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Home › Articles › Development › A Hard Habit to Break

A Hard Habit to Break

Part Three

Pacify the Pacifier Habit

By April E. Clark

Pages:  1  2  3  4  5  

Mom Knows Best
Not only are there sociological effects that can arise from prolonged pacifier use, there are also developmental considerations. Remember Mom's advice to not talk with your mouth full? That not only makes polite sense at the dinner table, but it also applies to pacifier-toting toddlers who are learning to talk.

"It is possible that the longer a child keeps a pacifier, the longer it may delay their speech development," says Dr. Black. "Although the subject has not been studied enough to say whether or not there are clear negative effects on speech development, I would say it may affect how they communicate. If a child is over the age of 1 1/2 to 2 years and always using a pacifier, there is often little communication coming from the child."

Dental problems may aso cause concern for parents of older children with the pacifier habit. The AAP warns that sucking on pacifiers, fingers or thumbs as permanent teeth are coming in may cause teeth to slant or the upper and lower jaws to misalign. However, these conditions are most common in children who suck fingers or thumbs, as opposed to strictly pacifier usage. "In terms of dental problems and pacifiers, there is nothing too detrimental," Dr. Black says. "Sucking thumbs causes more dental problems, as you'll see more pulling of the teeth forward." To prevent tooth decay, pediatricians and dentists advise against dipping a pacifier in sugary liquids before offering it to a child. Also, parents should not place honey on pacifiers, as this common teething remedy can cause a bad case of botulism.


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