Todd writes: "My 10-month-old son loves to suck on his thumb and his pacifier. Is one better for him?"

Yes, the pacifier beats thumb-sucking. There are several reasons: Thumb-sucking pushes the top jaw forward and the bottom jaw backward, which can cause jaw misalignment and malformation over time. Also, a baby's thumb can be dirty, which introduces bacteria into the mouth that could cause illness.

It can also be a tough habit to break since a baby's thumb is always handy. So, you might want to discourage thumb sucking by giving your baby a pacifier whenever you catch him with his thumb in his mouth. But wean your baby off a pacifier by age 2. Prolonged use of a pacifier can change the shape of your baby's growing jaw, and also increase the chance of ear infections.

Instead, help your child "graduate" to a "sippy" cup with a collapsible rubber straw, for example. And always consult your pediatrician for advice on this and any other health issue.

See our reports on baby bottles and nipples, baby formula, and breast pumps for more information.