Take out the pacifier. Now she sucks her thumb!

The pediatrician ordered me to remove my daughter’s pacifier. She started sucking her finger. What should I do? (Question submitted by reader)

Before condemning the pacifier or the habit of sucking a finger, it is necessary to clarify that every baby has a need to suck. This is a natural reflex, which begins in the womb and provides the first contacts with the world. In addition to allowing the baby to feed, suction performs several important functions for development: it soothes, provides security, strengthens the muscles of the face and, as a result, influences the position of the dental arch. The best way to ensure that the child correctly meets this need is through breastfeeding. When breastfeeding, the baby is not only receiving complete food, but strengthening the bond with the mother and making a much greater effort to feed than if he were taking a bottle. The muscle exercise resulting from breastfeeding is essential to tire the child and satisfy the urge to suck, thus preventing him from looking for supplements such as a pacifier or a finger.

The impulse is normal from birth until approximately 2 years of age, according to the child’s individual characteristics and social development. As he matures, the pleasure of sucking is replaced by discovering the world through the other senses, through speech and through contact with other children. Many problems start, however, when, in the middle of this process, the parents introduce the pacifier early without observing the baby’s real need. Offering it at any sign of discomfort, to calm the crying, as an object of emotional support or a form of leisure, or even to replace the parents’ attention, may seem the most comfortable way, but it involves long-term risks. The frequent and unnecessary use of a pacifier installs a habit that is extremely harmful to the continuity of breastfeeding, which can cause teeth to become crooked, cause deviations in facial bone growth, changes in swallowing and even speech difficulties.

But, after all, what to do when the child has already got used to it? It is essential that the process of weaning the pacifier be planned carefully by the parents. When suddenly deprived of their comfort object, the child often switches automatically to another even more harmful habit: thumb sucking. Radical attitudes, such as hiding or throwing the pacifier in the trash without her consent, should not be taken. She needs to understand, agree and participate in the process. Also, if you’re already sucking your thumb, ridiculing, overvaluing, belittling, or attacking the habit is not a good thing to do. They can even give rise to a feeling of inferiority and lead to a negative reaction.

Try, first, to see if the use is not related to problems that the child faces in the family environment (financial difficulties, separation of parents, birth of a sibling, lack of affection, stress) or at school (competition or discrimination by peers). . If there is any psychological factor associated with the issue, it is essential to seek to resolve the source of the conflict, if possible with the help of a psychologist, before any attempt to remove the pacifier. If it’s nothing but habit, prepare for the process by being aware that patience and positive reinforcement are key and that frustrations are part of it. Talk to the child gently and use tricks to help him remember not to put his finger in his mouth. Although there are specific orthodontic appliances for this function, the ideal is to resort first to simple home measures, which usually resolve the issue in a less uncomfortable way.

Putting a band-aid on your finger, tying a tissue or wearing a glove when you go to sleep are some of them. High doses of love, patience and determination, however, remain the essential factors for the removal of the habit to occur in a positive way and without trauma for the child.

Source: Adriana Modesto, Professor at the Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and President of the Brazilian Society of Pediatric Dentistry.