Babies and pacifiers. What is their purpose and are they really needed?

Question

I was wondering what the point of a pacifier is? Is it just to keep a kid quiet? Can you not give a baby a pacifier ever in their life? They just have to be weened off them anyway. They get conditioned to sucking on something nd might start a habit of sucking on their thumb when you take a pacifier away. That can cause teeth problems. Would it be a good idea to not give a kid a pacifier? And with that same idea, could you not give a child a bottle at bed?

Answer 1

Last point first.  Although a lot of people give their baby or toddler a bottle at bedtime, it's not recommended.  It's bad for their teeth causing early onset of cavities.  If they must have a bottle at bedtime, it needs to be plain water.  Giving a baby milk at bedtime will also cause them to wake up more during the night, for more milk.  If you give water, they don't see it as "worth it", waking up, crying just for water.  Milk is a major payoff and they'll continue to do it as long as milk is offered.

Pacifiers are different.  Some babies really do need them.  It's for security, not just to shut them up.  You shouldn't just stick it in their mouths when born because it will look cute or you assume they'll need it.  But some babies simply cannot be consoled without a paci.  Sure, they can use their thumb instead but it's actually a lot better to have them attached to a paci because you can take that away, a thumb you can't.  

I sucked my thumb until I was 16, at night, when bored, in school, while hungry, sad, etc.  No joke - I never got made fun of, my friends just accepted it.  And I kid you not my dentist swears I have the most beautiful teeth he's ever seen that didn't have the help of a retainer or braces.  I got lucky I guess.  

Both of my babies had a paci and they threw them away on their own before age 2.  They never sucked their thumbs, or took a bottle to bed.

Answer 2

the point of a pacifier is so that the child is occupied with that instead of crying or screaming.  I'm not sure whether or not it would be a good idea to not give one to a child though. i also believe it helps them when teething

Answer 3

They do keep kids quiet and entertained.  It's best to get over them as soon as possible, however, as they are not good for the babies teeth and they can also easily fall and get dirty. If children are not given a pacifier sometimes they begin sucking their thumbs, and it is much more difficult to get rid of that habit.

Answer 4

All babies are different. Some really need the comfort of a pacifier, and others comfort themselves just fine without it. A pacifier can be a godsend on a long car trip! Smaller babies do not have teeth, so that is not a concern until they are a bit older.

The experts say that you should wean them off pacifiers by the time they are a few months old. But for one of my kids, that is just when he was starting to like the pacifier! None of my kids sucked their thumbs, and one never used a pacifier at all.

For the milk question, babies tend to sleep longer with a full stomach, whether nursed to sleep or given a bottle. You should never prop a bottle into a baby's mouth to sleep, they can choke on that.

As with most elements of parenting, you strike a balance between your needs and the baby's needs, and ultimately do what works best for the family.