Pacifiers & Speech Development

Pacifiers...Pacifiers...Pacifiers...are they good? or are they bad? Should you use them? Or should you not?

Let me start by first saying that...yes, as of today current research is showing that babies benefit from the use of pacifiers. Plus it helps out those breastfeeding mothers by giving them "a break" when they have an extra hungry little guy :)

I need to also say though..that pacifiers can also be detrimental to your baby if...
1.) If your baby is an extra sleepy baby & falls alseep mid-feeds or has trouble waking up to feed..then don't waste time giving him a pacifier...he needs the calories from an actual feed when he is up.
2.) If your baby is a premie...be careful with the pacifiers. We (speech-feeding therapists) recommend the use of pacifiers to pre-term infants to help them develop a stronger suck..so when we introduce oral feeds (aka bottle feeds) they are able to handle it...(they practiced on the pacifiers)...but...be careful with this..although we want our babies to build up strenght and establish a sucking pattern...we don't want them to "Tire out" on the pacifiers and then try to have them feed from a bottle. We are just asking for trouble. We want our infants to be ready & awake when they feed...especially if they are premies and that sucking action is taking a lot of strength to do.
3.) You just need to watch your baby...if you think the pacifier is in anyway hindering or causing your baby to be dis-interested in feedings then cut-back on the time he is sucking away :)

So....what your saying is that pacifiers are bad?

Nope! Not at all! Pacifiers can be great, but good things need to be used in moderation :)

How long is too long to be using a pacifier?

Well...let me explain something about oral motor(mouth muscles) development. God designed our mouths to develop in a very systematic way. At about 2 years of age the back of our tongue while have dropped to a height where continuing with the pacifier will begin to hinger speech sound development...Meaning that, if you look in a babies mouth (its really prevalent in the 0-4 month olds)..you will notice that their tongue almost has a "hump-like" position..and the "hump" is in the back of the tongue. This protects the babies from swallowing non-liquid items...it also helps them to have an easier time doing that "sucking action" needed when drinking from breast or bottle...the "hump" helps the tongue do a rythmical movement (almost like a wave). You can see this happen if you watch a little baby feed. As the baby ages...and begins to transition to solids..the back of the tongue..the "hump" drops to a more adult level.

Which really makes sense if you think about it. How could a child eat table foods if their tongue was "humped"..they wouldn't have enough space for the food to go..let alone enough space to move the food around and chew..hmmm...but...God had that all figured out...and he created our "humps" to go away...slowly...very slowly...

So anyway...at about 2 years of age that "hump" has dropped to a level where they now have a larger oral cavity (aka mouth)..and that tongue is now FREE to move around and explore. If....we continue to use a pacifier past this point..then our tongue misses out on those chances to explore our mouth because it is still "filled-up" with a pacifier...it no longer has the "hump" but has a " pacifier" instead....hmmm...

When a child's tongue is exploring during this stage...it is figuring out how to say more clearly..the "tongue sounds"...like the "t", "d", "s", "n", "z", etc...

Try each of those sounds...say "tuh-tuh-tuh"..do you feel your tongue hit the roof of your mouth each time you say that sound? If a child has a pacifier in their mouth when they try to say those sounds for the first time they get a more "Slushy sound" because their tongue is blocked by the pacifier.

So...in conclusion...I know its hard...but get rid of the pacifier by 2 years of age...that means start weaning it away at 18months so its completely gone at 2...so their tongue will be "Free" to explore and learn during that critical time. God designed each stage of development...he wanted our children to be ready for those "Tongue sounds" at that age...we need to give our kids the opportunities to follow the development plan that God designed :)

Eat your fruits & veggies!!!

Having trouble getting your little "picky eater" to eat their fruits and veggies??? Well..you are not alone!! Think about fruits and veggies...think about the taste, texture and the smell...now think about the foods that your little one LOVES. Eating a potato chip is very different than eating a pea or peaches. For one..a potato chip is dry and crunchy...if you close your eyes while eating a potato chip you can hear the crunching. All of these properties of the potato chip cause certain sensory receptors to be activated...When we eat a pea..it is soft, mushy and doesn't provide that auditory feedback that a potato chip gives as we "chew, chew, chew"..and in fact..as we chew the pea it releases water or liquid into our mouth...hmmm...pretty opposite from a chip.

Don't lose hope! For those little ones that are not eating their veggies because they prefer those starchy, crunchy, carbohydrate foods well...here is a little feeding therapist secret....

Below is a website with tons of veggies and fruits:

http://www.justtomatoes.com/OJPEAS-P.html

(most natural &/or organic food stores carry this brand..but the website has the most variety-its kind of expensive but lasts forever..and most foodstores have coupons..shop the sales!!)

I;m new at this internet stuff..but I think you can just click on the link above and it will take you to the site. This site is full of veggies and fruits that will give your child some of the same sensory properties as those crunchy, starchy, carbohydrate foods....thats right...this site has veggies and fruits of all different kinds that are crunchy!!!

The only difference between these fruits and veggies and the ones that we normally eat...is that these fruits & veggies do not contain ANY water...thats right...this company simply took real, organic fruits & veggies and dehydrated them...not to the consistency of raisins or those dried cranberries...but actually one step further...they took ALL the water out...these veggies and fruits are completely liquid free...which makes them crunchy and flavorful!! My personal favorite are the peas and the pineapples...but I encourage you to try them all out..they are all worth it!!

Soooo...now you have the crunchy veggies and fruits...now what??? Well...I would start by simply placing the new foods on your child's plate with his preferred foods...and seeing if he tries it. Remember success happens even if your child only lifted up a piece of the food and smelled it...keep trying it..putting it there...just make sure to not add pressure..Eat with your child...show him how to lick the food with his tongue to get just a little bit of a taste without the "Scariness" of putting a completely new food in his mouth..Show him the crunchy sound it makes by eating one yourself and talking about the sound it makes,etc.........

If your child is a little more aversive to new foods I would recommend seeing a feeding therapist...look in the phone book under "Speech-Language Pathologist" or ask your pediatrician for a referral. FYI though...you could start by placing the new foods on a seperate plate but in your child's reach..that way they can interact with the new foods on their "own terms". Anyway...hope that helps...let me know if you have noticed any other websites with some great foods on it too.