Pacifiers are a common way to help calm and soothe baby. In this article, Dr. Natasha Burgert provides best practices and tips parents should know when they use a pacifier with their baby.
All babies need to suck for comfort. Early feeding experiences provide this comfort and nutrition, and should be prioritized during the first few weeks of life. However, once breastfeeding is established and baby has regained his birth weight, routinely using a pacifier as a soothing tool can be helpful. Offering opportunities to self-soothe with a pacifier encourages early skill of self-regulation and calming. In addition, using a pacifier may help babies fall asleep. Offering different types of pacifiers early in baby’s life will ease the transition to more developmentally appropriate pacifiers as baby grows. Philips Avent has a complete line of pacifiers that can be used from infancy through toddlerhood. Use this handy guide to help find your baby’s perfect pacifier match.
Many parents don’t know that the mouth movement required for an infant to successfully breastfeed is different than the movement used to suck on a pacifier. To get milk from the breast, an infant extends his or her tongue forward, pushing the breast nipple to the roof of his or her mouth, then retracts the tongue to pull milk from the breast. When a pacifier is introduced, it’s no surprise that the reflexive forward tongue movement pushes the pacifier out of baby’s mouth. To help encourage the sucking motion required to keep a pacifier in babies’ mouths, moms turn to the Soothie snuggle. This lightly weighted plush toy comes with a Soothie pacifier attached. When placed near baby, the snuggle plush helps to keep the Soothie near baby’s mouth as he or she is learning the sucking rhythm required to keep the pacifier in. Over time, baby will learn how to keep the pacifier in his or her mouth and now has a fuzzy first friend to keep him or her company.
Baby’s first friend
Philips Avent Soothie snuggle is a plush toy with Soothie, the pacifier used by healthcare professionals to calm newborns. Toy is soft, lightly weighted to help make babies feel secure. It's easy to find & hold. Detachable for easy cleaning See all benefits
Baby’s first friend
Philips Avent Soothie snuggle is a plush toy with Soothie, the pacifier used by healthcare professionals to calm newborns. Toy is soft, lightly weighted to help make babies feel secure. It's easy to find & hold. Detachable for easy cleaning See all benefits
Baby’s first friend
Philips Avent Soothie snuggle is a plush toy with Soothie, the pacifier used by healthcare professionals to calm newborns. Toy is soft, lightly weighted to help make babies feel secure. It's easy to find & hold. Detachable for easy cleaning See all benefits
Baby’s first friend
Philips Avent Soothie snuggle is a plush toy with Soothie, the pacifier used by healthcare professionals to calm newborns. Toy is soft, lightly weighted to help make babies feel secure. It's easy to find & hold. Detachable for easy cleaning See all benefits
A pacifier is not a one-size-fits-all tool. As baby grows, his mouth shape and size change. This requires the pacifier to up-level, too. Choosing the correct pacifier for you baby’s age and developmental skill can be tricky. To help, Philips Avent has created tools that will assist you in making the choice. From the Soothie pacifier to the ultra soft pacifier, Philips Avent has a complete line of pacifiers to accommodate any baby through toddlerhood.
Sometimes it’s difficult to know when to practice soothing techniques versus when to feed your baby. Especially in the first few weeks of life, it can be very hard to tell what baby needs, so don’t worry if cueing is not obvious to you. Remember that early days of feeding, pooping, sleeping, and comfort are just as new to your baby as they are to you. After a few weeks of life, however, a natural feeding rhythm will begin to present itself. It is during those weeks that if baby is fussing outside of a normal feeding window, you can experiment with soothing techniques. Over time, this rhythm of feeding and soothing will become increasingly clear, allowing mom and babe comfort all through the day.
Although a commonly used soothing tool, there are babies who never take to a pacifier. Some babies find comfort from other items like teething toys, cloth lovies, or even their thumbs! If your baby does not get comfort with a pacifier, don’t feel the need to “force” him or her to take it. Babies are remarkable people who will find their own unique way to calm and relax, outgrowing these comfort items or behaviors around the same age as pacifier-loving babes.
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