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Should I OR Shouldn’t I?

Well, I’ll say, our little Binky dilemma has definitely gotten a response out of some of you! From, “am I supposed to encourage my newborn to take one?!,” to “better a Bink than a thumb! One gets tossed, the other requires surgical amputation.” I think pacifiers might be as divisive and polarizing as politics and religion. Seriously. So here’s a further 2 cents.

All babies suck. And not just when they are hungry. It’s called “non-nutritive sucking” and it’s important for a baby’s development. If they don’t get a pacifier (or won’t take one!) then they’ll probably use a thumb, finger, or lip. In other words, they all suck something. It’s just a matter of what.
Secondly, yes, pacifiers have been shown to possibly decrease the risk of SIDS, or crib death. No one is quite sure why but one theory is that sucking keeps a baby from going so deep into sleep that he forgets to breathe. Just a theory. But cause withstanding, the effect does seem to be a decrease in risk to an infant.
So that leaves us with the core question: do you force a Binky on your kid or not? How do you take it away? Is it better to never have one? I can’t fully answer this. I can only give you the facts. Non-nutritive sucking. SIDS. And I can say this to you as a mother of a child who literally acted like she was being stabbed to death every time one came near her face. In other words, even if you decide a pacifier is the right choice for you, you’re not in control. Maybe you get a Binky kid (Zoe) and maybe you don’t (Eva). 
Let’s talk some more later, about limits and time frames and how not to make a Binky string into a strangulation risk. But now I have to go clean the house. Bibi arrives in the morning. And she’s better have a big, fat, brightly colored bag of Soothies for Princess Eva in her carry on.

Dr. Lara Zibners, Aug 22, 2010

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