DISCLAIMER: This post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding you or your baby’s health. Please read my Medical Disclaimer for more info
DISCLAIMER: This post contains affiliate links, meaning I may get a commission if you decide to purchase something through my links at no cost to you. Please read my Disclaimer for more info.
After hearing some pros and cons of pacifiers, I remember feeling so perplexed about if I should give my next baby a pacifier at all! But thanks to my lactation counselor training, I was able to look at the research available on this topic as a whole. So that is what I’m sharing with you today!
Did you know that non-nutritive sucking is a natural reflex for babies?
You may have already heard a mama refer to non-nutritive sucking by saying her baby is “using her as a pacifier.” And this means that her baby is sucking without consuming breastmilk.
Non-nutritive sucking may occur at the end of a feeding, between nursing, or when your baby is at the breast trying to get out breastmilk, and sometimes your milk sinuses, which hold breastmilk, may not be full. (Check out my post on cluster feeding).
The Pros and Cons of Pacifiers for Babies
Pros:
- It helps to develop strong sucking reflexes
- Helps baby to self-soothe
- Reduces baby’s stress and helps to calm them
- Reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), primarily in bottle-fed babies
- Can give mama a break from the sucking on her breasts
- A pacifier might ease discomfort during flights- since babies can’t intentionally “pop” their ears by swallowing or yawning, sucking on a pacifier might help!
- Pacifiers do not negatively impact breastfeeding success. A systematic review and meta-analysis compared the effect of restricted vs. unrestricted pacifier use in term and preterm babies (born before 37 weeks) up to 6 months old and found no difference in rates of breastfeeding success [4].
- Reduces the length of hospitalization for preterm babies by 7 days [4, 5].
- Reduces the time from gavage (enteral) to oral feeding by more than 3 days [4, 5]. Thus, helping premature babies’ oral and sucking development.
Check out the Benefits of Breastfeeding for Mom and Baby here!
Cons:
- Oral maldevelopment is possible if the pacifier is used too long
- Adverse dental effects can be evident after 2 years old but mainly after 4 years old. This will depend on what type of pacifier is being used, when it was introduced, when they stop having it, and how often it’s used.
- Might increase the risk of middle ear infections
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When Should You Introduce a Pacifier?
According to the 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis, “Pacifier use should not be restricted in term newborns, as it is not associated with lower breastfeeding rates” [4]. Furthermore, this statement is supported by another systematic review (the highest quality of evidence) from 2016 [5].
Additionally, The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends introducing a pacifier to your baby at 4 weeks old, if you haven’t already, to help reduce the risk of SIDs.
The AAP also recommends pacifiers as a pain relief option for babies for things such as heel sticks, immunizations, venipunctures, and more!
What Kind of Pacifier Should You Use?
When you’re looking for a pacifier for your baby, ensure it has these qualities:
- Sturdy, one-piece pacifier with material that is non-toxic (such as BPA-free), flexible, and firm but not brittle
- Has easy grasped handles
- Inseparable nipples and mouth guards
- A mouthguard with an adequate diameter to prevent aspiration, with two ventilating holes
- Ensure the pacifier is silicone. Latex pacifiers are more significantly colonized with candida and staphylococcus than silicone.
I use these Nuk pacifiers, and I love them! Nevertheless, whatever pacifier has the qualities listed above and looks most like the bottle nipples your baby likes (if your baby uses a bottle) is likely the best choice for you baby.
I hope this helped you learn more about pacifiers to help guide you through this decision during early motherhood. You got this, mama!
Sources:
[1] Feştilă D, Ghergie M, Muntean A, Matiz D, Şerb Nescu A. Suckling and non-nutritive sucking habit: what should we know? Clujul Med. 2014;87(1):11-4. doi: 10.15386/cjm.2014.8872.871.df1mg2. Epub 2014 Jan 30. PMID: 26527989; PMCID: PMC4462418.
[2] Risks and Benefits of Pacifiers
[3] Pacifiers: Are they good for your baby?
[4] Tolppola O, Renko M, Sankilampi U, Kiviranta P, Hintikka L, Kuitunen I. Pacifier use and breastfeeding in term and preterm newborns-a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Pediatr. 2022 Jul 14. doi: 10.1007/s00431-022-04559-9. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35834044.
[5] Foster JP, Psaila K, Patterson T. Non‐nutritive sucking for increasing physiologic stability and nutrition in preterm infants. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2016, Issue 10. Art. No.: CD001071. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001071.pub3. Accessed 21 July 2022.
DISCLAIMER: This post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding you or your baby’s health. Please read my Medical Disclaimer for more info
DISCLAIMER: This post contains affiliate links, meaning I may get a commission if you decide to purchase something through my links at no cost to you. Please read my Disclaimer for more info.
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