Teething, Thumbsucking, and Pacifiers

Teething Tips

March 8, 2011 by Morningside Mom

•There are a number of ways to soothe a teething baby. Favorites in our household were frozen washcloths or cooled teether toys

•When my babies could sit up and eat solids, I offered them a frozen banana, frozen bagel or Popsicle

•Let them spend some time in their high chair with some chilled applesauce and a frozen rubber-coated baby spoon

•Nursing often helped calm my baby since it provided comfort and extra fluids

•Bibs become a necessity as they saturate one after the other.

•Keep a burp cloth on hand to help soak up what you can when you can.

•But don’t forget that your baby is swallowing much more drool too which can result in diarrhea. Keep them hydrated and hopefully it will pass quickly.

•As for diaper rash, baths, air and ointment worked wonders for my children. Baths, with a very gentle soap, will keep the rash clean. I also found that laying out a blanket and letting my child “air-dry” helped heal the rash. And finally, I used diaper ointment with each changing to block as much moisture from the rash as possible.

Thoughts on Thumbsucking & Pacifiers 

February 28, 2011 by Traci Shannon

Pros of Pacifiers:

• Some studies have suggested a lower SIDS risk -- this was in 2005 and Dr. Greene discussed it on his blog back then (http://www.drgreene.com/blog/2005/12/11/pacifiers-and-sids-0) • Pacifiers can be taken away physically -- arguably easier to “break” them of the habit • Pacifiers can be a great calming tool, especially if you have a colic-y child (this I know from personal experience

Cons of Pacifiers:

•Possible interference with breastfeeding -- I had no problems on this front but certain studies have demonstrated that a shortening of breast feeding duration accompanied use of pacifiers – check out http://www.breastfeedingbasics.org/cgi-bin/deliver.cgi/content/Normal/pa... •It doesn’t travel with them – a child cannot forget or lose their thumb, but as a Mommy of a pacifier baby, I always needed a back-up. We have all seen the Mom pick up a pacifier from the floor and put it in her mouth because she didn’t have a back-up. Okay, all together now, “Yuck! Yuck! Yuck!”

•I recommend getting a couple of the cute pacifier pins that allow them to carry the pacifier with them at all times

•The germ factor – let’s be honest, once that child starts crawling, you don’t really know where that pacifier has been. It is a foreign object that they are constantly putting in their mouth.

•There have been very rare cases off infants choking because of broken or poorly made pacifiers. Never use a bottle nipple and cap as a substitute. A one piece pacifier is best. (http://babyproducts.about.com/od/preparingforbaby/bb/safe_pacifiers.htm).

Pros of Thumb-Sucking:

•The baby comes prepared! My best friend cold not wait until her children “found” their thumb because unlike a pacifier, it could not disappear in the covers at night, could not be thrown out of a car seat while driving, or lost while taking a stroll.

•It is natural, no concerns about where the pacifier was made and if it is well-made (see above)

Cons of Thumb-Sucking:

•We have all seen a child whose thumb resembled “Jungle Rot”, because it cannot be taken away, you, as a parent have little control of how and when they will suck their thumb.

•Really hard to “break” them of` the habit because again, you can’t take a thumb away!