When Can a Baby Start Using a Pacifier

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Picking out a pacifier for your fiddling one can be a tough selection since your babe will decide which soother they like best. From pacifiers aimed at mimicking breastfeeding to soothers with a friend, there are plenty of options to choose from. Some parents and caregivers are even looking for a pacifier that will last their baby beyond the newborn months.

While picking the perfect pacifier can come up down to a few different factors, Board-Certified Pediatrician Jen Trachtenberg, Md tells Verywell Family unit that whichever you choose, information technology should be "BPA complimentary, dishwasher rubber and without pieces that can come up off, posing a choking hazard."

Here are the best pacifiers for your little i to effort out.

With a shape mimicking a bottle nipple, Dr. Chocolate-brown'due south Newborn Pacifier helps ease the transition to a pacifier for infants. Designed for babies 0 months and older, this dishwasher-rubber binky is contoured to fit the shape of your baby's nose and cheeks, giving them a comfortable fit. It's fabricated out of 100 percent medical-form silicone and is BPA-free.

If you lot are a new parent yous may accept noticed these funny-looking pacifiers effectually and never really idea about them. This must-take registry particular is a pacifier that has an fastened stuffed fauna which will not only assistance keep the pacifier in their mouth, but it'll also exist easier for baby (or parents) to find when it slips out in the heart of the dark.

WubbaNubs are connected to a Philips Avent Soothie so you'll go everything you beloved about the Soothie but with an added furry friend. These come in an endless array of animals from a lobster, to a unicorn, and more.

This pacifier is suited for newborns until half dozen months onetime or once they kickoff getting teeth, which can impairment the Soothie part of the pacifier. Technically speaking, the brand says that the entire product can be machine done on gentle with an additional hand cleaning of the Soothie required. Nonetheless, they suggest cleaning the plush and pacifier by hand if possible to preserve information technology as long as possible.

Good to Know

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, babies should be placed into a blank crib to sleep, costless of loose blankets, toys, and whatsoever other soft product. The Wubbanub should only be used during observed napping fourth dimension and use during awake time.

With authentic shape and flexibility, we found the Evenflo Feeding Balance pacifier to be ane of the best pacifiers for breastfed babies between newborn and six months former. Co-ordinate to the brand, the pacifier has a cylindrical shape that is designed to mimic the tongue shape that infant has while nursing.

This similarity will assist reduce nipple confusion, allowing you to effectively establish breastfeeding without having to wait too long to introduce the pacifier (which can reduce the likelihood that your baby will take a pacifier). We also honey that these silicone pacifiers are one piece, making them piece of cake to make clean and less probable to autumn autonomously.

The Philips Avent Soothie is the i you'll schlep home with you from the hospital after the baby's built-in and there's a reason for that—not just are these excellent soothers for babies only they're made from medical-grade BPA-free silicone.

These superlative-rated orthodontic pacifiers come in packs of two, are very reasonably priced, and tin be purchased in multiple colors. They're durable, easy to handle, and easy to clean, too. The nipple is shaped similarly to the chest, which reduces nipple confusion.

What Experts Say

"I would recommend a [pacifier that is] BPA-gratis, dishwasher safety and without pieces that can come off, posing a choking hazard," —Jen Trachtenberg, Doc, Lath-Certified Pediatrician, Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mountain Sinai and Spokesdoctor for the American Academy of Pediatrics.

If yous have a babe over 3 months on your hands, the Nanobebe three+ Month Pacifier is a great choice. This actress-soft paci was designed to help foreclose nipple confusion, easing your baby's transition to a pacifier. The ergonomic shape is made to fit comfortably around your babe's oral fissure, promoting healthy oral development. These binkies are BPA- and Phthalate-free and come in four fun colors.

Nosotros love the NUK jumpsuit silicone pacifier for its unique, heart-shaped blueprint. This allows it to sit comfortably under your infant'due south nose, assuasive proper airflow. The pacifier is also lightweight and easy for fifty-fifty the youngest babies to utilize. And we dearest that these are easy to clean, with a shape that resists moisture from getting stuck inside, thus resisting mold growth.

Similar to but slightly smaller than the Philips Avent Soothie is the First Years GumDrop silicone pacifier. Information technology's our choice for the best silicone pacifier for its breastfeeding-friendly, unique shape that allows the baby to comfortably suck without it covering his little olfactory organ.

This is a one-piece pacifier made of BPA-free, medical-class silicone. And if the First Years GumDrop becomes baby's favorite, you're in luck, since these come up in larger sizes for older babies as well.

Last Verdict

From the newborn stage and up to six months, Dr. Chocolate-brown'south HappyPaci (view at BuyBuyBaby), which earned our Best Overall pick, would be a smashing choice as your babe's soother. It'southward fabricated from BPA-free silicone, lightweight, and safe for the sterilizer and dishwasher.

For families looking for a pacifier that's easy to make clean, check out the Nuk Comfortable Orthodontic Pacifier (view at Amazon). The pacifier'due south shape resists moisture from getting stuck inside, leaving backside the possibility of
mold setting in.

