Ask a Pediatrician
This week, our resident pediatrician, Dr. Stephanie Dekom, tackles pacifier safety, talking with toddlers and when to stop swaddling.
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Is a pacifier harmful?
Pacifiers, or “binkies” as some lovingly call them, are excellent soothing devices. They can quiet a fussy baby in seconds flat. Moms who wish to exclusively breastfeed (which I always encourage as the best choice) should avoid the use of a pacifier until you and baby have established a strong nursing routine, usually 3 or 4 weeks. The use of pacifiers before this milestone can result in “nipple confusion” and make establishing an effective latch more challenging. Nipple confusion is a phenomenon when your baby will start to prefer bottle feeds versus feeding at the breast due to a preference for the bottle nipple shape. Since pacifier shapes are similar to bottle nipples, this can cause confusion for your little one. However, pacifiers are not all bad. They are very useful in quieting crying babies, and studies have shown that babies who use pacifiers are less likely to die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). That being said, once your child falls in love with his or her binkie, it can be a difficult habit to break. I recommend trying to kick the paci to the curb at 2 years of age, and by 4 years it really has to go.
What are some ways to encourage speech in a toddler?
Speech is an important milestone. It makes life with your little one easier. Finally, they can actually tell you what they want; you won’t have to guess all the time. The key factor in your child’s verbal development is how much you talk to them. Imagine trying to learn a new language if you never heard anyone speak it! For the most part, I advise parents to talk to their child just as they would talk to an adult. Toss the baby talk to the side and feel free to use ordinary adult words. You should narrate the world to your child; that is, tell them what you are doing while you are doing it. Name objects and encourage your child to join in. Research has shown that children need to hear around 21,000 words a day to develop their own verbal skills. That may sound like a lot, so you’d better get chatting. Once your child begins to understand and repeat words, you can expand their vocabulary by turning their words into full sentences. Interestingly, one sign of normal language acquisition is private practice. So, if you hear your child talking to herself, don’t worry. You are not raising a crazy child; your child is learning language normally.
When is it time to stop swaddling?
Swaddling is, in my opinion, one of the keys to having a happy baby. It is an essential ingredient in the 5 S’s method of soothing infants (the other S’s are sucking, side lying, swinging, and shushing). These things, done in combination with one another, are an excellent way to calm a fussing infant. Swaddling is most useful during what I call the 4th trimester, that is, your newborn’s first 3 months after birth. After this period, infants will usually have adjusted to life outside the coziness of the womb and won’t require soothing that swaddling provides. Of course, you can continue to swaddle your child at night if you feel he or she responds well to this, but soon, probably around 3 to 4 months, they will become strong and adventurous enough to squirm free of your handiwork.
__Dr. Stephanie Dekom is a board-certified pediatrician located in Los Angeles, California. After completing her B.S. degree at Staten Island’s Wagner Collage where she graduated summa cum laude in 2008 with a major in Arts Administration and double minors in both chemistry and biology. She received her M.D. in 2013 from The George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. While in Washington, she took a year-long leave of absence to compete in the Miss America Pageant as Miss District of Columbia. During her year of service, she made over 100 personal appearances to promote a platform of preventive healthcare. In 2016, she completed a residency in general pediatrics at the University of California Los Angeles. Currently, Dr. Dekom is subspecializing in neonatology, the practice of caring for premature and critically ill infants. She has been involved in research studies evaluating neonatal hemodynamics, studying the microbiome of newborns, and various intensive care unit based quality improvement projects. She has presented her work at multiple national conferences. _
