Both curse and blessing: Should I give my child a pacifier?

Jenni says that parents should definitely give the child a pacifier, but they should not insist if they do not want it. In addition to its advantages such as a protective effect against sudden infant death syndrome and a certain degree of prevention against food allergies, pacifiers can also cause delays in language development and incorrect positioning of teeth when used excessively.

This was also confirmed by Myriam Schnider (37), senior speech therapist at Children’s Hospital Zurich: “If children use the pacifier excessively and for too long, the position of their jaw and teeth may change.” In extreme cases, the child may develop an open-mouthed posture around the age of three to four, meaning he will breathe more through his mouth rather than his nose. “This makes children more susceptible to infections because when they breathe through their mouths, air enters their respiratory tract cold and unfiltered,” Schnider said. When you breathe through your nose, the air becomes warm and free of germs.

The smaller the better

Schnider says that when a pacifier is used too frequently, the changing positions of the jaw and teeth can also lead to errors in the pronunciation of some sounds. Between the ages of two and three, children’s swallowing process often changes. “If the child continues to suck excessively during this period, this swallowing development may be prevented.” It can take a long time to break such an incorrect swallowing pattern or to relearn sounds that have been formed incorrectly for years.

But on a regulated scale, pacifiers are OK, Schnider says. “A pacifier can make a big difference when it comes to falling asleep, calming down, or helping baby avoid pain.” When used specifically, the negative effects of a pacifier can be ignored. “But if the pacifier is used only out of habit, the child should be weaned.” He also recommends using a very small pacifier instead of a very large one. This means the risk of incorrect tooth or jaw positioning is reduced later on.

Oskar Jenni advises all parents to pay attention to their children’s needs first. It is not recommended to take an overly strict stance and completely ban the use of pacifiers. “Toddlers’ sucking reflex and therefore their need for a pacifier or nugget usually diminishes on its own during the second year of life.”