How to choose a pacifier for a baby? Bottle nipples: an overview

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

The pacifier can be called a real lifesaver for those parents who have restless children. Some babies just suck on a pacifier a little, then they calm down and fall asleep. But if the pacifier fails to calm the baby, you can consult a doctor to find out the reasons for his anxiety. In any case, it is very important to choose the right pacifier for your juvenile.

How to choose a pacifier that fits your baby, learn from this article.

Choose the right one

Many young mothers try to buy the most expensive and fashionable things for their beloved baby, while not paying attention to their shape, giving preference to the external attractiveness of the product. They simply forget that the baby is not interested in the brand or the originality of the design. For him, ease of use is important. Baby nipples are distinguished by the shape and material from which they are made. The most comfortable pacifier for a baby will be the onewhich will be shaped like a mother's nipple.

There may be cases when a toddler refuses a pacifier if it is large and uncomfortable for him. Therefore, when choosing a pacifier in a store or pharmacy, you should pay attention to whether the product fits in shape to the anatomical structure of the newborn's oral cavity. Not only the role and shape of the pacifier is important, but also the material from which it will be made. And what will be the reaction of the baby, it is almost impossible to predict. Someone will not like very soft rubber, someone will not like denser silicone.

Does a baby need a nipple at all?

Many mothers have a logical question: why does their baby need a pacifier and is it necessary to teach a little one to it? Usually women are interested in this, who have heard stories many times about how difficult it is to wean the baby from the pacifier over time. And yet, the baby has a certain need for this little thing.

The sucking reflex is innate. While still in the womb, the little one often sucks his finger. So he calms down and feels completely safe. That is why a newborn in the first seconds of his life greedily grabs his mother's breast, trying to calm down after the stress that childbirth has just experienced.

Small "calm"

Quite often it happens that the baby needs to be calmed down quickly. A pacifier will be a great helper.

Which nipple to choose for a newborn to be as comfortable as possible can be decided by trial. Based on the foregoing, it is possibleclaim that the baby pacifier will be a kind of "calm" and will help mom in a huge number of situations.

That's why mom has to make an effort to try to teach the little one to the nipple so that he always takes it. But after the pacifiers are selected, the babies gradually get used to them and open their mouths themselves as soon as they see them. Sometimes they may even demand a pacifier, crying loudly. As soon as mom gives the baby a pacifier, he instantly calms down.

Distinguishable by shape

How to choose a pacifier so that the little one likes it? The round nipple (or as it is called - "classic") is shaped like a breast nipple, which will make bottle feeding the same as natural. Orthodontic nipples help to properly develop the lower jaw and palate, prevent swallowing air while the baby sucks.

Nipples with anti-vacuum system reduce the amount of air swallowed by the baby, resulting in a reduction in the frequency of spitting up. And the valve in such a nipple does not allow it to stick together, which allows the little one not to come off the bottle with the mixture. These bottle nipples will be very comfortable for your baby.

How many holes do they have?

Nipples can also be distinguished by the number of holes in them. If up to 2-3 months the baby will need nipples with one or two holes, then babies at the age of 2-5 months will already need three holes. Those pacifiers with four holes will create a fast flow of liquid food. They will fitbabies over the age of four months. The shape of the hole can be X-shaped (suitable for juice), Y-shaped (suitable for liquid porridge) and others.

Instructions for choosing a pacifier. Material

Mom should pay close attention to the material from which the nipple is made. The choice is recommended to stop on soft and elastic latex and 100% medical silicone. Latex pacifiers are usually matte or light beige, with a characteristic taste and smell. The only negative is that they are short-lived, and in the sun they can darken and deform.

Latex round nipple is usually quite comfortable for babies. Products made from silicone are usually more durable. They have no smell or taste. They are not afraid of exposure to sunlight. Which pacifier to choose - silicone or latex - will be decided by each mother individually, focusing on her child.

It is impossible not to pay attention to the rubber nipples, which were so popular with babies born in the Soviet Union. Of course, now there are other, more interesting options (they were mentioned above). Such products are convenient in their own way, so it is quite possible to pay attention to them at a time when the question of how to choose a nipple for feeding a toddler is on the agenda.

Unfortunately, rubber is an outdated material that can cause allergies in the baby. But on the other hand, when he is teething, it is a rubber pacifier in tandem with a rubber teether that is better,than others, modern ones, will help the little one to remove the itching and discomfort that torments him.

