Friday, May 12, 2006
The Pacifier
12-MAY-2006:
I believe the pacifier existed since our parents were babies. At least according to my dad, the pacifier is a must-have during his days of parenting. Someone even said that the pacifier solves all problems. It calms a fussy baby, helps baby go to sleep and stops baby from sucking his thumb. However, I also know many other parents or parents-to-be who have issues with the pacifier. Some feared that their babies will not break the habit when they reach 4-5 years; Some said that the pacifier will hamper speech development; Some believed that the pacifier will cause distortion to the gums, lips and teeth. I've even met those who are yet to be parents who swore that they will not give the pacifier to their babies.
I believe the pacifier existed since our parents were babies. At least according to my dad, the pacifier is a must-have during his days of parenting. Someone even said that the pacifier solves all problems. It calms a fussy baby, helps baby go to sleep and stops baby from sucking his thumb. However, I also know many other parents or parents-to-be who have issues with the pacifier. Some feared that their babies will not break the habit when they reach 4-5 years; Some said that the pacifier will hamper speech development; Some believed that the pacifier will cause distortion to the gums, lips and teeth. I've even met those who are yet to be parents who swore that they will not give the pacifier to their babies.
For me, the pacifier was the last thing on my mind when I was getting ready for Dominic's arrival to the world. Nevertheless, I got two free pacifiers from Avent when I bought the breast pump. I stored them away and didn't think that I'd need them. I can't remember when or why we decided to use them, but we soon discovered that the pacifier was a great helper when we were out having lunch/dinner or shopping. It helped Dominic fall asleep on his own in his pram when he became bored or tired. We did not use the pacifier whenever we were at home though. We would try rocking and cuddling instead. The method worked fine until Dominic was about 4 months old (when we went to London).
I used the pacifier throughout the journey because I didn't want Dominic's screams to irritate other passengers on the plane. Plus, there was hardly any space in the plane for me to rock Dominic to sleep. The air stewardess was also always asking me to get back to my seat. During the entire journey, the pacifier proved to be a life saver.
During the first week in London, we were out everyday and the entire day, which means Dominic had his pacifier everyday for that week. After the first week, I found that Dominic was extraordinarily cranky when he was at home and won't settle to sleep. I soon realized that he was crying for the pacifier. After that, life became much easier. He would fall into deep sleep faster, sleep longer and easier to calm. Needless to say, the pacifier has now become an indispensable part of Dominic's life.
But is the pacifier the bad guy that it's made out to be? So far it has made my life and Dominic's happier and easier. Perhaps I can only think of the following downsides:
- The guilt. Why? I don't know. Is it because other people are saying that it is bad? So far I've not found any 'side effects' yet. Dominic only uses it when he's sleeping.
- Fear that he will not break the habit when he gets older. But I think I'll deal with that when the time comes.
Having said all that, I will still refrain from using the pacifier whenever I can. Particularly, I only use it when my intention is to put Dominic to sleep. I do realise that there is a danger of substituting my attention with the pacifier, resulting in less interaction with the baby.
What's your say? Care to share?
