A Little about Me
My name is Anastasia, and I was the first of five kids. I spent much of my life before adulthood caring for my younger siblings. I thought that this experience made me the most suitable mother that a kid could have.
However, after I started to have my own children, things like choosing a baby pacifier for my newborn baby from the vast selection that is available made me understand just how little I did know. Additionally, as I searched through this vast assortment, I also found that it was very little information available for new moms about the best pacifiers for babies.
After the advent of the Web gave me a platform, I wanted to share my experience on choosing the best pacifiers for a newborn as well as breastfed babies through this guide.
Quick Navigation:
- Reviews of the 5 Best Pacifiers for Newborn & Breastfed Babies
- Baby Pacifier Buying Guide
- What are BabyPacifiers ?
- Advantages of Baby Pacifiers
- How to Choose the Best Pacifiers?
- Different Types of Pacifiers
- Baby Pacifier Maintenance and Safety
- Common Questions and Answers
- Conclusion
5 Best Pacifiers for Newborn & Breastfed Babies
1. Philips Avent Soothie Pacifier
Philips Avent Soothie Pacifiers are the first pacifiers that most babies and mothers encounter because it is the most used brand of pacifier in many of the world’s hospitals.
As soon as I knew that, I wanted to utilize this pacifier because I knew that my child would accept it.
I searched for the same type because the hard part was complete at this point.
She liked the initial pacifier so when we got home from the hospital, I found it, and the maker was Avent.
It is latex-free and is in the one-piece design that is recommended by all of the major medical and pediatric associations.
This fact further pushed me into finding these types of pacifiers.
However, now stocking up is easy with the inception of the Web, and this guide provides the information that will alleviate all of the angst surrounding introducing your child to new beneficial things.
They are moderately priced, and they are available in packs of two. This makes stocking up easy.
When I open a pack, I immediately put the other one in their baby bags. I always have one available even when I have to rush out because of this. These pacifiers are available in the multiple sizes that are commonly available.
I eventually tried other models, but this is the only one that I would even consider for my newborn at the time because of the hospital-grade silicone.
Most hospitals feel this way because they exclusively utilize them.
The shield is nice and large, and the Avent is available in those vibrant colors that I alluded to earlier. This characteristic makes the pacifiers highly visible and easy to find in the dark for both the baby and us.
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2. Philips Avent Translucent Orthodontic Infant Pacifier
If the top brand is the choice of hospitals, then it follows that at least the next one on the list is basically the orthodontic version of the top pacifier.
Because of this, it is pricier, but if you have dental concerns, this Avent orthodontics pacifier has the necessary features.
However, I also chose it because it can be utilized from zero to six months.
This range of use prevents the parent from having to transition their child more frequently.
This characteristic makes it a suitable counterbalance to the higher price. Its effectiveness is derived from its collapsible nipple. This design is superior to orthodontic pacifiers that have simply altered the shape and size of regular pacifiers.
The collapsible feature allows the nipple to conform to the shape of its upper palate. This is known to prevent any dental issues that might occur due to use.
Avent Translucent Orthodontic Infant Pacifiers are BPA-free and also colorless and odorless. These features make transitioning periods even easier because the only odor the child can detect is that of their mother’s.
These characteristics are thought to especially make transitioning from the natural breast easier. This alone now makes these pacifiers a bargain.
However, it also makes transitioning to the bottle easier. The package contains two pacifiers and as we said earlier, this makes stocking up easier.
Because these pacifiers can be used longer and for a wider age range, stocking up is even more important if you have multiple children within this age range.
There are not many pacifiers available that can encompass all of the functions that these pacifiers deliver to parents. They are really the epitome of the quality that this company produces, and multiple top-rated national hospital systems agree.
3. MAM Silicone Start Pacifier
Because I like an extended age range and a pacifier that fills multiple niches, I chose a thoughtfully produced pacifier by MAM which is the MAM Silicone Start Pacifier.
This pacifier is designated as unisex because Mam produces products and pacifiers in many different styles that are also delineated by gender.
The shield or guard of the pacifier is curved to expose less of the baby’s lips to the shield while also remaining amply large enough to not be a hazard.
It also features multiple holes in the shield to allow the skin that does contact the shield to breathe.
The nipple is made of the softest silicone, and slippage is prevented because the nipple is slightly textured. The shield is also textured to facilitate the baby’s grip on the pacifier. This aids in their coordination.
