One of the worst parts of the baby using teethers or pacifiers is when they land on the floor and there is nothing handy but one’s mouth to clean it. Every parent I know sucks on the teether and pacifier and sticks it back in the baby’s mouth, while looking around to see that no one is watching. No longer must a parent be concerned.
This Grandma loves Science Daily and they reported on new research that suggests a positive link between parental sucking on a pacifier to clean it and a lower allergic response among young children, “Sucking your baby’s pacifier to clean it may prevent allergies: Protective effect apparent during first year of life,” November 16, 2018; Source: American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.
The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology has a website with more about studies about babies and children and allergies and asthma
Of course, in the study above, 72% of mothers reported cleaning the pacifier by hand washing, 41% by sterilization, and only 12% admitted to sucking on the pacifier to clean it. As a result of the brave 12% who admitted the act, we now know there was a positive to the transfer of health-promoting microbes from the parent’s mouth to the baby! When the parents of our grandchildren are caught pacifier cleaning by sucking, they just need to say “the new exposure to certain microorganisms early in life stimulates development of the immune system and may protect against allergic diseases later.” Hurrah!
Now we Grandmas can have less guilt too buying the cutest new teethers and pacifiers.
TEETHERS
On our last visit, our baby grandson was sucking on a pineapple. Not a real pineapple, but a modern new teether that looks that a pineapple. It is huge, but with so many openings, it is actually easier for baby hands to hold. Our daughter found it and she and baby grandson love it.
The Itzy Ritzy teethers are advertised as made of non-toxic food grade silicone and they are BPA-free, PVC-free, phthalate-free, lead-free and cadmium-free. The teethers are top-rack dishwasher safe and can be handwashed with mild soap. You can select from a fox, unicorn, flamingo, latte, cactus, pineapple, cupcake and ice cream shape. Buy at Amazon.
The other teether that our daughter and grandson both love is the dinosaur Chew Pal from CB GO Chewpals. It is described as having “a textured surface that stimulate your child’s touch and feel senses – this teether also duals as a training brush reaching back teeth with ease. Made for little hands to touch, hold and chew and mindfully designed with a non-choking mouth guard.” It is advertised as a 100% Silicone Teether, with No BPA, Phthalates, Cadmium or Lead and dishwasher safe. There are Chew Beads that come along with the Chew Pal. Take a look and buy at Amazon.
Chewbeads also makes other chew beads, pacifier clips and a lovey. Check out at Amazon.
PACIFIER
We grandmas know about pacifiers. We have the battle scars to show for it. We knew newborns need to suck more than just nursing or taking a bottle. Even as a grandma, I watched the baby nurse remove the newborn from our daughter’s breast, saying now the baby is done feeding and is just using you as a pacifier and you will only end up with sore breasts. Those of us Boomers, as new parents, thought all newborn and baby pacifiers were the same – and that was mostly in the 1970’s and 1980’s! The pacifier choices today are mind boggling, but we can advise the parents to be to bring home several newborn pacifiers, ask their friends or on line reviews of why a newborn might like the one recommended and what were the rejected ones and why. We grandmas know that a newborn and baby may reject several different pacifiers, yet the baby may ultimately find one the baby likes. The parents can just give up – especially if we have a thumb or finger sucker who self soothes – or, if the baby uses a pacifier, have many of the favorite ready—everywhere in the house and car and bags.
The newest baby pacifiers I only know about by watching other family babies, as our youngest grandson is past that pacifier age. See pacifier posts listed below. The WubbaNub Brand pacifier/plush animal combination, is the one I see the most. It is advertised as made with medical-grade silicone, latex free, BPA, PVC and Phthalate free. The nagging question I have had watching babies with this is how to clean the plush animal part and the pacifier part as it is attached to the plush animal. My answer came from a review, “hard to clean because it is fabric and because of fabric it is hard to sanitize the nuk.”
But. . . .we now know that “the new exposure to certain microorganisms early in life stimulates development of the immune system and may protect against allergic diseases later.” Hurrah!
Other reviews made it seem that these WubbaNub combos are the new collectible, like the new beanie babies. I stopped looking at the adorable varieties after seeing the llama, piglet, chicken, horse, fawn, reindeer, elephant unicorn, panda, penguin, dino, tutle, ladybug, moose, lion hedgehog, tiger, bull, dragon, monkey, zebra, monster, mouse, owl, lobster, giraffe, hippo, polar bear, bunny, and seemed that I could find even more varieties. You can buy (after you speak to the parents and get their permission) one of the plush animal varieties at Amazon:
Two concerns still come to this Boomer grandma’s mind. First, on Amazon, WubbaNub combos are recommended for newborns through six months and not suggested for babies with teeth or in teething stage. Just look at the second part of the title of the Science Daily release about sucking baby’s pacifier to clean it may prevent allergies: “Protective effect apparent during first year of life.” This Grandma has seen too many older toddlers and preschoolers with these plush toys sticking out of their mouths.
This experienced Grandma learned from my mother (GG great grandmother), from personal experience, and from the baby nurses that, if a baby is using a pacifier, it is easiest to take the pacifier away from the baby at around three months than thirty months or three years. If the parents of our grandchildren are among those who think we grandmas know nothing and lived in the dark ages of raising newborns (with which sometimes even this Boomer grandma agrees), we can just advise that they check the baby’s sucking reflex and need for the pacifier with the pediatrician early and, again, if they are concerned about when to take the pacifier away. For more, see “Who Made the Pacifier and Grandma’s Advice on Use of a Pacifier.”
And
And
So, not to leave out another difficult parenting chore we do not have to endure with our grandchildren, we Boomer grandparents may watch as the parents of our grandchildren struggle to negotiate with their child to first keep the WubbaNub pacifier/plush animal in the house only, or car only and back track to house only as the next step, or hidden on the child, or tantrums, and lots of them.
One of the advantages of being the grandma, with no responsibility and all joy, is not living
with teething and not living with taking away the pacifier. Does that mean we should, or should not, add more germs to the mix when we grandparents clean the pacifier or teether by sucking on it? After all, it isn’t as often as the parents that we do it!
Joy,
Mema
P.S. There are previous posts that deal with germs, one of which about kissing I am putting first in importance. Does the sampling make one wonder about an obsession concerning germs and grandchildren?
Despite the Science Behind “The Five Second Rule” As To Whether or Not To Eat Food Dropped Five Seconds Or Less, This Grandma Finds It Depends on Whether It is the First Child Or Not
What To Do When Our Grandchildren’s Germs Leave Us With Choices That Our Doctor Advises Against
Dirt, Nuts, Bad Hygiene and Habits Such As Nail Biting and Thumb Sucking May Have A Benefit After All
More Germs Than We Want to Know About Surround Us
How To Get The Yuck Out of the Ducks, Other Bath Toys and Items and The Bathtub Itself
The Truths and Myths About Flu and Cold Survival You Need To Know When About on Earth and in the Air
Bình luận