Possible reasons why a newborn pacifier promotes safety
Pacifiers may help protect your baby from SIDS and suffocation during sleep for several reasons.
They might make it harder for your baby to roll over onto their stomach. Tummy time is great under your watchful eye, but sleeping on the stomach is the riskiest position for SIDS.
A pacifier also blocks your baby’s face from accidently getting too close to the mattress, a pillow, or blanket. (That being said, your infant’s crib should be as empty as a florist shop the day after Valentine’s Day — no pillows, blankets, or stuffed animals inside it.)
Other researchers think that sucking on a pacifier might help babies develop better nerve reflexes and breathing muscles.
So, give your baby their favorite pacifier as you lay them down (on their back) for sleep or a nap. If the pacifier falls out mid-sleep, it’s perfectly OK. If they wake up or cry, try popping the pacifier back in.
Benefits of Pacifiers
Pacifiers are as important as baby wipes — and arguably have just as many benefits. Keep a few on hand to give to your newborn: at home, in your car, and in your purse.
Rest assured that a pacifier is less habit-forming than sucking on a thumb, and habits are unlikely to form before 6 months of age, period.
During sleep and nap time, pacifiers help:
+ babies fall asleep and stay asleep
+ babies relax and self-soothe back to sleep if they wake up
Pacifiers may also help:
+ prevent SIDS in newborns
+ your baby exclusively breastfeed, if that’s what you want
+ your baby stay content between feedings longer
Pacifiers help soothe and distract babies:
+ during general fussiness
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