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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  

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) agrees with Dr. Black in that the suck reflex is present in all infants and that parents shouldn't stress too much about offering pacifiers. The AAP says the habit typically does not cause the problems often associated with thumb or finger sucking, and is much easier to wean children from since a pacifier can simply be thrown out if needed. Or, in the Espich family's case, added to Santa's annual collection of used pacifiers.

"This past Christmas, we asked Nolan to leave his ninny out for Santa Claus with the milk and cookies," she says. "We did have to give it to him on Christmas Day so he would really sleep, but other than that he has done really well. He has always known that he could only have his ninny at naptime, bedtime or while riding in the car, so he did not become so attached to it."

Just Saying No
When it comes to diminishing a child's pacifier attachment, Dr. Black says providing encouragement and a sense of independence for children is most effective. "Let's give children the decision to stop using a pacifier, just like you may give them the choice to wear the blue shirt, green shirt or yellow shirt when they are learning to dress themselves," he says. "You always want to use positive language to help build a child's self-esteem, and you don't want to have a negative effect by saying things like, 'You don't want to be a little baby with a pacifier do you?' This gives children the wrong connotation and they may think that when they were babies, you loved them more. If we want them to feel confident about growing up, we need to teach them the decision-making process. We must help them grow up by themselves."

For many parents, helping heir children realize they no longer need the comfort of a pacifier can be the most difficult stage of the weaning process. Although Dr. Black does not pinpoint a certain age at which a child should stop using a pacifier, he does warn of the sociological issues that are often involved. "If a child is over the age of 1 1/2 to 2 years, using a pacifier in public can carry with it a negative impact," he says. "We don't know why people have such negative feelings about older children with pacifiers, but it is an issue that can be brought up by other family members or even complete strangers. In that case, it's never good to negatively confront an individual who has reacted in some way in front of your child. You can approach the situation with your child by saying, 'Some people won't like you using your pacifier in public, so maybe we can try to go out without it.' This allows the child to stop using a pacifier by method of trial and error. It's not always scientific; it's about decisions."


Pages:  1  2  3  4  5  

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A Hard Habit to Break by Anonymous on 10/04/2009 08:03PM

hard habit to break?! the song meaning is apparent. It's about someone who took their love for granted, and by the time he realized how much he cared for her and that he could not live without her it was too late, and even though she found someone else he still is attached to her and is trying to let her go or in this case break the habit. -cesar de jesus

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