However, this texture on the shield is also important so that the baby does not continually drop their pacifiers. The dropping may spur some to feel that is okay to attach pacifiers to the clothing of the children, and it is not.
I want to highlight the strangulation danger that attaching the pacifier via any type of unapproved strap to their clothing presents.
I labeled this pacifier as thoughtful because of their textured shield and because they understand. That understanding evokes my loyalty, as it should yours.
The thoughtfulness is further extended by the fact that the pacifiers come with a sealable, reusable, microwaveable case. This allows the pacifiers to be sterilized in the microwave.
There is not a single experienced mother out there that does not understand the convenience that this small thoughtful addition to this pacifier imbibes.
MAM has a large varied collection of pacifiers to choose from that make buying multiple of this one important as lines sometimes change or are discontinued.
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4. The First Years Gumdrop Newborn Pacifiers
This is the quintessential pacifier for newborns and up to three months.
The First Years Gumdrop newborn pacifiers are utilized in hospitals worldwide as the Avent brand that we endorsed earlier in the detailed review.
Because of this, they basically come with a defining endorsement that carries infinitely more weight than my endorsement alone.
However, we know that because of the proliferation of the numerous pacifiers available, thoughtfulness has to be a key characteristic. Hospitals understand this.
Because of this, they basically come with a defining endorsement that carries infinitely more weight than my endorsement alone. However, we know that because of the proliferation of the numerous pacifiers available, thoughtfulness has to be a key characteristic. Hospitals understand this.
The Gumdrop pacifier is designed to stay free of the baby’s tiny nose. What would seem to be an almost minor characteristic, actually allows the baby to rest without interference from the pacifier’s shield. The sucking motion, when they are sleeping, would cause other pacifiers to shortly interrupt their breathing patterns and disrupt their sleep. This is one of the reasons that hospitals around the world utilize this line of pacifiers.
They are brightly colored to facilitate finding them quickly in the dark and are of the one-piece design that I endorse exclusively because pacifiers that are constructed of multiple parts can become a choking hazard.
These pacifiers are also BPA-free and come in convenient packs of five. As we know, we love packs with multiple pacifiers.
This facilitates stocking up and having many pacifiers of the type that your child accepts is very much advised for all of the reasons that we have outlined prior.
The First Years brand of baby products is constructed of latex-free silicone with strategically placed air holes to prevent rashes on the very sensitive newborn skin that is a result of retained moisture.
They also have a contoured design to facilitate this also and are designed for newborns to three months.
5. WubbaNub Animal Stuffed InfantPacifier , 0 -6 months
WubbaNub provides a wide variety of animal stuffed baby pacifiers that will really grab your baby’s attention.
The baby can play with the soft animal toy while using the pacifier.
Also, this pacifier is very easy to clean. You just need to put it on your laundry machine in a mesh bag.
The only thing that made me give 5th place to this pacifier is its price. You can get at least 10 Philips pacifiers with the money you pay for WubbaNub pacifiers.
You can get at least 10 Philips pacifiers with the money you pay for WubbaNub pacifiers.
If the price doesn’t bother you, then this is really a great buy for your little one. I am sure the baby will really enjoy it.
6. Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Everyday Pacifier
I personally had to choose a brand that has all the features that I have endorsed and is also simply cute.
The Nature Everyday is a useful pacifier because it is designed for daily use. I have dressy ones for when we go out and want to be fancy.
They are BPA-free and have a shield that is contoured to create the airspace that is necessary to prevent irritation in newborn’s sensitive skin, but is of the right size as to not present a choking hazard whatsoever.
These pacifiers are an orthodontic brand. They are designed symmetrically, to assist in the appropriate oral development.
They also have a nipple that can be inverted. It then returns to its shape as it facilitates the baby’s ability to insert their own pacifiers.
Often playing with the pacifier will be as pleasing to the baby as suckling the device. This is especially true as they develop their eye-hand coordination.
Holding their pacifiers will be one of their earliest accomplishment, and these pacifiers take this into account. The nipples are also designed to replicate the feel of an orthodontic bottle nipple of the natural breast which facilitates the baby’s transition from breastfeeding to accepting a bottle.
It also prevents them from rejecting a pacifier. This normally occurs because when pacifier nipples are not like the natural breast. The unfamiliarity is very noticeable to the baby in feel and smell.
The Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Everyday Pacifier is very lightly designed and is also designed in colors for both genders.
I reviewed the 0 to 6-month variation, but they also have an edition available for six months to 1 year and are available in a pack of two for those of us that know the necessity of stockpiling pacifier that our children like.
