Some can’t wean a baby from a nipple, others can’t put a baby's nipple in their mouth. Yes, yes, sometimes babies flatly refuse a pacifier, and quite often it is a pacifier that helps parents in different situations. It perfectly calms the baby, stimulates the sucking reflex. During nipple sucking, brain stimulation occurs, a certain concentration is produced, the production of pleasure hormones. The child quickly calms down, focuses on sucking and falls asleep. Disputes about the fact that the child should not be accustomed to the nipple at all have always been, therefore, here each parent decides for himself whether to teach or not. But you should also know that the baby will definitely not get worse from the nipple, the only real minus is that it will probably be difficult when it comes time to pick up and wean your baby from the nipple 🙂 (here we wrote about this: how to wean from the nipples).
When to use a dummy?
- Optimal use of a dummy before bedtime. In this case, stimulation of the sucking reflex will help to calm the baby, replacing the usual and normal for the baby breast sucking before bedtime;
- During long gatherings for a walk and on the walk itself when the child plays in the sandbox;
- When you have to wait in long lines, for example, in a clinic;
- During shopping trips (trying on new clothes on a crumb);
- All kinds of trips and travels.
Why can’t I teach a baby to nipple while breastfeeding?
If breastfeeding lasts up to a year or a year and a half, a dummy is not required. On the contrary, with a high probability, she will be indignantly rejected. It is almost impossible to accustom a breastfed baby to a dummy. Children perfectly feel the difference and will demand not a dummy, but a warm and lively maternal breast.
Not everyone can afford to breastfeed for a long time. The use of a number of drugs, antibiotics, failure to follow a special diet, stress, early exit to work. All this leads to the forced abandonment of breastfeeding.
Why can a pacifier be useful?
- A child accustomed to a dummy does not require attention before going to bed, he needs a dummy. This is a very important point. A baby's motion sickness at bedtime without the use of a dummy will require at least an hour, or even two, daily (i.e. throughout the day). If you have so much time, you don’t have to think about the need for a dummy. If not, it is more rational to choose a good pacifier;
- The dummy stimulates the activity of the intestines and saves the baby from gazikov;
- During walks on the street and playing the child in the sandbox (after all, kids pull all kinds of “kaku” in their mouths);
- There are special nipples that contribute to the formation of the correct bite;
- The child can be quickly reassured in any situation by offering him a dummy;
- Any dummy can use the dummy to calm the baby. And the father, and the grandmothers of the child, and older children. To bring the baby in a complacent state does not require the obligatory participation of the mother;
- A skill of concentration is developing, which will later be very useful in studies or in intellectual work. It is very important to ensure that this attachment does not switch, for example, to smoking. But a teenager can easily explain the dangers of smoking and find an alternative to achieve a concentrated state.
What are the negative aspects of using nipples?
- Less attention is paid to the study of the world, the child is focused on sucking;
- Children, accustomed to a dummy, later begin to talk, more often the help of a speech therapist is required (this is of course also possible a myth);
- It is difficult to wean from use of a baby's dummy. Sometimes it is (how to wean a link at the beginning of an article);
- In some cases, the child switches to other objects (everything that catches his eye) and sucks them, including fingers. By the way, weaning a baby from a nipple is easier than sucking a finger(see article how to wean a baby suck fingers);
- A baby's dummy can suck for several hours without a break. This is significantly longer than breastfeeding;
- Since the dummy is used longer than physiologically justified breastfeeding, and without time limits, an overdeveloped sucking reflex can persist for a long time and be reflected in the sucking of pens and pencils in school, the habit of biting nails, and smoking.
There are also positive aspects with an overly developed sucking reflex. When sucking objects, for example, a pencil, the usual brain stimulation takes place, a concentrated state is easily achieved, hormones of pleasure are produced. And the problem of algebra is solved, so also with pleasure. And instead of pencils gnawed at the decision, you can buy another box, that's okay.
Some children categorically do not want to use a dummy. Is it worth it to insist?
Of course, a dummy is a convenient tool for managing a child. Most parents believe that it is convenient to silence and calm down the child at any time. Active children who want to independently manage any situation more often refuse a nipple. It is possible that it is for such children who refuse to nipples, the habit of concentrated conditions will be especially useful. Well, all the advantages of using nipples, we wrote above.
We accustom to a baby's dummy - small tricks
There are 2 main methods of teaching a child:
To deceive the baby, slipping a dummy instead of a chest. In this case, attachment to the nipple will be maximum. Take the baby in her arms in the position in which breastfeeding occurs, but instead of the breast, offer a nipple lubricated with milk or milk mixture. This method is ideal for children under 3 months of age. Older infants are thus difficult to carry out in this way.- Offer a pacifier during the period when the teeth appear, when the baby is ready to nibble and suck anything. The child will perceive the nipple as a convenient and useful toy, will nibble and bite it, learn how to put it in its mouth and take it out back at will.
Oh yes, many advise smearing the nipple with sweet jam or honey so that the child does not spit it out, in no case should you do it, because in a small child, this may appeardiathesiscaries allergy and addiction to taste.Also, you do not need to lick the nipple, before giving it to the baby, the adult saliva contains a huge amount of bacteria.
At what age can a dummy be offered?
