Selecting the best baby pacifiers for your little one is not as easy as it sounds. Believe it or not, babies can be very picky about which pacifiers they like and will take.
As a mom of 3 (including twins), I went through the struggle of finding a pacifier my babies would take. One of my kids was especially tough, but I had to find something because, with twins, the crying as lot to deal with. In this article I am sharing my favorite pacifiers that worked the best and were also good quality.
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Reasons To Use Pacifiers
Pacifiers have a lot of benefits for both parents and babies alike. Let’s take a look at some of the best reasons to have your baby use a pacifier.
- Soothes Babies: Have you seen babies sucking on their thumbs to enjoy their free time? Many babies are very happy when they are sucking on something. A pacifier can help soothe a crying or fussy baby. It is said that sucking reminds newborns of the womb, so they feel comfortable when sucking on a pacifier.
- Helps Babies Sleep: Pacifiers help settle babies, which allows them to fall asleep sooner. It doesn’t only help with falling asleep, but babies might sleep longer and more peacefully while using a pacifier.
- Reduces Risk of SIDS: The use of pacifiers during sleep hours may reduce the risk of SIDS. One study states: “…we recommend that pacifiers be offered to infants as a potential method to reduce the risk of SIDS. The pacifier should be offered to the infant when being placed for all sleep episodes, including daytime naps and nighttime sleeps.”
- Distracts From Pain: Pacifiers can be a great distraction, which is specifically helpful when your baby is in pain or has discomfort. For example, you could use a pacifier during a medical examination to keep your baby from crying. Pacifiers can also help with getting babies to sleep at night when they are teething.
Best Baby Pacifiers By Type
There are a good variety of pacifiers available on the market. I’ve put together a list of the best baby pacifiers by type. This list includes my favorite pacifiers that my babies loved. Although there is no guarantee your baby will also take these pacifiers, it helps to understand which ones are the most popular and work well most often.
1 – Soothie Pacifier
A soothie is actually a kind of pacifier that is one piece of molded silicon. Therefore, it does not have small parts. Other pacifiers are typically three pieces containing a nipple, face shield, and handle.
My personal recommendation for this type of pacifier is the Philips Avent soothie pacifier. It is the most common pacifier used in hospitals for newborns and it adheres to American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines.
Two out of three of my babies loved these pacifiers too. The Philips soothie is comprised of latex-free and BPA-free silicone. Its orthodontic design does not interfere with a baby’s natural teeth development. It is also dishwasher safe, so you can sterilize it easily.
These pacifiers were great for the newborn stage. However, around 3-6 months old my kids didn’t seem to like them as much anymore. That’s when I switched them over to a more traditional round pacifier, which you can find more info on below.
2 – Orthodontic Pacifier
Orthodontic pacifiers are designed to prevent dental problems in babies. The orthodontic nipple supports the jaw, the palate, and natural tongue movement.
Orthodontic pacifiers are great for breastfeeding babies because their nipples mimic the natural shape of breasts. That information is actually kind of interesting to me because my daughter who was the most resistant to nursing is the one who loved these, and ONLY these types of pacifiers.
I recommend the NUK Comfy orthodontic pacifiers. They are made of 100% medical-grade silicone. The breast-like nipple fits the baby’s palate and promotes healthy oral development. The pacifier shield is heart-shaped and fits perfectly under a baby’s nose. It is available in different cute colors too.
3 – Round Traditional Pacifier
A round pacifier typically has a symmetrical shape, so it doesn’t matter if the pacifier turns over. As mentioned above, we switched to this type of pacifier after our babies grew out of the soothie pacifier. We decided to stick with the same brand (Philips Avent), since our kids really liked their soothie pacifiers. And it turned out that our kids easily transitioned from the soothie pacifiers to these pacifiers.
This pacifier consists of a shield that has holes in it. It allows the skin to breathe and is perfect for babies with sensitive skin. The shield shape is suitable for a baby’s nose and chin, and the airflow keeps the baby’s skin from getting irritated.
The nipple is made of food-grade silicone, which means it is BPA-free. Its shape is suitable for proper oral development, and these pacifiers also come with two sterilizing storage cases.
4 – Lovey Pacifier
A lovey is something a baby bonds with and uses as a comforting object. A lovey pacifier is a pacifier that is attached to any object, such as a stuffed toy or teething rings.
The lovey pacifier helps keep a baby entertained and the stuffed toy attached to the pacifier keeps it in place. It also makes it easy for babies to find and suck the pacifier. You have probably seen quite a few parents walking their babies in strollers with these types of pacifiers.
The Philips AVENT soothie snuggle pacifier is an excellent choice. The pacifier is made of medical-grade, BPA-free silicone. The stuffed toy is small and easy for a newborn to hold and play with.
The pacifier is easily detachable from the stuffed toy. You can wash the toy by hand or in a washing machine. Another great feature is the choice of stuffed animals including an elephant, giraffe, koala, or monkey.
5 – Natural Rubber Pacifier
BIBS natural rubber pacifiers have been used by babies for over 40 years. This type of pacifier offers another shape option to try with your baby. The biggest benefits of natural rubber is that it is both soft and durable.
As a bonus, these pacifiers come in very pleasing colors as well. I do not have personal experience with natural rubber pacifiers, but many parents agree they were the only pacifier their baby liked.
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Which Pacifier Accessories Are Helpful?
There are a couple of pacifier accessories that you might find helpful, but please keep in mind you do not necessarily NEED them. Some of these items can be super helpful though.
First up, we have pacifier clips. These clips provide babies easy access to pacifiers. You can use these to clip a pacifier to their clothes, car seat strap, or other objects they sit in.
Babies tend to drop their pacifier over and over. These clips prevent the pacifier from falling on the ground, so you don’t have to sterilize it multiple times a day. In addition, pacifiers are less likely to get lost when clipped to something.
My favorite use (and the only way I used them) was clipping a pacifier to the infant car seat. That way whenever we went out, I didn’t have to worry about remembering to bring a pacifier.
The other pacifier accessory you might find useful is a pacifier holder case. You can put pacifiers in pacifier holders when they are not being used. This helps to keep pacifiers clean and reduces the amount of germs that can accumulate on a pacifier.
I didn’t use pacifier holders around my house, but I used one for my diaper bag where I kept a backup pacifier. You can also use pacifier holders to hold other small things like bottle nipples.
Negatives of Using Pacifiers
Of course nothing is ever all positives, with no negatives. Pacifiers do have some negative impacts on babies. Here are some of downsides to using pacifiers, so you can make an informed decision on whether you will use them.
- Dependency – some babies become too dependent on pacifiers
- Sterilization – pacifiers might need to be sterilized multiple times a day
- Dental Issues – pacifiers may cause dental problems if used as your baby gets older
- Ear Infections – the risk of ear infections increases with pacifier use
- Weaning – weaning your baby from the pacifier can be difficult
Now that you know the best baby pacifiers, it’s time to select a few you want to try for your baby.
I hope this guide helped explain the various choices you have for pacifiers and helped you understand which ones are the most likely to work the best for your baby. Good luck and for more baby registry help, be sure to get these FREE pregnancy checklists (which includes a baby registry checklist).
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