Experts warned of the looming dangers of using pacifiers among infants, but one mother defied this opinion saying it's worth the risk. The coordinator of professional education mom believed that using binkies can't be all that bad since it helps infants self-soothe themselves.
Nancy Williams, a mother of two boys, revealed that both her children were once binky users. Williams said in a Citizen-Times piece that it's a better option compared to letting the children cry it all out or having the parents' sanity get compromised.
The mom shared that it all started when his first-born came and the hospital gave various samples of pacifiers. "I suppose the baby is supposed to test them and tell us which one he wants," she quipped.
Williams said binky usage should not be an issue in the first place. Parents should be concerned of when the use of pacifier should be stopped.
Her first-born still used pacifiers at age three, and Williams said her son surrendered his soother to Santa Claus to give to less fortunate kids. Her other child, meanwhile, gave up on his bo-bo in exchange of a toy chainsaw.
#DentalHealth: #Doyouknow the impact pacifiers have on infants' mouth and teeth? https://t.co/KMcms1UMJZ
— AF Dental Care (@AKFamilyDental) July 15, 2016
Experts also recommend that instead of pacifiers, it's better to give infants their own thumb. Williams thought that it was even a harder choice since binkies can be given up, unlike thumbs that are attached to the kids' hands.
If there are no other choice but to use pacifiers, the mom says it's better to just let the children have it. After all, it contributes to any parent's sanity since it provides calmness, composure and recreation to them.
Pacifiers carry both pros and cons, depending on the infant and parent's situation. Breastfed babies are discouraged to use pacifiers since it can cause nipple confusion, per a World Health Organization recommendation.
Prolonged and frequent usage of bo-bos also deliver higher chances of contracting middle-ear infection among children, Huffington Post reported. On the positive side, binky users are less likely to succumb to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Infants on pacifiers are also easier to take care of because they cry less, thanks to it taking over the soothing job.
Hence, the choice is per individual, as per Erica Wells, author of "The Survival Guide for Rookie Moms." "So as a new mom, you're pulling your hair out, you're trying to figure out up from down, left from right. So if you need to use the pacifier because you feel that your baby needs that added soothing, then go ahead," she said.
