Two Myths About Pacifiers All Parents Should Know
Pacifier Myth #1: The 5 Second Rule Applies to Pacifiers Too
It’s important to note that pacifiers can and do get dirty. It only takes a moment for a pathogen lingering on the ground to attach itself to the moist plastic of a sucsuc, ready to infect a kid.
That said, some parents may be of the mindset that a few germs can only help improve the kid’s immune system. But while exposure to limited germs of daily life is a fine thing, there’s much more that has been in contact with the ground that can be incredibly harmful to a kid. That’s particularly true in areas where pesticides and dog poop may be common.
Some parents believe they can make an end run around the poop and pesticide problem by “washing” the pacifier with a quick swish in their own mouth before handing it back to the baby. This is a terrible idea and could pass to the kid anything from herpes virus, to colds, to the germs that cause cavities.
Pacifier Myth #2: Pacifiers Always Cause Dental Trouble
Pacifiers do not inherently cause dental issues. In fact, pacifier use up to toddlerhood will be unlikely to affect a child’s teeth in any way that will require corrective methods like braces or other orthodontics.
That said, a child that continuously uses and actively sucks on a pacifier past the age of 4 (when the adult teeth start coming in) may run the risk of their mouth growing around their pacifier. This can cause a pronounced arch in the front teeth.
Still, malformed teeth due to pacifier use will not be a problem for most babies and toddlers. If parents are truly concerned they can have a dentist keep track of their child’s jaw and facial development if pacifier use doesn’t diminish after the age of 4.
What other pacifier myths are there? Here are some more to know.
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Are you a person who gets angry sometimes, or an angry person? There's a big difference.
What to Do When You’re Feeling Angry
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Quick! Find a Distraction
Distraction is a short term but necessary tactic for managing anger. Before you fly into a rage, try playing a distracting game on your phone for about 20 minutes. Indeed, researchers are developing computer games for that very purpose. After 20 minutes of distraction, you’ll be able to apply a levelheaded approach to the situation at hand. “Once you’re cooled off, you also need to understand what you need from the situation so you don’t get angry again,” says psychotherapist Sara Stanizai. “It’s good to relax you, but then the real work begins.”
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Try Working Out
Exercise is an effective way to use up excess adrenaline, leaving nothing behind for anger to feed on. But working out can also enhance your emotions — including the negative ones — so a couple of reps might just make you angrier. And if you’re mid-rage, hopping on the treadmill could even be dangerous. “Avoid actually working out while you are still intensely angry,” warns psychologist Bernard Golden. “Research indicates that men who do so are more likely to have a cardiac event as a result.”
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Talk Less, Breathe More
When the physical response of anger causes your heart rate to surge, making a conscious effort to take deep breaths is one of the most effective ways to bring it back down to a normal beat. Deep breaths increase oxygen flow to angry brains and stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system — the opposite of “fight or flight”, often called “rest and digest”— which leads to a state of calmness. Breathing helps people fend off anger more effectively than venting, research shows.
Here are a few more tactics to help you calm down when anger takes hold.
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