A pacifier is a device with a rubber nipple, plastic mouth shield, and handle to soothe babies. It can calm and distract them, but overuse may cause dental problems and delayed speech development. Pacifiers have been used for centuries and come in various shapes and colors. They are gentler on a newborn’s mouth than hard chew toys, but parents should ensure they are clean and sanitized. Different countries have different names for pacifiers, such as Binky in the US, dummy in British English, and soother in Canada and Ireland.
A pacifier is a device designed to soothe babies when they are upset or teething. The basic design includes a flexible rubber nipple, a plastic mouth shield, and a handle. They come in a range of colors and many soothers are designed to be cooled or heated to ease teething pains. Some pacifiers even include bright colors or light up to stimulate baby.
Nursing babies may fuss when separated from the breast or bottle. While some parents try to feed the baby to calm him down, using a pacifier can be just as effective unless the baby is actually hungry, because the baby is simply looking for a distraction or enrichment from his environment. Because babies are very sensitive to touch and interested in the world around them, a pacifier can help your baby stay calmer and more focused and often stop your baby from crying.
Pacifiers of various shapes have been used for centuries, although the design with a rubber teat didn’t become popular until the 19th century. Babies were often given objects to suck or chew on as a form of distraction and to encourage tooth growth. Sometimes a pacifier was made from something simple, like beads wrapped in muslin, especially if the child came from a low-income family. Wealthy parents provided their babies with pacifying rubber pacifiers made from materials such as silver and ivory.
A pacifier’s soft rubber nipple is much gentler on a newborn’s mouth than hard baby chew toys. Your baby is unlikely to cut or damage their gums while using a pacifier, and babies who are just starting to produce teeth can bite it without causing any harm. Since a pacifier fits into a child’s mouth, parents should be conscientious in making sure that soothers that have been dropped on the floor in the dishwasher are clean and sanitizing.
In the US, many people refer to a pacifier as Binky, thanks to the popular 1930’s Binki brand. Speakers of British English call a pacifier a dummy, while Canadian and Irish individuals refer to pacifiers by the old-fashioned name of soother. Whatever parents call it, a pacifier can be a very helpful calming tool for young children, although using a pacifier in infancy may not be healthy. Pediatricians have linked delayed speech development and dental problems to pacifiers, suggesting that overuse may not be a good idea.
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