This article is brought to you in paid partnership with MAM Baby, a family-owned company dedicated to babies’ health & safety.
Motherhood is a journey filled with joy, questions, and its fair share of sleepless nights.
One of the tools many mamas rely on to soothe their little ones, and to give baby (and parents!) the best possible sleep, is a pacifier.
For a little thing that’s meant to help babies and make mom-life a little bit easier, the topic of pacifiers can be more challenging than it needs to be.
Luckily, Peanut’s here to guide you through the sea of information.
This article will explore the benefits of pacifiers, the best time to introduce them, and how to use them effectively to keep your baby happy and healthy.
In this article: 📝
- Why Use a Pacifier?
- When to Introduce a Pacifier?
- How to choose the right pacifier for your baby?
- How to Use Pacifiers Safely
Why Use a Pacifier?
Pacifiers are more than just a quick fix to calm a fussy baby.
They offer several benefits that can make both parents’ and babies’ lives easier.
1. SIDS Prevention:
One of the most significant benefits of pacifiers is their association with a reduced risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), offering a pacifier at nap time and bedtime can help lower the risk of SIDS. The exact reason isn’t fully understood, but it’s believed that pacifiers may help keep the airway open during sleep.
2. Soothing and Comfort:
Babies have a natural sucking reflex that starts as early as 32 weeks into pregnancy. This reflex not only helps with feeding but also provides a sense of comfort and security. Non-nutritive sucking, which is sucking not related to feeding, can calm a baby and make them feel secure, especially during stressful situations or when they’re trying to fall asleep. Sign us up.
3. Pain Relief:
Pacifiers can also serve as a source of pain relief. Whether your baby is going through vaccinations, teething, or just feeling unwell, sucking on a pacifier can help distract them and reduce discomfort.
4. Oral Motor Development:
Using a pacifier can support your baby’s oral motor development. The action of sucking strengthens the muscles in the mouth and jaw, which are important for feeding and speech development later on.
When to Introduce a Pacifier?
It can be difficult to know when to introduce all those goodies you’ve been stockpiling for your little one’s arrival.
This guide will tell when a pacifier can be most beneficial.
1. After Breastfeeding is Established:
If you’re breastfeeding, it’s generally recommended to wait until breastfeeding is well-established before introducing a pacifier. This typically happens around 3 to 4 weeks after birth. The reason experts suggest waiting is to make sure that baby is feeding well and that caretakers are picking up on those hunger cues first.
2. During Sleep Time:
Introducing a pacifier during sleep time is a good strategy, especially given the AAP’s recommendations regarding SIDS prevention. Offering a pacifier when your baby is falling asleep can help them settle down more quickly and reduce the risk of SIDS. Win-win.
3. When Your Baby is Fussy:
If your baby is fussy or crying, a pacifier can be an effective way to soothe them. It’s a quick and easy way to calm your baby by satisfying their natural urge to suck.
How to choose the right pacifier for your baby?
There are lots of things we look for when choosing products for our babies, medically-tested, expert-formulated, award-winning, and the list goes on.
Pacifiers are no different.
Luckily though, MAM Baby has a range of pacifiers that tick all the boxes.
All MAM’s pacifiers are designed with dentists with babies’ oral development in mind. They are the best-selling pacifiers, not only in the U.S., but also in France, the UK, and several other countries. Several style and size options mean you can choose the best for your baby’s needs at any given age and stage of development.
So which MAM Baby pacifier is best for your baby? Use the guide below to buy the best for your bub.
Overall Fan Fave
All MAM pacifiers have certain essentials that make them a cut above other brands: a symmetrical nipple, so it’s always right side up in baby’s mouth; a ventilated, curved shield that leaves plenty of space around baby’s nose and allows skin to breathe; and they’re sold in sterilizing cases that make sterilizing and storing pacifiers a breeze. The MAM Original Pacifier is the brand’s global best-seller, accepted by 94% of babies and loved by families around the world.
Lightest weight
This soft, flexible, full-silicone paci might be light as a feather, but it’s a serious soothing heavyweight.
36% lighter than other silicone pacifiers, the MAM Comfort Pacifier was specially designed for babies to easily keep in their mouths, saving parents from putting it back in…again, and again, and again.
Best for Oral Development
This one has your baby’s budding teeth in mind.
The MAM Perfect Pacifier helps satisfy baby’s natural urge to suck, reduce the risk of SIDS, and all the other wonderful benefits of a pacifier, all while helping to support healthy oral development. Developed with orthodontists, it is extra thin and flexible at the base where baby’s mouth closes, allowing room for teeth to grow in properly.
Ready for your little one to say “Cheeeeese!”
Best for Variety
Can’t decide which pacifier is best for your baby? The MAM Newborn Variety Pack includes one of each of MAM’s newborn pacifiers – Original, Comfort, and Perfect – so you can try them all and see which is the best fit for your baby.
MAM pacifiers do a brilliant job of tackling both baby’s and mama’s needs.
One example is…
Drumroll, please…
All of them (except for the full silicone Comfort Pacifier)…
Are available in a Night version that glows in the dark!
No more fumbling around for pacifiers at silly o’clock.
Genuinely, genius.
How to Use Pacifiers Safely
To help your new mama confidence in using a pacifier, here are some safety tips.
1. Choose the Right Pacifier:
Not all pacifiers are created equal. Look for pacifiers that are one-piece, meaning the nipple, shield, and ring are molded together (like MAM Baby pacifiers). This design reduces the risk of choking. Also, make sure the pacifier is the right size for your baby’s age, as using one that’s too small or too large can be dangerous too. MAM pacifiers come in various sizes, from 0-3 months to 16+ months so you can always find what you need..
2. Replace Regularly:
This is very important. Check pacifiers regularly for signs of wear and tear as ongoing use and babies using them incorrectly as a teether can affect the integrity of the nipple. Stretch the nipple as far as you can from the shield and look for any cracks or damage. If you see anything, no matter how small, throw that pacifier away and replace it with a new one. If your babe starts to chew on their pacifier, it’s time to provide a teether that’s designed specifically for biting.
3. Keep It Clean:
Avoid cleaning a pacifier by putting it in your own mouth, as this can transfer bacteria to your baby. Instead, clean and sterilize pacifiers regularly to prevent the spread of germs. Wash pacifiers with warm, soapy water and sterilize them. MAM Baby pacifiers come with handy sterilizing cases to make that step extra easy.
And that’s really all there is to know.
Hopefully, we’ve helped iron out some of your burning questions, and, if you’re anything like the thousands of reviewers on Amazon, even introduced you to your holy grail soother.
Our job here is done, now it’s a question of seeing what baby likes and what works for you.
Wishing you a smooth paci introduction!
And remember, if you need support along the way, your Peanut community is here for you.