List of Pros and Cons of Pacifiers

There is a lot of information out there when it comes to parenting and sometimes it can even get confusing. It certainly is frustrating that people who are trying to research and learn about parenting can end up knowing a lot less after research then what they knew when they started researching in the first place.

When it comes to pacifiers, they pretty much look like they are magic. Whenever the baby has a problem the mother (or father) cannot identify, the problem will be there so solve the crying. There is, however, a lot of mixed information out there, so let’s sort it all out.

List of Pros of Pacifiers

1. Decreased Risk of SIDS
Research has linked the use of pacifiers to a decrease in risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). The reason behind this is that babies who fall asleep with a pacifier end up not sleeping as deeply as others who fall asleep on their own. Furthermore, sucking on a pacifier will widen up the area around the baby’s mouth and nose providing the baby with more oxygen if required. After all, pacifiers can actually save a baby’s life.

2. Increased Contentment
Pacifiers make the baby feel good. According to research conducted by pediatricians, sucking on a pacifier stimulates the baby’s brain releasing chemicals that decrease stress. It is pretty obvious that the baby could to the same thing with its thumb, but it wouldn’t have the same results in the long run. It Is a lot easier for babies to get rid of the use of pacifiers than to get rid of sucking on their thumbs. Plus, on top of that, sucking on their thumbs can damage the teeth severely, specially the permanent ones.

List of Cons of Pacifiers

1. Confusion
A lot of people claim that pacifiers can cause nipple confusion (the baby will confuse the pacifier with the mother’s nipple, confusing breastfed babies when it comes to the mechanics of nursing from an actual nipple). This isn’t backed up by any conclusive evidence. There are studies being conducted, however, on the fact that pacifiers will help babies cut the duration of breastfeeding, since the baby will lose interest in sucking on what will actually feed them and, instead, they will be sucking on the pacifier.

Difficulty Sleeping
Babies who fall asleep with a pacifier in their mouth end up getting used to it, and as such, they will not be able to fall asleep as easily without it. If this, by itself, wasn’t bad enough, is a baby falls asleep with a pacifier on its mouth and ends up losing it in the middle of the night, crying will come and one of the parents will have to go look for it.