By Darlene Zagata 
New parents often struggle with the decision of whether or not they should give their baby a pacifier. Parents may choose to give their child a pacifier to comfort and quiet them between feedings while others may not want their baby to become accustomed to always having the “binky.” Basically the choice depends on the parents’ personal preference.
New parents can often be bombarded with conflicting advice from well-meaning friends and relatives. While some family members may sing the praises of the wonderful invention of pacifiers, others may present horror stories of malformed teeth, speech problems and the probability of turning the child into a thumb sucker. Don’t let them discourage you or influence your decision.
The decision is yours. Any concerns you have over the use of a pacifier should be discussed with your pediatrician. Most doctors find the stories of pacifiers ruining a child’s teeth or affecting speech to be unfounded. Pacifiers actually satisfy the sucking impulse in infants but they should never be used as a substitute for holding and comforting a baby.
In any event, the choice to use pacifiers is up to the parents. I recently heard a story of a young couple that had a baby boy and they chose not to use pacifiers and were a bit upset to find that a nurse in the hospital gave their infant a pacifier even though they had stated differently. If this is a concern, you should consult the hospital regarding their policy and practice in this matter. The parents should have a right to choose but even though an infant is given a pacifier in the hospital the parents are not obliged to continue the practice at home.
If you do choose to use pacifiers, have more than one on hand. Wash them often in warm sudsy water and rinse thoroughly. Once babies have teeth and can chew, pacifiers should be taken away so that he or she doesn’t bite a piece of the rubber off and choke. Many babies may start to wean themselves from pacifiers around the age of six months. If your child makes no attempt to part with the pacifier, you should start to gradually wean him from the “binky.” Parents should be aware that at this point the child might substitute his thumb for the pacifier. It is a normal reaction and does not have to be long term. Parents can quietly discourage the habit. The choice to use a pacifier is yours. Choose what you feel is best for your child.
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