Introduction
The use of the pacifier is a controversial subject in some circles. There are passionate people on both ends of the debate and many have scientific studies to back up their position. After a good hard look at the facts, each family has to make a decision whether for or against the pacifier and really stick to it come what may. I did a little digging about the advantages and disadvantages of pacifier use and hopefully this will help you decide which path to take.
Advantages
Do you like sleep? I do! Getting a good night’s sleep is probably the number one reason parents turn to using a pacifier with their baby. This can also turn into a disadvantage (as shown below), but the initial advantage of using the pacifier is SLEEP! After all other attempts to soothe the baby have failed, many parents introduce the pacifier as one more option to help their baby (and them) get some rest.
In October of 2005, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a position regarding SIDS. One of the preventative measures they pointed out was the use of a pacifier. I had never heard this before, so I did a little bit more research to figure out whether this was true or someone trying really hard to make a case for using the pacifier. As it turns out, there was a study done on pacifier use and its link to SIDS. Here’s what they did -
- They interviewed parents in California who experienced the loss of a child due to SIDS about their child’s last sleep.
- They carefully selected other parents that matched those in California but with no SIDS experience and interviewed them about baby’s sleep habits.
- They analyzed many different areas very carefully – breastfeeding, not breastfeeding, smoking, not smoking, age, occupation, type of dwelling, etc.
At the end of the study, there was a very solid link between the use of pacifiers and a reduced chance of SIDS. It crossed all the lines; whether the child used soft bedding or not, parents smoked or not, no matter the culture or the age or the income bracket.
I have four children, two of whom used the pacifier and two of whom rejected it outright. Thankfully, we have never had to go through the tragedy of losing a child to SIDS. It certainly does make me pause for a moment. While I’m about to list all the disadvantages of using the pacifier, this one advantage stands by itself as something to really consider when deciding whether or not to introduce the pacifier.
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Something to consider with the “advantage” of pacifiers preventing SIDS, is what is the mechanism behind this protection? I would think that it’s because the constant sucking prevents deep sleep and maintains lighter sleep, which is supposed to be safer for babies. Read Dr. Sears’ research on this for more information.
So if you don’t want to use a pacifier but want to reduce the risk of SIDS, you want other methods of maintaining lighter sleep — which include co-sleeping, and more frequent waking. That’s right, sleeping too long might mean your baby is sleeping too deeply. Babies are supposed to wake frequently, it’s quite possibly a protective mechanism until their brains are developed enough that SIDS is no longer a danger. So instead of despairing and complaining over the lack of sleep, be grateful that your baby is awake and alive — this kind of positive outlook on it can help get through those late-night (and early-morning) interruptions, without having to resort to plastic.
And of course it should go without saying that nursing to help sleep is preferable to plastic imitations. It always astounds me how certain “experts” maintain that you shouldn’t let your baby get used to nursing to sleep because then they become “addicted” to it and you’ll “never get them off”, but there are no similar warnings for using pacifiers to help sleep! All a pacifier is, is a “trick” to make baby think that he is getting the comfort of nursing without actually nursing.
Another disadvantage I’d like to see mentioned, is that parents all too often become overly dependent on the pacifier as a cure-all for their baby, rather than dealing with whatever the actual problem is. Baby fusses? Stick in the binki. Baby spits it out? Stick it back in.
I’ve even seen MANY times when baby wasn’t even fussing at all, and parents stick it in there… why? Just because babies are SUPPOSED to have one in their mouth all the time? I wonder sometimes if some parents have that perception. Little wonder it becomes so hard for these poor kids to “break the habit” as they get older.
Thank you so much Heather for conributing! It is very interesting what you mentioned about doc’s advising against “too much” nursing but never “too much” pacifier. I know from personal experience that it is too easy to rely on that pacifier all the time. Thanks for the visit!