From hot sauce to Vaseline, parents get creative to reduce pacifier use
Strategies to reduce pacifier use or thumb-sucking range from hiding pacifiers to using deterrents like hot sauce. (Envato Elements pic)
PARIS : A pacifier and/or thumb or finger sucking can help lull babies to sleep in the first months and years of their life. So much so that giving up this habit can become a real challenge.
A recent US survey, conducted by the University of Michigan CS Mott Children's Hospital among more than 2,000 parents with at least one child aged one to six years, serves as a reminder that this habit is widespread.
Around half of parents (51%) said that their children currently or previously used a pacifier, while about one-quarter of parents (23%) reported that their child currently or previously sucked their thumb or fingers.
According to their feedback, these methods of self-soothing were typically used at bedtime or nap time (79% for pacifiers, 57% for thumb/finger sucking), when children were stressed or fussy (47% for both), or when watching TV or videos (10% for pacifiers, 24% for thumb/fingers).
Only 18% said their child used a pacifier almost all the time (14% for thumb/fingers).
While some children were perfectly capable of giving up this habit on their own, quitting sucking a pacifier or the thumb or fingers may required some training.
And there are plenty of strategies available, as the responses of the parents who took part in the survey demonstrated.
The most frequently cited methods include limiting the pacifier to bedtime, hiding it, or even pretending to have lost it!
While 33% say they prefered a gentler approach, letting the child decide when to stop, a majority of parents opted for more classic methods, such as keeping a child's hand away from their mouth (61%) or explaining to the child that they were 'too old' for this kind of behaviour (25%).
Others turned to more extreme tactics, such as cutting a hole in the pacifier (10%) to make it less appealing. Some even went so far as to put an unappetising substance on their child's thumbs and fingers, such as hot sauce or Vaseline!
Susan Woolford, MD, a paediatrician at U-M Health CS Mott Children's Hospital and co-director of the Mott Poll, points out that there are many strategies for helping a child give up thumb or pacifier sucking, like reading a book or watching a video on the subject, or encouraging the child with small rewards.
'Substituting a stuffed animal or soft doll may also provide an alternate self-soothing option for the child,' the expert suggested in a news release.
Dental health and speech development
The survey also revealed that, according to parents, the 'right' age to stop pacifier use is between zero and two years (79%), while 15% consider it acceptable to break the habit at age three or over.
A small proportion felt that they acted too late to stop their child's pacifier use (9%) or thumb/finger-sucking (16%).
So, at what age should a child be encouraged to kick the habit?
Recommendations vary from country to country: the Canadian Paediatric Society, for example, recommends stopping as early as 12 months, while the American Academy of Paediatrics advises a gradual reduction in the use of pacifiers and/or thumb sucking from 18 months.
However, health professionals generally agree that this habit should be stopped altogether between the ages of two and four.
Beyond that age, the risks to the child's health become more significant. Prolonged sucking can lead to misalignment of the teeth, deformation of the palate or malpositioning of the tongue, all of which can result in speech disorders (stuttering, lisping), as well as delays in language and vocabulary.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
13 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Letting it all out: Breaking the silence around men's mental health — Nurfilzah Emily Mohamad Khairuddin
JUNE 7 — Many men carry storms in their hearts that no one sees, just because the world often expects them to be silent warriors: strong, unshaken, and always composed. They walk through life bearing the weight of pain, pressure, expectations and grief all while being told to 'stay strong' and 'man up.' But this June, during Men's Mental Health Month we're breaking the silence. Because behind that silence, there is often a boy who was once told not to cry. A man who's tired of pretending. A heart that aches for someone to say, 'It's okay. You're allowed to feel.' Let's begin here, it's okay to cry. Tears are not a sign of weakness. They're a release, a cleansing. They say, 'This matters. I am hurting. I am human.' If only the world could hear the stories behind those tears such as the father trying to provide without losing himself, the young man struggling to find his worth, the husband silently grieving a miscarriage and the student battling anxiety behind good grades. These are not dramatic stories. They are real ones and they deserve to be spoken, heard and held with kindness. But men are often taught that silence equals strength. That showing emotions makes them 'less of a man.' That vulnerability is dangerous. So they bottle things up, mask their emotions, distract themselves with work, sports or scrolling but deep down they are running on empty and what happens when emotions don't have a voice? They find other ways to scream through anger, numbness, insomnia, health issues or sudden withdrawal. This isn't weakness. It's a sign he needs help. He needs a safe space. Here's the truth, asking for help is an act of bravery. There is no shame in seeing a counselor, reaching out to a friend or admitting that life feels overwhelming. — Chinnapong/Shutterstock pic via AFP Here's the truth, asking for help is an act of bravery. There is no shame in seeing a counselor, reaching out to a friend or admitting that life feels overwhelming. In fact, the moment you say 'I'm struggling', you take back your power. You allow healing to begin. You