Pacifier sucking
The need to suck is innate in a baby. This innate need is called the 'suction reflex'.
Because it can take a while before the suction needs of a baby is over, it is often followed by giving a pacifier or dummy.
Some babies are happy to suck on their thumb.
Sucking on a dummy, a finger or a thumb gives a nice feeling to your child. However, it can have adverse consequences if this is done for a long time.
- Your baby may start to swallow incorrectly.
- The lower teeth can be pushed backwards by the pressure of the thumb or teat, the front teeth are pushed forward again. This causes the upper jaw to become deformed.
- If the upper teeth are very forward, the upper and lower teeth can no longer close properly.
- There is a greater risk of infections and tooth decay. This is because false breathing habits can occur. The child then mainly breathes through the mouth, instead of through the nose.
- If you are breastfeeding, a dummy will undermine milk production.
- When breastfeeding, a teat can also cause teat-teat confusion.
It is important that these bad habits are corrected as soon as they are noticed.
It is true that sucking on a dummy in young babies creates a reduced risk of cot death. This is probably because the baby breathes through the nose and not through the mouth when he sucks on the teat.
Breastfeeding also reduces the risk of cot death. Babies who drink mother's milk sleep less, because breastfeeding digests faster than artificial nutrition. In addition, nursing babies tend to stay near their mothers more often, so that they can see more quickly if there is anything wrong with the baby.
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