Instructions for choosing a pacifier. Size

The size of the pacifier should correspond to the age of the little one. If the nipple is too small, then the baby may have bite problems. If it is large, then the baby will hardly hold it in his mouth. Bottle nipples - those that were originally designed for feeding crumbs from a bottle, can be distinguished by the intensity of the jet. They are applied with numbers having the following designations: 1 - slow jet, 2 - medium intensity, 3 - fast. It is recommended to change nipples every one to two months.

Instructions for choosing a pacifier. Shape

The shape of the product is also very important for the baby. Several types have been created: round, anatomical and symmetrical orthodontic pacifiers. The round nipple will exactly follow the shape of the nipple of the breast during feeding. Orthodontic nipples will encourage your baby's lower jaw to move back and forth as he suckles, helping her develop properly.

The shape of the anatomical nipple is similar to the structure of the gums, it will have less effect on their structure. Before buying a pacifier, moms need to make sure that baby nipples have ventilation holes at the base and that the pacifier ring is firmly attached to the pacifier base. These pacifiers are quite convenient to use.

Recommendations for care and selection

So, how to choose a pacifier for a baby? First you need to study what forms of pacifiers exist, which, according tospecialists better, which material is the safest, which design should be preferred. Now mom can decide what to buy for her baby. It is better to buy pacifiers in pharmacies or specialized stores. After all, there you can get acquainted with the documentation confirming the quality of the purchased goods. Definitely, preference should be given to proven manufacturers (you should not save on the he alth of the child) - Canpol babies, Avent, Chicco, TIGEX. It is necessary to constantly ensure that the size of the pacifier used by the baby is appropriate for his age. It is desirable that the pacifier has a monolithic design.

Essential hygiene

Well, the necessary goods are bought. Now parents need to remember that before giving the baby a pacifier, sterilization should be carried out. This should not be forgotten when using the accessory, because bacteria gradually accumulate on it, which, if it enters the body of a toddler, can be sources of various diseases.

Note to parents: before using the pacifier for the first time, it should be kept in boiling water for 3 minutes (but first read the instructions carefully, because not all pacifiers can withstand high temperatures). Hygiene procedures should be carried out daily. Three methods can be used: boiling, sterilization, or rinsing under water using baby soap. If the nipple fell on the floor, you can not lick it and give it to the child - this is a direct path to infectioninto the baby's body. Do not dip the pacifier in honey or sugar, because these products can provoke diathesis.

Storage and use

How to choose a pacifier, we have already figured out. But how to store and use it correctly? Perhaps the best option for storing nipples would be an airtight container. Thanks to him, the product is protected from microbes. But the container also needs to be washed periodically.

One and the same nipple can be offered to a little one for no more than three months, because over time the material wears out, small cracks and bites appear. The baby may accidentally bite off a piece of the nipple and swallow it. But even if there is no visible damage, pediatricians do not recommend using the same pacifier for a long time: the baby is growing, and very soon this pacifier will not fit him.

Seize the moment

So, the baby got used to the nipple, which was chosen with great care. And over time, it is important for parents to catch the moment when to start weaning the baby from a bad habit. It is better to distract the baby with your favorite games, and periodically remove the nipple itself from the field of view of the little one. You can not scold a child if he sucks on a pacifier. There is no need to shame him and spank him, because adults themselves teach him to use a dummy.

Some parents smear bitter or stinging on the pacifier. This is categorically not recommended, because in addition to psychological trauma, the baby can also get physical, for example, a burn of the esophagus. It is necessary to explain to the little one: if he sucks on a pacifier for a long time, his teeth may become crooked.

If it is difficult for a baby to give up his habit, you can do this: cut off a small piece from the nipple every day, starting from the very edge. You can tell a baby that his nipple was bitten by fish, mice, squirrels … Over time, the baby will get used to the fact that his nipple is broken and every day it is more and more inconvenient to suck. In this way, he will be able to give up his habit faster and less painfully.

Having figured out how to choose a pacifier for a little one, moms and dads will now understand what to pay attention to first of all. After all, sometimes, trying to keep up with a beautiful design, you can buy a thing unsuitable for a baby, which can negatively affect his he alth and even life. When the right option is chosen, the mother does not have to worry about the adverse effect of the pacifier on the formation of bite or nipple latching on the mother's breast during feeding.

And yet we must not forget that even the best pacifiers will be present in the life of a toddler for only a few months, because their purpose is to satisfy his sucking reflex. Gradually, the reflex decreases, which occurs approximately when the baby reaches 7 months of age. Now we need to gradually give up pacifiers.