Thumbs or Pacifiers? Heroes Or Monsters?

The results of studies on both thumbs and pacifiers this decade have had some surprising results.

  

It seems that both can be a hero or a monster. 

The differences are in the timing.

Hero

One of any parent's worst nightmares is SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). There is usually no warning and the causes are not entirely understood.

In comes the former-arch enemy of infant health -- 'The Pacifier' to the rescue. Studies performed in this last decade show that babies use of a pacifier at night can help reduce the chance of SIDS.

Pacifiers keep an infant from sleeping as deeply as they would without one. And, while sleepy parents might not find this a great thing, the lighter sleep and sucking allow the infant to be pulled from a sleep that could become so deep that breathing stops.

Thumb or Pacifier?

Thumbs or a parent's little finger used to be considered a healthier alternative by some groups. They had more "give" they were skin, and there is a limit to how hard they can be sucked on.

However, they can't be sterilized as easily as pacifiers. More importantly - reports show that it is often easier to get a toddler to stop using a pacifier than it is to get them to stop using the convenient and always present thumb.

Why is this important?

 Monster

Being able to ween your toddler off of either option by age 2 (and at the VERY LATEST age 4) can make a big difference to the need for future dental treatment. And don't we ALL want less treatment and more smiles?

The studies on sucking effects showed on crossbite in the molar area steadily increased from 5.8 percent for children who stopped the habit by one year of age. It jumped to 13 percent among children who stopped between two and three years old. And reached more than 20 percent for children who continued to use a pacifier or thumb-suck after they turned four years old.

Which Will You Pick?

So much of parenting is in balancing the special needs of each stage of development. It is good to know that there is benefit to allowing our infants (and ourselves) the comfort and quieting of a thumb or pacifier.

But we also need pick wisely looking ahead to that time where the sucking benefit becomes a curse. And, choose the method we feel we can successfully ween sooner rather than later. What will it be.. Thumb or pacifier?

 

Dr Karen Chu DMD

I would love to hear what you decided for your infants and toddlers  Please leave a comment and share what has worked for your family.

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