Pacifiers
The impulse to suck is so innate, many babies do it in the womb. Since long before Maggie Simpson, pacifiers have been considered a convenient way to keep a baby quiet and happy. The practice is criticized for a variety of reasons: hygiene, orthodontic problems, and interference with breastfeeding. But deprived of a pacifier, many a resourceful infant will realize his thumb is pefectly suckable — an option preferred by Dr. Sears. In the opposite corner, University of Michigan Health System maintains that thumb-sucking should be discouraged, even if that means replacing it with pacifier-sucking.
Some pediatricians would rather the pacifier weren't introduced in the first place. Those who condone their use have divergent opinions about why, and when, to wean your child off of them. "Keeping Kids Healthy" says six months is a good time to quit. BabyCenter® says four years is a more appropriate age to start worrying about it. If you have determined that it is, in fact, time for your kid to give up his binky, what is the appropriate method? Do you do as Dr. Hull suggests and simply chuck it in the trash can, hoping your child will quickly forget? Or do you feel more comfortable with Dr. Sears's method: taking your tyke to the toy store and trying to convince him that an "exchange" would be in his best interest?
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