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Baby Pacifier Buying Guide
Every child is different, and some children will never accept a pacifier. Conversely, most newborn or breastfed babies will readily accept a pacifier and cause a considerable fuss when it is time to end the pacifier’s use.
However, the sucking reflex is strong in babies. When this reflex is satisfied, the baby is soothed and will cease its fussy behavior.
The pacifier has less obvious importance. If the pacifier is normally the method by which a baby is soothed, it often signals other problems with the child when the pacifier is not well-received. Because of this fact, the baby’s resistance to accepting their pacifier in a normal situation is often the harbinger of illness and distress. However, mothers will often respond to this signal subconsciously.
Remember, this information is to arm the parent, not to alarm them. Children are resilient, and you will grow as a parent. This is a part of the beauty that is inherent in the parenting process.
However, it is my intention that this will be the most comprehensive guide to newborn as well as breastfed baby pacifiers that are available.
What are BabyPacifiers ?
Baby pacifiers evolved over many centuries to become the model that it is today. The modern baby pacifier with the nipple and a guard or shield became prevalent in the early 1900s. Before the addition of the shield, a pacifier could be made of anything.
Often they were a bit of sugar or another sweet foodstuff placed as a ball into a rag and then twisted tight. The resulting ball was then offered to soothe the upset child.
These stuffed rags transformed into teething rings and then into the modern version of the pacifier. Pacifiers have not always been a popularly accepted form of appeasing a child.
However, modern science shows that there are no accompanying harmful psychological issues with utilizing a pacifier, but we mothers knew that all along.
However, there are many advantages, psychological and otherwise. I laughingly assert that these benefits are not only confined to the child’s psychological well-being but also to ours as parents.
Advantages of Baby Pacifiers
- If your baby is at their most content when they are sucking away on their pacifiers, you will want to know all of the good things about pacifiers that will alleviate all of the small, instant panic attacks that new mothers have throughout their day. However, do not doubt yourself because here is a complete list of advantages that I have compiled to help. It is like a collection of benefits from all of the parents in my circle.
How to Choose the Best Pacifiers?
There are two reasons why new parents will need to know how to choose a pacifier. The first reason is that your child will ultimately be the judge of which type of pacifier that they prefer. The next reason is the overwhelmingly vast selection that is available on the market today. This is one of my specific reasons for providing you with this comprehensive guide. However, safety is the utmost reason.
For this reason, a one-piece pacifier is the only type that you should consider or that I will endorse in the comprehensive review of various acceptable types of pacifiers that are detailed later in the guide. Brands that have multiple parts pose a significant choking hazard if the parts are somehow freed from the pacifier.
• Choose the Appropriate Size
After this is clear, the first step is to find the appropriate pacifier for your baby’s age. Pacifiers are available in three sizes.
The first size is for babies that are six months or younger. The next designation is for those that are six months to 18 months, and finally for children over the ages of 18 months.
I should state at this point that it is accepted amongst the medical industry that children should be at least two months of age before a pacifier is introduced and not more than 1.5 years of age when terminated. This is especially true for mothers that intend to breastfeed. This is advised in order to prevent any interference in the feeding process of their children or dental issues with extended use.
• Nipple Type
The next step is to choose a nipple type. The most accepted types are latex and silicone. However, it is more important to choose a flexible, pliable type. Again, it will be up to your child, but this will narrow the field a bit for you. Additionally, it is my experience that latex is softer, but they tend to hold odors. They also tend to begin to break down and yellow with repeated use and cleanings.
• Construction Choices
This is not an endorsement for either type, but if latex ones are used, simply buy more and change them often enough to avoid any breakdown. Choosing types that are dishwasher safe will also ensure their durability. Although I was never able to bring myself to wash my child’s pacifier in the dishwasher myself, these types are definitely sturdier.
• Stock Up!
For this reason, the next step is to buy many of the appropriate types and let the child determine which ones that they go for. Pacifiers are inexpensive and important enough for you to indulge yourself on this one. This will be especially important when transitioning age groups. Remember you will be replacing one of your child’s most important and loved items, and they will be old enough to mount a sizeable protest.
• Vivid Colors
It may seem an unimportant step, but you should choose a pacifier in a bright color. When your child begins to pacify themselves with their pacifiers especially during sleep, they will be able to find it easier. This is especially good at night when parents and the child may need to find it when they are less than alert. Additionally, parents will love it when their children can put themselves back to sleep by easily locating their own beloved pacifier.
