WITH or WITHOUT a pacifier?

The pacifier is a key element in the baby's life. Many parents feel guilty when they have to start using it, but there comes a time when no other option is considered if you have your baby crying and screaming in certain situations such as dinner in a restaurant, public places where there are many people , or simply at home when hearing inconsolable crying becomes unbearable. Babies are born with the instinct to suck and using a pacifier really works. When they are so small and unable to transmit what happens to them, their first reaction to a pacifier, bottle, finger, or anything that passes near their mouth, will be to suck on it. Although this is a double-edged sword since this habit can lead to dependence on that element, and this can cause certain problems. In fact, experts say that pacifier use should not continue for more than two years.

Below we list some reasons to avoid the pacifier from that age onwards:

1. Interruptions during the baby's sleep If your baby uses the pacifier to fall asleep and loses it during the night, he or she will likely wake up and not go back to sleep until it is in his or her mouth again. Sometimes he will cry for the parents to help him, and even without doing that, the child may stay awake because he stays awake completely when he cannot find him. Such dependency on the pacifier often leads to interrupted sleep and, therefore, the child may appear tired and cranky during the day. 2. Tooth problems Dentists recommend completely stopping using the pacifier at the age of 4, although its use should be very moderate from the age of two. The reason is that, once your little one loses their baby teeth, the adult teeth can be affected by using a pacifier and suffer from overbite and crossbite, leading to chewing and speech problems, in addition to being unsightly. 3. Ear and speech infections Children who use pacifiers a lot are more prone to ear infections. Furthermore, when they are about a year old, the development of speech, practice with sounds and words, etc. begins. If they constantly have a pacifier in their mouth, they may stop trying to communicate through speech. And this is when the question arises... How to get a child to give up the pacifier? Although some children do it on their own, there are many who struggle a lot when it comes to letting go of the one who has been their 'companion' since they were born. You can create time guidelines and tell him that the pacifier can only be used on certain days. That when you leave the house, it will stay there waiting for you. The next step would be to tell you that you have certain times a day when you can use it. In this way, you will become detached from it and when you realize it, you will no longer need it. In any case, you must be prepared for moments of crying. It is a difficult time for all children, but you must not give in. Remember that it can cause long-term problems and that, in the end, if you have a little patience, most children get over it in a couple of days.