remind yourself that you're not alone and that pain doesn't have to be your permanent home. Professional help whether it's therapy, support groups or a warm conversation can be life-changing. No one should have to suffer in silence when healing is possible. And dear men, your emotions are valid. You don't have to 'get over it' quickly. You don't need to be okay just because others expect you to be. You're allowed to feel frustrated, confused, lost, broken, joyful, emotional, grateful all in the same breath. Your mental health matters just as much as your physical health. You matter. Not for how strong you appear but for who you are, deep down, when no one's watching. Find your safe people. Whether it's a friend who listens without fixing, a partner who understands your silence or a counsellor who creates space for your truth. Lean into that support. Healing happens in connection. You don't need to go through life feeling like you're a burden. You are not 'too much.' You are enough and there's space in this world for you to breathe, to rest and to be seen. Even the strongest trees bend with the wind, it doesn't make them weaker. It makes them real. This Men's Mental Health Month, let's break the silence. Let's check on our brothers, our fathers, our husbands and our friends. Let's normalise the words 'I'm not okay', and let's meet them with love not shame. Let's build a culture where men don't have to wear emotional armour all the time where they can feel, fall and rise again with support by their side. To every man reading this, know this with all your heart, you are not alone. You are not broken. You are not weak. You are a whole human being with a heart that deserves to be held gently. Speak your truth, cry when you need to, ask for help and never apologise for feeling. Because behind every silent man is not a void but a voice waiting to be heard. You don't have to hold it all in. Let it out. You are worthy of healing. You are worthy of peace. 'Even the moon has scars, yet it still shines. So will you.' * Nurfilzah Emily Mohamad Khairuddin K.B.; P.A. is a registered counsellor with Lembaga Kaunselor Malaysia. ** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
Free Malaysia Today
14 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
From hot sauce to Vaseline, parents get creative to reduce pacifier use
Strategies to reduce pacifier use or thumb-sucking range from hiding pacifiers to using deterrents like hot sauce. (Envato Elements pic) PARIS : A pacifier and/or thumb or finger sucking can help lull babies to sleep in the first months and years of their life. So much so that giving up this habit can become a real challenge. A recent US survey, conducted by the University of Michigan CS Mott Children's Hospital among more than 2,000 parents with at least one child aged one to six years, serves as a reminder that this habit is widespread. Around half of parents (51%) said that their children currently or previously used a pacifier, while about one-quarter of parents (23%) reported that their child currently or previously sucked their thumb or fingers. According to their feedback, these methods of self-soothing were typically used at bedtime or nap time (79% for pacifiers, 57% for thumb/finger sucking), when children were stressed or fussy (47% for both), or when watching TV or videos (10% for pacifiers, 24% for thumb/fingers). Only 18% said their child used a pacifier almost all the time (14% for thumb/fingers). While some children were perfectly capable of giving up this habit on their own, quitting sucking a pacifier or the thumb or fingers may required some training. And there are plenty of strategies available, as the responses of the parents who took part in the survey demonstrated. The most frequently cited methods include limiting the pacifier to bedtime, hiding it, or even pretending to have lost it! While 33% say they prefered a gentler approach, letting the child decide when to stop, a majority of parents opted for more classic methods, such as keeping a child's hand away from their mouth (61%) or explaining to the child that they were 'too old' for this kind of behaviour (25%). Others turned to more extreme tactics, such as cutting a hole in the pacifier (10%) to make it less appealing. Some even went so far as to put an unappetising substance on their child's thumbs and fingers, such as hot sauce or Vaseline! Susan Woolford, MD, a paediatrician at U-M Health CS Mott Children's Hospital and co-director of the Mott Poll, points out that there are many strategies for helping a child give up thumb or pacifier sucking, like reading a book or watching a video on the subject, or encouraging the child with small rewards. 'Substituting a stuffed animal or soft doll may also provide an alternate self-soothing option for the child,' the expert suggested in a news release. Dental health and speech development The survey also revealed that, according to parents, the 'right' age to stop pacifier use is between zero and two years (79%), while 15% consider it acceptable to break the habit at age three or over. A small proportion felt that they acted too late to stop their child's pacifier use (9%) or thumb/finger-sucking (16%). So, at what age should a child be encouraged to kick the habit? Recommendations vary from country to country: the Canadian Paediatric Society, for example, recommends stopping as early as 12 months, while the American Academy of Paediatrics advises a gradual reduction in the use of pacifiers and/or thumb sucking from 18 months. However, health professionals generally agree that this habit should be stopped altogether between the ages of two and four. Beyond that age, the risks to the child's health become more significant. Prolonged sucking can lead to misalignment of the teeth, deformation of the palate or malpositioning of the tongue, all of which can result in speech disorders (stuttering, lisping), as well as delays in language and vocabulary.
