Perhaps one of the unchanging and main attributes of infancy can be considered a dummy. A few years ago, it was simply impossible to imagine a baby without a nipple in his mouth. Such popularity is easily explained, because babies have a physiological and psychological need to satisfy the sucking reflex. There are two ways to relieve instinct - to allow the child to spend as much time as he likes with his mother’s breast (but is it convenient for the woman herself?) Or offer him a nipple in return.
By itself, this accessory causes a lot of controversy and opinions, some argue that a dummy is evil, others refute this point of view, and manufacturers meanwhile offer all new options for baby nipples, each of which finds its own buyer. Among the huge variety, several main types should be distinguished: the classic daisy-dummy, nipples-droplets for infants and orthodontic. All of them come in different sizes and shapes, are made of latex, silicone or rubber, and also differ in age restrictions.
For every taste
When choosing a dummy for their baby, parents should be guided by several basic recommendations:
- acquire a pacifier suitable for a child according to age;
- to try different options, because one baby will be satisfied only with a special flattened dummy, and another best “friend” will be a penny dummy dummy, which was also used by our parents;
- you need to buy a pacifier in specialized retail chains (children's stores, pharmacies), where the quality of the goods is monitored very carefully and the risk of acquiring counterfeit products is minimized.
Authoritative research by specialists who advocate natural feeding, argue that the baby, in principle, does not need a dummy and no, even the most modern, nipple is not able to replace my mother’s breast. In addition, by accustoming children to this accessory, parents run the risk of starting a mechanism to reduce lactation or even stop it.
However, if breastfeeding on demand is not possible, or if the baby eats from a bottle, a dummy is vital for him. When the question arises of its acquisition, many parents are lost and do not understand the difference between newfangled nipples and their cheaper counterpart (dummy-dummy).
Come from childhood
What is the main difference between a simple nipple for 20-40 rubles from those whose price starts from 300-400 rubles, and sometimes can reach simply unreasonable values? Modern manufacturers offer products from a modern material - silicone, which, undoubtedly, is durable, non-toxic and safe for children, including newborns.
The main arguments of PR managers are the following: modern dummies have a shape so that the bite is not distorted in children, the likelihood of swallowing air during sucking is reduced, which eliminates the problem of increased gas formation and stomach pain, in addition, the silicone nipple will last about 2-3 months.
Proponents of traditional baby dummies argue that children prefer a dummy dummy. Most often they are made of natural material - latex, which is pleasant to the touch, natural and not afraid of the first teeth of babies. However, its disadvantages are a more frequent replacement (the service life should not exceed 1 month), a simple round shape and a tendency to stretch.
As experience shows, the theory that children who sucked a round dummy with a shield in the form of flowers did not become completely curved and lisping. Moreover, our grandmothers and parents simply did not know the alternative, because a dummy dummy (photo clearly demonstrates what kind of product it was) was the only option for the nipple.
Expert opinion
No matter how zealously the parties defend their opinions, the most important critics and testers of goods for babies were, are and will be the parents themselves and their children. So, a dummy dummy, reviews of which are filled with many "mom" forums and blogs, is an indisputable favorite of kids.
Moreover, often children get so used to a round soft latex nipple that they do not want to see any other. Sometimes even a matter of ordinary hygiene, requiring periodic replacement of one soother with another, becomes a real problem. Kids feel a substitution and categorically oppose the innovation, demanding back their favorite fun.
Buttercups
What types are the notorious "flower" nipples? In fact, their product range is not so great. Purely visually, they differ from each other in multi-colored shields made in the form of chamomile.
In addition, a daisy dummy with a cap is presented on the market, which will not be superfluous, because it makes it possible to hide the nipple at a time when the baby does not need it. There are also night and day options. In the first case, the shield is absolutely smooth. But in the daytime dummy there is a ring for which the mother or baby can take the accessory, in addition, a special chain with a trailer clings to it, which greatly simplifies the life of parents, because the nipple will not fall to the floor or the ground during a walk.
Safety Above All
The main advantage of this type of dummy is that the child can not bite off a piece of latex, however, the material from which the product is made does not differ in durability. It is often necessary to check it for defects (cracks, deformation, softening), for this it is enough to pull the end of the nipple.
In addition, latex requires more thorough hygienic care, the dummy should often be washed in hot water with the addition of a safe detergent, which is also washed off in a large amount of hot running water.