A baby often sucks his fingers or pacifier while he watches and learns about his world. As something grabs his attention, he may stop sucking for a moment to watch. He will then start to suck again.
Many parents buy pacifiers for their babies. You may have heard that pacifiers can harm a baby's mouth. You may have heard that pacifiers will keep a baby from developing correctly. A pacifier isn't necessary. But it's OK if your baby uses one.
Never tie or pin a pacifier to your baby's clothes. The ribbon or string could get wrapped around his neck. This could choke him. A pin in your baby's clothes can stick him.
Be sure to buy the kind of pacifier that cannot come apart. Be sure it can be washed in a dishwasher. Clean the pacifier often. You can clean it by boiling it in water or putting it in the dishwasher.
Never dip a pacifier in sweet liquids, honey or syrups to make it tasty. Germs in honey and syrups can make your baby sick. Sweets may cause tooth decay when your baby is older.
These tips were reproduced from the U.S. Department of Education.
View more Infant Parenting Tips.
