Babies love and need to suck, so don't discourage it. Your baby may be able to find his or her thumb or fingers to self-soothe, or you may have discovered that a pacifier works wonders in helping your baby calm down.

A pacifier isn't a substitute for nurturing or feeding, of course, but if you've fed, burped, cuddled, rocked, and played with your baby and he or she is still fussy, you might want to see if a pacifier will satisfy.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends using a pacifier at nap time and bedtime, based on evidence that using a pacifier may reduce the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). That said, you certainly shouldn't force your baby to use a paci if he or she isn't interested. And there's no need to reinsert the pacifier if it falls out when your baby's asleep.

The AAP also cautions that if you're nursing, you shouldn't begin using a pacifier until breastfeeding is well established. (Once your baby is nursing well, pacifier use won't interfere with breastfeeding.)

Because sucking on a pacifier can easily become a habit, some parents don't introduce one because they don't want to have to deal with having to take it away down the road, or because they don't like the thought of having their 3-year-old walking around with a binky in his or her mouth.

Another downside is that pacifier use may increase the risk of middle ear infections in babies and young children. In one study, the incidence of ear infections was 33 percent lower in babies who didn't use pacifiers.

To avoid a greater ear infection risk – and overdependence on the binky – you may want to wean your baby off the pacifier at around 6 months.

 

Tummy time

Be sure to put your baby down on his or her stomach for "tummy time" during awake hours. Babies should sleep on their back, but they also need to spend time on their belly every day to strengthen their neck muscles, which help them push up, roll over, sit up, and crawl. Tummy time will also help your baby avoid developing a flat spot on the back of the head from being on his or her back.

By the end of this week, your baby may lift his or her head briefly and possibly move it from side to side during tummy time. Try putting your face in front of your baby's to encourage your baby to hold up his or her head to look at you. You can also roll up a towel or blanket and put it under your baby's chest to help get your baby started with push-ups. Soon, your baby's nervous system and muscle control will mature and those jerky movements will become more fluid.

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