I never bought pacifiers for my baby, and I don’t regret it; here’s why. I had the temptation to use a pacifier or anything to calm my fussy newborn. But after doing my research, I cancelled the pacifier from my list of baby soothing options. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says that pacifiers are generally safe if used correctly. By correctly, they mean only use pacifiers if and when your baby wants it. But with so much controversy surrounding pacifiers, I did not introduce my daughter to pacifiers even though experts suggest that they may reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
There are many ways to calm a crying baby, and I will show you the ones that worked with my daughter. But first comes the reasons why I am against the use of pacifiers.
Why I Won’t Let My Baby Use A Pacifier
All babies need to suck, and that’s how pacifiers came to be - to substitute a baby’s need for sucking on the breast when they don’t need to feed. But there’s more to sucking than feeding. As lactation consultant Fleur Bickford told Today’s Parent, besides enjoying the sucking sensations, babies latch on the breast for skin-to-skin contact, to feel your warmth and heartbeat, and even for reassurance when scared.
A pacifier only satisfies the suckling reflexes, and it also brings the following hazards:
- Nipple confusion. As certified lactation consultant Leigh Anne O’Connor told The Bump, breastfed babies may be sensitive to the different nipples. They get confused by the different textures on the pacifier and breast nipple, which may cause latching problems.
- One less thing to wean my baby off. Babies quickly get attached to comforting things, like pacifiers and mommy. Of course, I preferred she got attached to mommy. In any case, babies will always find a way to self-soothe even when you don’t offer the pacifier. If you use a pacifier, experts on Self recommend that you start weaning your baby off the pacifier as early as six months.
- Night waking. The AAP notes that moms who use pacifiers to put their babies to sleep should stay ready for night waking whenever the pacifier falls off baby’s mouth in the night.
- Teeth and speech problems. One of the biggest concerns with prolonged pacifier use is dental problems. As pediatrician Gina Posner told Self, many babies who have pacifiers in their mouths all the time experience speech delays due to the restricted oral movement. Another pediatrician Kristen Slack on Self, adds that prolonged use of pacifiers (and thumb sucking) may create the need for orthodontic treatment in the future as the teeth tip forward.
- Ear infections are one of the top reasons why babies go to the hospital. Research shows that babies who use pacifiers are three times likelier to get ear infections than those who don’t. According to Dr. Greene, pacifiers are almost always covered in germs, making it easier to spread bacteria to the baby’s underdeveloped middle ear. According to Mayo Clinic, if you use pacifiers, you should boil them in hot water before use and don’t even think about cleaning a pacifier with your mouth.
What I Use Instead Of Pacifiers
Comfort Nursing
My daughter loved to latch almost all the time. People tell you not to comfort feed for fears of overfeeding. I don’t buy that. Bickford on Today’s Parent demystifies comfort feeding in these three points:
- You don’t need to schedule your baby’s feeding because breastfed babies know how to control their feeding.
- Babies who don’t get breastfed are actually the ones at risk for obesity.
- Comfort nursing is not always about food.
My daughter was always seeking skin-to-skin contact, and I never held back on that. Sometimes she was feeding; other times, she was only holding on to the nipple. The best thing about it was how she worked up my breastmilk production! When the comfort nursing phase was over, she never needed a pacifier or her thumb for comfort.
Rocking And Shushing
Good old rocking and shushing are always at the top of my list for soothing a baby. Happiest Baby says that this works because it imitates the conditions of the womb, which was the baby’s first home. As I rocked and shushed her, I also walked around the house or even outside to change sceneries.
White Noise
If my baby girl won’t doze off on a nipple, white noise calms her down. There are many white noise apps with different tunes. My baby loves ‘rainy sounds,’ which puts her to sleep almost every time.
If you don’t want to pay for an app, a fan or vacuum cleaner works equally fine. But when you need the baby to sleep in the car, you might need that app. Or you could find white noise soundtracks (like womb sounds) on YouTube, Spotify, or iTunes. Some parents create their lullaby mixes – any music that soothes the baby is perfect.
Sources: American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Happiest Baby, Today’s Parent, Mayo Clinic, Dr. Greene, Self, The Bump