Are Pacifiers Good or Bad?

Are baby pacifiers good or bad – the debate continues from one generation to the next.

Throughout my parenting career my opinion has definitely changed. With my first child – I was determined to NEVER use a pacifier. As far as I was concerned they were bad news. I knew my child would end up with buck teeth, he would be taking the darn thing to college – and really, why should we start a bad habit that we would eventually have to break?

Well, my precious first born infant – definitely had some ideas of his own on this matter. He screamed and he cried – ALL THE TIME. Since I was breastfeeding, I quickly became his pacifier. Several weeks after his birth, groggy and bleary eyed – I surrendered. I sent my poor husband out in the night to the 24 hour drugstore to bring back a pacifer – any pacifier – I just couldn’t take it for one more moment.

Happily, my son took to the binky immediately. His desire to suck was very strong – and this is true of many babies – I just didn’t know it at the time. He found this simple little invention to be soothing and comforting.

Photo by omniNate

By the time baby number two arrived, I was armed and ready. And guess what? He wanted nothing to do with it – and spit it out every time. Once he found his thumb – he was a happy camper. And needless to say, I was beside myself with worry. At least we could take the pacifiers away when the children got “too old”. But a thumb? How would we ever break that habit? Yikes!

In fact out of all four of my children – only my first used a paci. Having gone full swing, from one end of the spectrum to the other – thinking that pacifiers were horrible, to wow – these things are magic, there were actually times that I wished all the kids did like them.

There are both advantages and disadvantages to pacifier use:

The pluses:

• Got a fussy baby? These things sure can help. Like any other comfort object – a blankie or favorite stuffed animal – they can give children a sense of soothing and security.
• Easily replaceable – unlike blankets and favorite stuffed animals. If one gets lost – it is easy to replace.
• Very portable – toting a few of these around in a diaper bag or purse is easy. And having one at the ready, can stave off a public meltdown or satisfy baby temporarily – while mom or dad get ready to feed the infant.
• When parents think it is time to wean the baby off the pacifier – it is easy to take away, unlike a thumb.

The negatives:

• For some babies – paci’s can cause feeding problems. But judgment should be used. If the little one would rather use the binky than breastfeed or take a bottle – then parents should not offer it.
• Heavy use could lead to dental issues (read – buck teeth). But most of the nipples are designed with orthodontics in mind. Again, parental judgment comes into play.
• Baby might “lose” the binky at night – if it falls out of his/her mouth. This could lead to night waking and establishing a good sleeping routine.
• Weaning the child off the pacifier can be difficult for parents – especially if the child is an older toddler.

Some experts recommend taking the pacifier away from baby altogether by the age of 2 to 3 months. This is because the sucking reflex starts to diminish and the infant will not be aware of or dependent on it at this time. This did work for me with my third son – but it never provided the level of comfort for him as it did for my oldest.

We finally took them away from my oldest son when he was two and half years old – and it was easier than I had anticipated. That boy is now fourteen years old – and headed to high school. One of his pacifiers still sits in my jewelry box – and I long for the days that this was the most difficult issue that I faced.

Photo by christophercarfi

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