What To Look For When Shopping For Pacifiers

Age Appropriateness

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, babies are born with the instinct to suck, since that is how they will get food, which means that you lot can starting time offer a pacifier to your baby as soon every bit they are built-in. In fact, the AAP encourages parents to offering a pacifier for their babe at nap and bedtime throughout their offset year in order to reduce the risk of SIDS.

All of that being said, babies grow at a rapid pace and a pacifier that works for a newborn will be besides small for a six-month-quondam. You'll want to pay careful attention to pacifier packaging to ensure you're getting the appropriate size for your infant. The pacifier'south base should have a soft nipple and exist broad enough that your child cannot stick the whole thing in its rima oris.

Nursing-Friendliness

While you can introduce a pacifier to your infant equally soon as they are born, the AAP recommends moms who are nursing wait until breastfeeding is "going well" offset. Pediatrician Jen Trachtenberg, Dr., adds on to this, saying, "Nursing moms oft feel more than comfortable introducing a pacifier afterwards the baby has gained dorsum the weight it's lost since birth," she tells Verywell Family, "which usually occurs by two weeks of age."

If you're nursing and shopping for pacifiers, you'll likely demand to endeavour a few options and exist extra patient because in that location volition be some trial and error. In that location are a lot of options out there but wait for pacifiers that have a soft, flexible nipple that volition somewhat mold to the baby'southward mouth while it'southward sucking on information technology. Orthodontic pacifiers are designed to flatten in a baby's mouth, the style an actual nipple does while nursing, then a breastfed baby may adopt this manner. With that said, there is no hard dominion and many breastfed babies take rounded tip pacifiers merely fine.

Design

When shopping for a pacifier, you'll outset desire to consider which type of tip you call back your baby would prefer. Orthodontic pacifiers accept a flattened tip that feels similar in a babe'due south oral cavity to what mom's nipple feels like when the baby is feeding, whereas traditional pacifiers take a rounded tip that tends to be a little easier for babies to firmly suck on.

A major benefit of orthodontic pacifiers is that they are ergonomically designed to back up a baby'southward mouth while the palate and jaw develop, nonetheless, they can also be a little harder for a newborn baby to firmly grasp, which isn't platonic for soothing. Alternatively, while they may not go as flat in the baby'due south mouth similar an orthodontic pacifier, rounded pacifiers are typically still flexible enough to get somewhat flat, notwithstanding, they exercise not offer the same ergonomic, developmental support.

Another important attribute of the pacifier's pattern is what it is made out of. For the most part, pacifiers are made from either silicone, natural rubber, or latex. Latex pacifiers are the softest and most flexible merely are quicker to article of clothing down (and eventually bite through). Pacifiers fabricated from natural rubber are usually very durable and are a peachy choice for parents who want infant products to be as free of constructed chemicals as possible, yet, they often have a higher cost tag than other pacifiers. Finally, silicone pacifiers are durable while still being super soft, however, they tin can be a picayune potent.

You lot should also look at the overall construction of the pacifier, and opt for one that is i-piece rather than two because they are safer, according to the AAP. Additionally, they recommend thoroughly cleaning the pacifier frequently until the baby is at least half-dozen months old, and and then still somewhat regularly, so pacifiers that are dishwasher rubber are platonic.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What kind of pacifier is best for nursing babies?

  "There is no one right pacifier for babies," says Dr. Trachtenberg, "you may take to try a few different pacifiers to see what your babe prefers." This is true whether your baby is bottle or breastfed. However, caregivers with a nursing baby may want to try introducing an orthodontic pacifier with a silicone tip first because its flat design will likely feel similar to how mom's breast feels during feeding.

  If this isn't working, then in that location is no reason not to endeavor other materials and styles, and if the baby only won't take a pacifier at all, the AAP says parents should non effort to force it and instead explore other safety soothing options.

• When should I wean my baby from the pacifier?

  According to Dr. Trachtenberg, "there is no exact, specific time" parents should wean their baby from the pacifier, all the same, she encourages caregivers to start the process betwixt 6 to 12 months considering at that point the infant no longer has "as much of an urge for non-nutritive sucking" and it's not yet "attached to it for comfort as compared to toddler years." If your child has frequent ear infections, studies show that weaning around six months tin can help to reduce frequency.

  Weaning between six and 12 months old may non be an option for your child, and that'south okay. The AAP notes that kids who are however using pacifiers (or sucking their thumbs) by the time they are betwixt 2 and four years old are more than likely to have problems with their rima oris shape or teeth alignment. However, the AAP also says that as long as a child kicks the addiction earlier their permanent teeth come up in, their bite may still correct itself on its own without a need for orthodontics work.

Why Trust Verywell Family unit?

Christin Perry has been writing for Verywell since October of 2018. Her work has also been published on Parents The Bump, The Knot, Qeepsake, LittleThings, Dwell, Scary Mommy, and more than.

Additional reporting by Ashley Ziegler.

Ashley Ziegler is a staff and freelance author who covers lifestyle, home, parenting, and commerce content for a diversity of platforms. She'southward a mom to 1-year-former and four-year-old daughters and an aunt to 3 nieces and 2 nephews ranging from 5 to xi years quondam. In addition to regularly scouring the cyberspace to find the best things for herself, Ashley spends multiple hours a week researching, comparing, and writing about products specifically for kids and families.

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Source: https://www.verywellfamily.com/best-pacifiers-4177432

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