A pacifier can be given from birth. Good pharmacies have a wide selection of teats for babies from birth. If the newborn flatly refuses to get a dummy, then wait a while and try again in 1 month. Bite-forming nipples can be used from 7-12 months.
How to choose?
Get nipples according to the age of the baby (pacifiers are sold in sizes from 0 to 3 months, from 3 to 6, from 12 and 18 months). Also pay attention to the material of the nipples - there may be silicone and latex (latex is softer than silicone) and the shape.
By the way, many babies refuse and spit out their nipples often because they are not suitable for them in size and shape (either too small or large), or the child will not like the material of which the nipple is made (we recommend purchasing both latex and silicone - the baby will choose which suits him and will like it).Read in detail how to choose a pacifier >>>
Should breastfeeding and dummy use be combined?
This is undesirable. The reasons are as follows. When breastfeeding, the baby learns to be very careful about the mother’s breast. Children who do not use dummies almost never bite their breasts.
But the dummy is very convenient to nibble. And the kids gnaw the dummies when teeth are cutAs a result, when the chest is in the mouth again, it is difficult for the children to switch and they may bite. You can’t tolerate and forgive such bites, there’s nothing to punish.
You need to understand that any decision has its positive and negative sides. Based on rational preferences. If you have enough time, calmly react to the child’s demands for attention in the middle of the night, are ready to rock your baby for hours, if his stomach hurts or his teeth are cut - you can leave the question with a dummy open.
If you want to have a little time for yourself personally, not to have a constant look exhausted by continuous lack of sleep, to keep up with something around the house - choose a dummy.
TOP-10 soothers: choose a pacifier for a baby (rating):
TOP-10 of the main manufacturers (brands) of dummy nipples, which you can find in the market of children's goods. Manufacturer, features, properties, advantages and disadvantages, price -https://kid.htgetrid.com/en/veshhi-dlya-malyisha/top-10-pustyishek-vyibiraem-sosku-dlya-rebenka-reyting.html
But if your child still doesn’t want to take a dummy in any way, rejoice, you won’t have to wean it 🙂
We just leave it here 🙂
Video opinion: Dummy - to give or not to give?
Look at the opinion of Mom 5th children and the opinion of Dr. Komarovsky
I am categorically against accustoming a child to a dummy. It is quite possible to do without it. And both of my children did not know what a nipple was.
I do not understand those parents who give their children a dummy. okay, even a month or two, but when the baby is a year old and his mouth is plugged with a nipple, this is clearly too much.
I have a son, he is already 2 years old and during this time I have never given him a dummy. There is no sense from this, only harm. The child has a wild addiction and then it will be difficult to wean.
I definitely decided for myself that in no case will I give my baby a pacifier. This is not normal, and it is better to lull him to sleep than to silence him in this way.
Dummy is harm. and even if my baby cried a lot, I still did not give him a pacifier. Distracted, talked, amused or rocked, depending on the situation.
If everything is done in moderation, then why not. A small amount of time for which the baby sucks the nipple will not harm, but only help to calm down and fall asleep.
During pregnancy, inexperience, I was sure that my baby does not need a dummy. But having arrived from the hospital, I realized how wrong I was. The son woke up at night very often, but not from hunger, but just to stay with his mother’s chest. Then I realized that you can’t do without a dummy. My attention was drawn to Chicco's dummy Physio Soft from 0 months. I liked her outwardly. Firstly, it is completely made of silicone, does not contain plastic parts, which means it is completely safe for the child. Silicone is a hypoallergenic material, it has neither taste nor smell, it is strong enough. There are different colors, I chose the "courageous" blue. At home she boiled it and offered it to the child. And he got used to her very quickly! Still, because in shape it is very similar to the nipple, since at the base it is very thin and soft. This means that the bite will be formed correctly. There are also four openings that allow air to pass between the baby's dummy and the baby’s mouth, which does not leave red marks on the skin. We used the dummy only at night, with it the child was much calmer and rarely woke up. And in the afternoon I didn’t remember her. Now his son is 9 months old, he no longer sucks a dummy. The process of weaning from her was easy for us, the child simply “outgrew”. However, if necessary, you can purchase such a dummy and a larger size, from 4 or 12 months. Now I advise Chicco's dummy Physio Soft soother.
And we are 2.5 months old, they started sucking a finger, and here you choose the lesser of two evils, it is much more difficult to wean from a finger than from a dummy.
In general, each person is individual. And everyone has their own opinion.
About the article. My girlfriend's daughter, up to 2 years old, sucked a dummy and began to clearly talk at 1.5 years old. Even the letter “P” was pronounced so that it was believed, as if she were pronouncing it!
My brother did not suck a dummy at all, and at the age of 16 he started smoking.
So, this is all a myth. The dummy does not affect either one or the other. After all, everyone is individual.
I give my baby (he is 3 months old) give a dummy before going to bed. He falls asleep on “Hurray” and does not need to rocking and sleeps soundly. Then he falls asleep after 5 minutes spitting it himself! So, what is the use of a dummy, in my opinion, the norm!
Both of my children spit out dummies. But the elder did not pull anything in his mouth but in infancy. By the way, it was too late to talk, at 2.
And the younger one pulls fingers in his mouth. Another baby, 1 month.
As for me, let it suck a pacifier, it’s easier to wean from it. But the pacifier does not take. 🙁