• Shield Size
Finally, choose pacifiers that have a large shield. The guard as they are also called should be at least one and a half inches wide, and it should fit comfortably across their entire lip surface. This is important because you want to be sure that the pacifier cannot end up in their mouths. These guards should also have air holes to prevent rashes that occur due to trapped moisture.
Different Types of Pacifiers
There are two types of pacifiers, and they are based on the nipple. There is the common bulb nipple and there is a pacifier that features ergonomically shaped nipples.
The common complaint of the bulb type is that it can be detrimental to dental health even before your child has developed their first teeth.
The ergonomically shaped nipple is smaller in the front. It then has a smaller crested bulb that again descends into the shield.
It is designed to solve the issue of dental health with pacifier use, but in my opinion and that of the medical field, most dental issues are caused by prolonged usage.
There is definitely a threshold in which the pacifier becomes bad for oral health. Some medical professionals advise that children should be weaned from pacifiers sometime after the first year, but well before the second.
Baby Pacifier Maintenance and Safety
The best brands of pacifiers are dishwasher safe. However, as I mentioned before, I boil my pacifiers in order to clean and sterilize them, and is recommended. I then let them dry on a paper towel and place them in a sealed glass container.
I utilize a glass container so that I can find them and replace them easily. I am so busy that sometimes rather than take time to wash a dropped pacifier, I will simply give them a new one that I pre-boiled and put in a jar specifically for this purpose.
It may seem particularly unnecessary, but it is important to have clean pacifiers on hand especially with multiple children of pacifier age. This will definitely save you time and make sure everyone gets their specified pacifier and that no one inadvertently gets a dirty one.
Eventually, even good durable pacifiers will break down and tear due to biting. This is why I strongly advise purchasing many pacifiers for your children. The moment they are torn, they should be replaced to prevent becoming a choking hazard.
Trust me, these tears will not happen when it is expedient to run out and get a new one. However, it may mean just that. Multiples prevent this issue, and all seasoned moms will swear to the lifesaver that having multiple pacifiers becomes.
Do not strap the pacifier to your child with an unapproved strap. I do not utilize straps at all. The attached unapproved ribbon presents a marked choking hazard when it is affixed to the baby’s clothing.
This is also the reason that only one-piece pacifiers are recommended, and the reason that I recommend that pacifiers are interchanged as soon as they are malfunctioning.
Additionally, all of your selections should be BPA free as are the ones which I have recommended for your convenience in the following review for your convenience.
Common Questions and Answers
1. How long before I replace the pacifiers?
This is dependent upon your child and the type of pacifiers that you purchase. The pacifiers in the review below are the most durable, but should be replaced every few weeks or if they become damaged.
2. Does the medical profession approve of pacifiers?
The short answer is yes. In fact, some of the brands mentioned in the review are utilized by hospitals around the world.
3. Can I add sweet things to the pacifier?
No. Adding any substance including sweeteners can cause bacteria and dental damage even if the child does not yet have teeth. The best method to get a child to like their pacifiers is to purchase many to give them a wide choice, and then buy many of the brands that they like.
4. How do you transition pacifiers?
I added pacifiers to my review that I know to facilitate the transition from both breast or bottle so refer to those, but their common feature is a colorless, soft silicone nipple.
Next is a list of the five best models that I have found that adheres to all of our prospective guidelines for effectiveness, durability, and safety. Remember, buy many. You will need them.
Conclusion
When I began, there was no internet, but because of this advancement, we have been able to bound together as experienced mothers to alleviate some of the stark fear that comes with becoming a mother for the first time. One of the first decisions is whether or not to utilize a pacifier with your child, and you should be utilizing the guide and its information.
Because of the wide-ranging consequences that can occur even from getting this relatively minor decision wrong, it is imperative that new mothers and fathers understand the dos and don’ts of utilizing the venerable pacifier.
This includes things like buying various pacifiers from the ones that I endorsed to determine which type your baby likes and then stocking up on that brand to save yourself a lot of time and effort.
Additionally, another wonderful benefit of baby pacifiers is that their use is associated with a dramatic drop in the incidences of baby mortality due to SIDs. SIDs is an acronym for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
The use of pacifiers and back sleeping has become accepted standard practice by the general public, and the incidences of SIDs has fallen as dramatically as anytime before in history. Protect your baby by having multiples of their favorite pacifiers from the above-endorsed list available at all times because their contentment and safety are your rewards.