In the life of children, there comes a moment when you have to say goodbye to the pacifier. Sometimes this process is delayed, and mothers sometimes do not know how to wean the baby from the nipple. Pediatricians explain that the term of refusal for each baby is individual. It is influenced by many reasons, for example, a transfer to a general diet. In order not to delay the rejection of the dummy, you can use the advice of psychologists.
Long-term weaning from the nipple can be caused by psychological stress
Reasons for a baby's addiction to a nipple
For painless weaning from a pacifier, you need to understand the original reasons for getting used to it. Different experts have their own opinion on this matter. For example, pediatricians believe that most often artificial children get used to the nipple, since they are the ones who are not fully satisfied with the sucking reflex. Bottle feeding is not enough for them, so without a pacifier, they begin to cry and be capricious.
Less often, babies who are on gv need a nipple, and mothers can in any case offer the baby a breast. Psychologists talk about specific reasons for addiction to the nipple, regardless of the type of feeding, for example, with a lack of maternal attention. In any case, you need to know when and how to wean the baby from the nipple.
Physiological
The main reason for getting used to the nipple is considered to be the need to bottle feed the artificial baby. She is the mother's main assistant in caring for the newborn. The nipple is also used as an aid to calm the baby. Therefore, at a certain stage, the nipple is a vital item that satisfies the physiological needs of the baby.
There was a lot of controversy about whether the babies who were on the guards needed a nipple. In the end, we came to the conclusion that with the right approach, she can become a helper for all children, without exception. Pediatricians strongly recommend using a pacifier when falling asleep, sick, or walking, as it fully satisfies the sucking reflex.
Baby's addiction to the dummy is most often associated with the satisfaction of the sucking reflex.
Psychological
Experts say that it is sometimes impossible to separate the physiological and psychological reasons for addiction to the nipple. Moreover, at a certain stage, some reasons smoothly flow into others. This is especially noticeable in a child who, even after a year, sucks on a pacifier. In this case, it does not perform a direct function to satisfy the sucking reflex, but is needed more psychologically by the baby, as a means of distraction from stress or pain. The child gets used to calm down only after he begins to suck her.
Note. Psychologists believe that at the age of one and a half years, children develop a chewing reflex, which dominates over sucking. But for some babies, the need for a pacifier does not go away for a long time, then they talk about the psychological dependence of the baby.
Why a dummy is harmful for children
There is a widespread belief among parents that nipples are harmful to bite formation. However, dentists do not refute or confirm this opinion. Speech therapists believe that children who use a dummy for a long time find it more difficult to pronounce correctly, or note its harmful effect on the development of speech skills due to the constant presence of a dummy in the mouth.
Psychologists are sure that prolonged sucking delays social development. A child with a constant nipple in his mouth is focused on this process and has little interest in what is happening around.
Optimal age for weaning off the nipple
Parents often ask the question of what time to wean the child from the pacifier. Psychologists say the optimal age is 3-6 months. This is the time when the baby shows the first attempt to stop sucking. According to many experts, it is ideal if the dummy is removed by six months. However, this does not always work out, sometimes the process is delayed until an early age.
Sometimes the process of weaning a child from a pacifier is delayed until an early age
According to Dr. Komarovsky, there is nothing wrong if the baby himself refuses the nipple when it starts to bore him. But mothers are worried that a big baby with a pacifier causes condemnation from others, so they strive to rid the child of this habit as soon as possible.
Note. Many pediatricians believe that the sucking reflex is deep enough for up to a year. To deprive a baby of a nipple at this age means to introduce him into psychological stress. When the reflex fades, the one-year-old child will painlessly refuse the pacifier himself. This age is considered a favorable period when you can wean your baby from the nipple.
Effective ways to wean a baby from a nipple
Psychologists offer effective ways to wean a baby from a nipple. The main sign of readiness for this process is that the baby, when rocked, falls asleep without a pacifier and does not require it until it appears before his eyes. It is advisable not to miss the moment when the crumbs are ready.
There are basic methods of weaning, both gentle and abrupt. Which one to choose should be decided by the mother, based on the characteristics of the child and his age.
Smooth failure
Smooth nipple rejection involves a step-by-step process:
- First, before laying the baby down, mother tries to distract him with lullabies, fairy tales. Often, parents do not have enough restraint while laying. Impatiently giving the baby a pacifier, they prevent sleepy rituals from gaining a foothold.
- The next step is to remove the nipple from the baby's field of vision. You can distract him with joint games, walks, since many children use a dummy due to a lack of parental attention.
- At the last stage, you need to catch the moment when the baby himself is ready to refuse, and help him with this, for example, "forget" the dummy for a walk or share it with animals.
Smooth nipple rejection involves distraction with a variety of techniques.
Important! In order to properly wean a child from a dummy, you do not need to listen to other people's advice. If the mother feels that the baby is not ready for rejection, it is better to wait and then return to weaning again.
Abrupt refusal
A sharp weaning from the nipple is more applicable to children from one and a half years old, since you can negotiate with them. The essence of the method is to push the child himself to abandon the nipple once and for all. Mom's imagination comes to the rescue, for example, you can come up with a fascinating fairy tale, fun, the heroes of which will be your favorite dummy and the little one himself. The main thing is to make sure that the fun captivates him to such an extent that he himself voluntarily abandons the dummy.
Weaning scheme per week
Some experts believe that decisive action by adults will help best, and offer an effective weaning plan in a week:
- In the first five days, give it in half the time than usual;
- On the following days - only during daytime sleep or at night;
- The time for falling asleep with the nipple should be halved, giving the breast after it.
Important! A pacifier should be given to a baby only in those moments when he really cannot calm down without it.
To make it easier to unlearn in a week, it is worth supplementing the measures with the following methods: offer the baby to drink from about six months only from a cup to forget the sucking skills; keep your fingers busy with games for fine motor skills.
Stoppi
The baby can have such a painful dependence on the nipple that it cannot be done without outside intervention. Then the vestibular plate comes to the rescue. It looks like a dummy, but there is no nipple in this design. The plate made of elastic plastic is selected by the pediatrician individually for each baby.
Stoppi - dummy substitute, helps to solve the problem of weaning
For the very young, we offer Stoppi, a modern pacifier substitute. The gadget is made of special silicone with pads for chewing teeth. The plate is correctly positioned in the oral cavity of the baby and replaces the pacifier, thanks to its elements. In addition, the design performs a therapeutic function, namely, it prevents breathing through the mouth, eliminates malocclusion.
What not to do
Trying to wean a child from a dummy, parents often make mistakes, and the problem, instead of a quick solution, on the contrary, is delayed. Psychologists do not recommend:
- Scold a baby for a nipple, prove that he is already big, and everyone laughs at him;
- It is unacceptable to abruptly select the nipple and not give it away, despite the crying of the baby;
- Use a homegrown weaning method: smear the nipple with something unpalatable, such as mustard;
- Do not wean off during teething.
If a child cannot sleep without a pacifier
Weaning a baby from falling asleep with a nipple is somewhat more difficult. For this process, psychologists offer effective techniques:
- The child must live according to the regimen and be active during the day;
- Before going to bed, take a walk with him in the fresh air and play games;
- Create a ritual of falling asleep: bathing, pajamas, milk, fairy tale;
- Stay with the baby until he falls asleep, although without the usual nipple this can take much longer;
- Give an opportunity to fall asleep as long as it takes, for example, under 2-3 fairy tales or songs.
It is important for parents to understand that if no efforts help, the child continues to yearn and cannot fall asleep without a nipple, which means that the sucking reflex has not weakened yet. It is better to leave the baby alone for a while, and then try again using psychological techniques.
