Children need their pacifier to calm down, to fall asleep when they are very small.

But as you get older, around three years old, a pacifier or thumb sucking can become a very bad habit.

Doctor Jimmy Mohamed reveals to parents on Europe 1 his tips for letting her down gently. 

In addition to having consequences on their orthodontics, the pacifier and the thumb can be harmful to your children's sleep.

As Christmas approaches, now is a great time to get them to quit what can turn out to be a bad habit.

Doctor Jimmy Mohamed gives in the show Sans rendez-vous on Europe 1, his best tips to stop the pacifier while avoiding whims. 

Disorders on the dental joint

"On December 8, in the program

 Sans-rendez-vous

on Europe 1, an orthodontist recommended removing the pacifier from children at the age of three at most. But it should be disposed of as soon as possible for two major reasons. 

The first is that sucking on your thumb or on a pacifier will lead to malformations in your teeth.

About 15% of children who need something in their mouth to fall asleep suck their thumbs while 80% of them have a pacifier.

If the child sucks his thumb, he will deform his palate, his teeth will be moved forward and form a kind of V.

On the other hand, if he has a pacifier all the time, this can have another consequence.

This will deform the bones of the upper jaw by deflecting the lower jaw.

There will therefore be irreversible dental articulation disorders if we exceed 3 and 4 years.

Consequences on sleep

The second reason concerns sleep.

The pacifier and thumb are part of what are called sleep rhythms.

It is a phenomenon where the child is rocked by this sucking.

During the night, he will do several sleep cycles and have a micro-awakening.

He can wake up if he no longer has his pacifier in his mouth since he fell asleep with it.

This can therefore contribute to poor quality of sleep.

Both for his teeth and his nights, so we must get rid of this habit.

>> Find all of Sans rendez-vous in replay and podcast here

There are two stories to tell to children who do not want to cooperate in making them stop the pacifier.

First, the gift of the pacifier to Santa Claus.

The child puts it in a small box, and in exchange, he has gifts under the tree.

The child can participate, decorate the box.

Parents explain to the child that the pacifier will be given to other children around the world who do not have one. 

And if we do not celebrate Christmas or if we exceed the period, do not panic, there is a second story, that of the pacifier fairy.

At night, we leave a small glass of milk and a cookie on the bedside table.

The pacifier fairy will pick up her gifts and the pacifier under the pillow to also give it to children who do not have any.

In exchange, it's the same, the child will get a small gift or a small coin.

But once the pacifier fairy or Santa Claus are gone, pacifiers should not be left lying around on the right and left.

And we must hold on.

Often, parents crack and return a pacifier.

What about kids who suck their thumbs? 

For children who suck their thumb, it is obviously more difficult to get rid of it.

However, the consequences on the dental joint are less serious.

So we have to show pedagogy.

There are varnishes with a very bad taste when the child puts his thumb in his mouth.

I consider it a bit of torture.

But hey, to each their own method as long as it works.

You just have to be patient. "