What you should know about pacifiers
“Non-nutritive sucking” is a biological need for babies when they are tired, hungry, bored, or uncomfortable. In fact, fetuses start to suck in utero in the first trimester. This behavior is hardwired in an infant. A built-in reflex is controlled by the brain stem at first and comes under more conscious control in the first few months of life. Not only do pacifiers soothe and regulate babies, but research has also shown that using them at nap and nighttime decreases the risk of SIDS during the first six months of life. Most children have less of a need to suck as they get older.
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