be possible to consider whether to give the pacifier, as it could help you relax better.

Anyway you can calm the craving for suction with patience and love without giving a comforter. The choice remains of the parents.

Babies who already drink from a baby bottle usually accept the pacifier better . And normally it does not interfere with their nutrition. It would also be necessary to assess whether a soother is suitable for a baby of low weight or who has difficulty feeding. Since the energy spent in sucking the pacifier, in these cases can be significant and subtract suction force at the time of nourishment.

The act of nursing, for your baby (and for you as a mother), is more than just a moment to nourish theirselves. It is a unique and intimate moment, where physical contact transcends the emotional side of the baby. This becomes a moment of exchange of love and serenity. This facet of breastfeeding is transcendent, very important for the emotional development of the baby .

Of course, the physical and emotional contact with the baby will not depend on the use or not of the comforter. It will depend on the quality of the time that parents spend with them . And I say quality and not quantity, because the emotional development of the little one will depend mostly on the quality of the time spent with him/her.

It is very important that to the baby is trasmitted the affection and security, creating an emotional bond . Qualities of the love a father or mother feels toward their child.

In this regard, the pacifier should be used sparingly , not to silence the baby or as a comfort. And consequently it is advisable not to put it on continuously. The natural thing would be that he had his mouth free to be able to experiment with it.

Precisely the mouth is one of the first organs with which the baby experiences the world around him. Through it, the baby notices the sense of taste when it is nourished and therefore uses it frequently with objects in the mouth.

Of course we have to be aware of the things and objects with which the baby plays . In addition to being of the right size and material, they must be suitable for babies of their age. And of course perfectly clean and hygienic , as well as the objects that we manipulate for nutritious or hygienic use of the baby.

The soother is an artificial object, which in some way replaces the breast of the mother. For what could be allowed in moderation in some circumstances previously considered.

Always as additional support and punctual help. Not as emotional substitution of affection and safety of physical contact of parents or caregivers.

Physical contact is necessary and important for the baby. We should give it independently to the punctual and dispensable use of the pacifier.

The same consideration should be made with the use of the feeding bottle . Taking into account that the use of the bottle sometimes is even necessary.Which does not prevent the nutrition of the baby through the feeding bottle should not be done with care and dedication.

So this useful object has a function that offers serenity and comfort to the child. And therefore, duly, it can be helpful and even convenient. For example, at times when the baby requires immediate or continuous attention and we can not afford it, or it is not possible. Like when we go in the car, we have to deal with matters of immediate urgency, or simply rest the parents. Each parent must assess the preference to follow.

What is important is that the baby does not lack the basic physical and emotional affection , and that the time we spend with them, nurturing them, taking care of them and playing with them is one of quality, full of affection and attention .

In this way both at weaning and at the time of leaving the comforter, this will not be traumatic for your child. Because they will not feel rejected or neglected, and therefore they will do so gradually and without problems.

This way they will leave the soother or the breast, little by little, without realizing it, in a natural and progressive way. They will not notice the difference in their affective bond with your parents or caregivers.

In addition we will avoid wrong habits such as sucking your finger or other object or that the time of weaning or leaving the pacifier is excessive.However, if your child has acquired some of these habits, nothing happens .

In the same way, with affection and patience, without any type of pressure, it is convenient to wait for the time that the child considers necessary. So you will have enough time to acquire security and gradually leave it alone, without haste.

DOES THE PACIFIER GENERATE TRANQUILITY OR DEPENDENCE?

Apparently it could generate both. It depends on how and under what circumstances it is used. Next we will analyze the habitual employment that we as parents or mothers or caregivers do in this regard. In this way we will identify the mistakes and the successes that we usually make in the use of the pacifier.

It is usually advisable not to use the comforter continuously , remove it when it is not necessary and avoid creating exclusive dependence on a pacifier (the use of different soothers in color and shape may help, in order to extend the child’s experience towards more objects and not focusing on one exclusively).

Another aspect to keep in mind is not to use it as a consolation .

As we have already identified, this behavior on the part of parents or caregivers is not the most appropriate. Particularly when the child has suffered a small accident or fall and starts to cry. In these cases it is important to generate in the child a state of security such that they can face the situation without needing a pacifier as a consolation or substitution of said state of security.

COMING SOON WE WILL EXPAND THE THEME OF THE PACIFIER AND WE WILL TALK ABOUT TOPICS RELATED TO THE BABY’S WORLD

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN THIS TOPIC? DO YOU WANT TO SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH US? IF YOU WANT TO EXPRESS YOUR OPINION LEAVE YOUR COMMENT BELOW!

DOES THE BABY REALLY NEED A PACIFIER? DOES THE BABY REALLY NEED A PACIFIER? DOES THE BABY REALLY NEED A PACIFIER?