Can I sleep with a pacifier?

A pacifier is a product used by babies. Many mothers will prepare some pacifiers for their children. Pacifiers can effectively soothe babies' emotions. Even many mothers let their babies sleep with a pacifier in their mouth. Although pacifiers are made of safe materials, can you sleep with a pacifier in your mouth? In fact, experts do not recommend it.

Some babies always sleep restlessly at night, often waking up from crying or making whimpering sounds from time to time. Instead of holding them up and coaxing them, a pacifier is faster. At this point, many mothers will ask: The baby is restless when sleeping, and will sleep well with a pacifier in his mouth, so is it okay for the baby to sleep with a pacifier in his mouth?

Can I sleep with a pacifier?

Do not sleep with a pacifier in your mouth. If you fall asleep, you must take it out. The hazards of sleeping with it in your mouth are as follows:

1. If the baby sleeps with a pacifier in his mouth for a long time, he will develop a habit of biting the pacifier to sleep. Once this habit is formed, it will be difficult to quit, and eventually the baby will not be able to sleep without a pacifier.

2. Affect the baby's oral development, causing deformities in the upper and lower jaws, and affecting the shape of the mouth and the beauty of the face.

3. Cause abdominal distension and vomiting. When a baby sleeps with a pacifier in his mouth and sucks, he will swallow too much air, causing air bloating in the stomach, which will increase the possibility of vomiting and easily cause abdominal pain.

How to remove the pacifier when the baby falls asleep

After your baby falls asleep with a pacifier, you should take it out slowly and gently. If it is tight, you can gently pat the baby's cheeks and it can usually be taken out smoothly.

If the baby continues crying after the pacifier is removed, do not put him back in his mouth immediately. The mother should coax him first, which usually calms him down.

1. Reduce your usage time a little bit every day

As babies get older, they become more capable of self-soothing, and they don't need a pacifier as much as you might think. Don’t put it in every time you cry. Try to reduce the frequency and duration of use. After a while, you will naturally be less concerned about it.

2. Change other comfort methods

When the baby is crying, it is a good idea to change the way you hold the baby or to rock the baby gently. This is a good way to divert the baby's attention.

3. If your baby is under 8 months old, it is recommended that you swaddle him/her so that he/she can regain the sense of security he/she had in the womb. In addition, white noise and touching various parts of the baby to relax them are also good ways

If the baby is over 8 months old, take out a new toy and say, "Baby, what is this?" or "Look, this building block is so cute!"

Strengthen the mother's company: "Come, let mom lift you up to play on the swing", "Let's go out and play in the stroller, okay?"

4. Cut off a little bit of the front part of the pacifier for your baby, and then cut off a little more each time. The baby will gradually feel the difference and will no longer like it.

Do not fall asleep with a pacifier in your mouth. Doing so for a long time will cause dependence and is harmful to the baby's health, affecting oral development and easily causing abdominal bloating and spitting up. Babies need to use pacifiers when they are one year old. As long as the mother is patient and masters the method, when the baby no longer needs it, it can be considered that the pacifier is successfully used!