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All about babies and pacifiers
A primer on pacifiers
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As a new parent, I was hesitant to give my infant a pacifier: I had visions of her heading off to kindergarten with a binkie in her mouth. But after too many sleepless nights, I finally caved.
No question about it — babies are soothed by sucking, and sometimes a pacifier is the only thing that settles them down (and saves your sanity), says Toronto psychologist Nicky Cohen. Still, many parents have questions about when and how to use them.
Q: Do pacifiers help or hinder self-soothing?
A: That depends on the child’s age, says Cohen. Before he is nine to 10 months old, a baby usually can’t use a pacifier independently. So if junior falls asleep with a soother in his mouth, there’s a good chance he’ll cry when it falls out at midnight (and again at 2 a.m., and again at 5…) and won’t be able to get back to sleep until you find it for him. As children get older, they learn how to pop binkie back in by themselves when they wake up.
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