Malay Mail
17 hours ago
- Malay Mail
From brain tumour to Olympic gold: Jeremy Flores' inspiring comeback
PARIS, June 7 — Jeremy Flores faced numerous challenges in the water as he carved himself a hugely successful surfing career but nothing prepared the Frenchman for the tumultuous months that followed his retirement in 2021. Within months of stepping away from competition, Flores, the most successful male European in surfing history, was diagnosed with a brain tumour that turned his life upside down. He survived to tell the tale, after years of silence, in a new documentary 'Dos au mur' ('Backs to the Wall') which premiered in Paris on Wednesday. 'I told myself it was time to talk about it,' he told AFP. 'I needed to get it off my chest, to send a message to my children and others who might need it. This was clearly the hardest ordeal of my life.' Inoperable Flores was born in Reunion, an island in the Indian Ocean which is a paradise for surfers - in spite of the large number of sharks. His father Patrick coached him from the age of three and he duly became one of the best in the world, competing for 15 years on the professional circuit, winning four prestigious championship tour events. Blessed with talent in the tubes, he was also quick with his temper. 'I think I've got the most fines on the professional tour,' he admits in the film which is directed by Julie and Vincent Kardasik. Yet in 2021, having become a father for the second time, he decided to retire without really explaining why. 'For several years, I had a lot of migraines,' he tells AFP. 'I was always tired, unmotivated.' A few months later, he was diagnosed with a tumour at the base of his brain. Worse yet, many surgeons considered it inoperable. 'That explained why I wasn't feeling my best. The news shattered me,' admits Flores. Brain tumour survival rates do not make pretty reading: just a third make it through five years although that figure improves for people under 40, according to medical figures in France. In theory Flores stood a fighting chance if he could find a surgeon who would operate. Fortunately he did. In 2022, he finally underwent brain surgery in Montpellier supervised by pioneering neurosurgeon Hugues Duffau. Flores was awake for all of it. 'The operation went well,' he recalls, still traumatised by the operation and the effects. 'After that, it was a mission. I'd been warned. I had to relearn how to speak, write, and read. 'I suffered significant memory loss. My children had become strangers to me.' But with the constant support of his wife Hinarani de Longeaux, a model and former Miss Tahiti winner, Flores began to rebuild. He also had the support of the surf community, notably his old friend and rival Kelly Slater. 'He called me almost every day, before, during, and after the operation,' says Flores. 'I was lucky to have great support.' Olympic gold A little over a year after the operation, he was invited by the French Surfing Federation to manage the surf team at the 2024 Olympics: the event was to take place in Teahupo'o, Tahiti, where he had lived for several years. 'I thought: why not? This will allow me to stimulate my brain, and surfing is what I do best,' he says. The team consisted of four surfers who included his sister-in-law Vahine Fierro, and a young Tahitian Kauli Vaast who, according to Flores, was a natural on the pro tour. The veteran turned coach convinced them that they had what it took to win everything. And it worked. Fierro won the Tahiti Pro in 2024, the first French winner since Flores in 2015 while the team picked up two Olympic medals. Johanne Defay took bronze in the women's shortboard while Vaast went on to win gold in the men's shortboard, with Flores screaming his support from the water during every round. 'It was truly special, the highlight of my career,' says Flores. 'He's my little brother, and I'm very attached to the notion of passing on the knowledge. I experienced it as a cycle.' Three years after his operation, Flores' memory is 'gradually returning'. The tumour, however, is still there, a reminder of the dark days of 2021 even if it no longer haunts him. 'I continue to monitor it with MRIs every three months,' says Flores with a clear-eyed calm. 'You have to keep an eye on its size, take it seriously, but above all, you have to keep moving forward.' — AFP
