Do I need to teach a child to dummy?

Some cannot wean a baby from a nipple, others cannot put a nipple in a baby's mouth. Yes, yes, sometimes children flatly refuse the pacifier, and quite often it is the pacifier that helps parents out in different situations. It perfectly soothes the baby, stimulates the sucking reflex. During nipple sucking, the brain is stimulated, a certain concentration is developed, and the production of pleasure hormones. The baby quickly calms down, concentrates on sucking, and falls asleep. There have always been disputes about the fact that a child should not be taught to a nipple at all, so 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, it may be difficulties when it comes time to pick up and wean your baby from the nipple 🙂 (here we wrote about it: how to wean from a nipple).

When should you use a pacifier?

Optimal use of a pacifier before bed. In this case, stimulation of the sucking reflex will help calm the baby, replacing the usual and normal baby 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;
While shopping (trying on new clothes on a crumb);
All kinds of trips and journeys.

Why can't I teach my baby to nipple while breastfeeding?

If breastfeeding continues for up to a year or a year and a half, a dummy is not required. On the contrary, it is very likely to be rejected indignantly. It is almost impossible to accustom a breastfed baby to a pacifier. Children perfectly feel the difference and will demand not a dummy, but a warm and lively mother's breast.

Not everyone can afford to breastfeed a baby for a long time. The use of a number of medications, antibiotics, non-adherence to a special diet, stress, early going to work. All this leads to the forced refusal of breastfeeding.

What can a pacifier be useful for?

A child accustomed to a dummy does not require attention before going to bed, a dummy is enough for him. This is a very important point. Rocking a child before bed without using a pacifier will take 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 nipple;
The dummy stimulates the intestines and saves the baby from gas;
During walks on the street and the child's play in the sandbox (after all, babies pull all kinds of "kaku" into their mouths);
There are special nipples that contribute to the formation of a correct bite;
The child can be quickly reassured in any situation by offering him a dummy;
Any family member can use a pacifier to calm a child. And the father, and the grandmothers of the child, and the older children. To bring the baby to a complacent state does not require the obligatory participation of the mother;
The skill of concentration is being developed, which will subsequently 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 harm of smoking and find an alternative to achieve a focused state.

What are the negative aspects of using a nipple?

Less attention is paid to the study of the surrounding world, the child is focused on sucking;
Children accustomed to a dummy begin to talk later, more often the help of a speech therapist is required (this is certainly possible and a myth);
It is difficult to wean you from using a pacifier. Sometimes it is (how to wean the link at the beginning of the article);
In some cases, the child switches to other objects (everything that catches the eye) and sucks them, including fingers. By the way, it is easier to wean a baby from a nipple than from sucking fingers.(see the article on how to wean a child from sucking fingers);
A baby can suck on a pacifier for several hours without a break. This is significantly longer than you can suckle at the breast;
Since the pacifier is used longer than physiologically justified breastfeeding, and without time restrictions, an overdeveloped sucking reflex can persist for a long time and be reflected in sucking pens and pencils at school, the habit of biting nails, and smoking.

There are also positive aspects to an overdeveloped sucking reflex. When you suck on objects, for example, a pencil, the usual stimulation of the brain occurs, a concentrated state is easily achieved, and pleasure hormones are produced. And the algebra problem is solved, so also with pleasure. And instead of gnawing pencils when deciding, you can buy another box, that's okay.

Some children are reluctant to use a pacifier. Should I insist?

Of course, the dummy is a handy tool for managing your baby. Most parents find it convenient to silence and calm down the child at any time. Active children who want to independently manage any situation often refuse the nipple. It is quite possible that it is for these babies who refuse the nipple that the habit of concentrated states will be especially beneficial. Well, we wrote all the advantages of using a nipple above.

Dummy accustoming - little tricks

There are 2 main methods of teaching a child:

Deceive the baby by slipping a dummy instead of a breast. In this case, the attachment to the nipple will be maximized. Hold your baby in a breastfeeding position, but offer a nipple lubricated with milk or formula instead of breastfeeding. This method is ideal for babies under 3 months old. Older babies are already difficult to navigate in this way.
Offer a pacifier during the period of teeth emergence, when the baby is ready to nibble and suck anything. The child will perceive the pacifier as a convenient and useful toy, will chew and bite, learn to put it in his mouth on his own and take it out at will.

Oh yes, many advise to smear the nipple with sweet jam or honey so that the child does not spit it out, in no case should you do this, because a small child from this may develop diathesis, tooth decay, allergies and addiction to taste. Also, you do not need to lick the nipple before giving it to the child, there is a huge amount of bacteria in the saliva of an adult.

At what age can a dummy be offered?

The pacifier can be given from birth. Good pharmacies have a wide selection of teats for babies from birth. If a newborn flatly refuses to use a pacifier, then wait and try again at 1 month. Bite-forming nipples can be used from 7-12 months.

How to choose?

Buy pacifiers 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 nipple - it can be silicone and latex (latex is softer than silicone) and the shape.

By the way, many babies refuse and spit out nipples often because it does not fit them in size and shape (either too small or large), or the child does not like the material from which the nipple is made (we recommend purchasing both latex and silicone ones - the baby will choose himself which will suit him and like).We read in detail how to choose a pacifier >>>

Should you combine breastfeeding with a pacifier?

This is undesirable. The reasons are as follows. When breastfeeding, the child learns to be very careful with the mother's breast. Babies who do not use pacifiers almost never bite their breasts.

But the pacifier is very comfortable to chew on. And babies gnaw on pacifiers when their teeth are teething, and as a result, when the chest is in the mouth again, it is difficult for children to switch and they can bite. You cannot tolerate and forgive such bites, there is also nothing to punish for.

You need to understand that any decision has its positive and negative sides. Begin with rational preferences. If you have enough time, you are calm about the child's demands for attention in the middle of the night, you are ready to rock your baby for hours, if he has a tummy ache or teething - the question with a dummy can be left 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 pacifiers: choosing a pacifier for a baby (rating):
TOP 10 major manufacturers (brands) of pacifier pacifiers that you can find on the baby products market. Manufacturer, features, properties, advantages and disadvantages, price - https://razvitie-krohi.ru/veshhi-dlya-malyisha/top-10-pustyishek-vyibiraem-sosku-dlya-rebenka-reyting.html

But if your child still does not want to take a pacifier in any, rejoice, you do not have to wean 🙂

We'll just leave it here 🙂