This is such a common concern from new parents, especially if you’ve done any reading from sleep trainers who believe that pacifiers and nursing are “sleep crutches”.
📢NEWSFLASH 📢 They are 𝐧𝐨𝐭 crutches, and there is a reason that your baby feels comforted by that sucking. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Babies are born with 6 primitive reflexes that are meant to be integrated and ‘lost’ as the baby grows and develops. The most commonly recognized primitive reflex is probably the moro reflex, which is also known as the startle reflex. Rooting and sucking are also primitive reflexes, and understanding why they drive your baby to want to suck ᴀʟʟ ɴɪɢʜᴛ ʟᴏɴɢ can help parents to feel more at ease about supporting their baby through this need. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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1️⃣ 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠: The tongue is connected to everything in the midline of the body, and so sucking can be really regulating – not just for babies, but for adults too! Think about when you find yourself chewing on the end of your pen, for example – it’s usually when you are feeling stressed, and that chewing helps you regulate!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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2️⃣𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐣𝐚𝐰: When those muscles are stimulated, it helps give our bodies information about where we are in relation to the space around us, and doing so releases dopamine, a chemical in our bodies that has a soothing and calming effect⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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3️⃣𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Babies feel safest when they are in close proximity to their primary caregiver, most often mom. And what’s the easiest way to be close? By nursing! Even if babies are not hungry, being at the breast gives babies the physical and emotional connection to mom that makes them feel safe and secure. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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As I said in my post yesterday, nursing to sleep is 🅽🅾🆃 a bad habit, and understanding 𝘸𝘩𝘺 babies want to do it can help alleviate some of the stress around parents worrying that they’re creating a “bad habit”. 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭.
