Pacifiers are a hot topic in the parenting world. Some say pacifiers help parents and babies reduce stress, keeping cortisol levels lower overall to promote sleep and emotional regulation. Naysayers claim pacifiers mask hunger cues, interfere with dental development, and cause a big weaning battle later.
Pacifiers are a convenient tool for parents and babies to lower stress and manage crying, making babyhood a bit easier. However, pacifiers have cons that should be carefully considered. Parents can avoid some of the negatives by making safe, age-appropriate selections and using them wisely.
Most pacifier cons boil down to parents overusing them or choosing poorly-made pacifiers to save a buck, unknowingly using the wrong size, material, or design. This guide will walk you through pacifier benefits, safety and selection tips, usage guidelines, what it would look like to not use a pacifier at all, and common pacifier questions. Let's jump in!
In This Article
Benefits of Using a Pacifier
Babies find sucking and suckling soothing, even while sleeping, so pacifiers can give mommy a break while satisfying the baby's needs. Moreover, babies who are constantly stressed by colic may find temporary relief by sucking on a pacifier (if only long enough to take a short nap).
Long car rides or traffic you cannot pull out of safely to feed your little one are also times you may find a pacifier's soothing help useful. That pacifier may provide just enough quiet to help you drive undistracted to a safe stop.
Reduces Risk of SIDS
Other than the obvious benefits of soothing a crying or teething infant, using a pacifier as a baby sleeps can reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) (source).
SIDS is the sudden, unexplained death of a baby younger than 1 year old. It's most common for infants under 4 months old, especially in colder months. You can reduce the risk of the dreaded SIDS by laying your baby on her back on a firm mattress in her crib. There should be no blankets, toys, or pillows in her crib (source).
Pacifiers may help reduce SIDS by keeping those airways open and making it easier for any mucus to drain properly. One of my children had a severe tongue tie that made swallowing difficult, and mucus just compounded that difficulty--blocking his airways numerous times.
I ended up spending his entire first year feeding him often throughout the night and letting him suckle for long stretches of time. It was the main way he could relieve pressure. However, a pacifier could have provided a similar comfort without tying me down for hours every day.
Soothing Separation Stress
Pacifiers also come in handy when Mommy needs temporary medication that isn't safe for Baby.
Illnesses or accidents that separate mom and baby (NICU stays, severe illness, operations, etc.) interfere with breastfeeding and suckling, but pacifiers can mitigate some of that separation stress in the baby by supporting the soothing sucking reflex.
To be clear, pacifiers cannot replace the comfort and closeness of Mommy. They can only support a little one's sucking reflex while away from Mommy. If your family undergoes a situation like this, ensure your baby is snuggled and held close while sucking on a bottle or pacifier.
Pain Relief
Pacifiers can also provide some pain relief for newborns and infants recovering from an accident, a drop, or a minor procedure (source). Always use pacifiers under close supervision in situations like this, as you don't want to hide any signs of distress.
For example, in an instance where a baby is dropped or takes a hard knock to the head, you should not use a pacifier before all signs of possible concussion or head trauma are adequately evaluated and laid to rest. Call your pediatrician for signs to look for or go to the ER.
Reduces Thumb or Finger-Sucking Habits
Surprisingly, babies who start using a pacifier before 3 months are less likely to start sucking their thumb or fingers (source). Babies find sucking soothing--they even suck on their fingers or toes in the womb!
If your little one has access to a pacifier in stressful situations or transitions, then he is less likely to resort to fingers or a thumb later on, especially if successfully weaned from the pacifier around a year old.
7 Tips for Pacifier Selection and Safety
Pacifiers are nifty tools for parents and babies alike, but they must be chosen carefully. Moreover, one pacifier design and size is not adequate for every stage of babyhood. Yet another layer of difficulty is each baby's unique preference for shape!
Choosing a pacifier from the millions of options on the market can be paralyzing. Instead of defaulting to a dollar-store option to avoid allocating precious bandwidth to the decision, consider these selection tips.
1. One-Piece Design
A one-piece pacifier design is vital to protecting your little one's health. Don't assume that any pacifier on the store shelf is safe or can withstand the never-ending cycle of use, cleaning, and sterilization.
Many pacifiers are designed in two pieces: the nipple and the shield. These can break, be bitten through, or be torn apart more easily than a one-piece design. One-piece designs also have fewer places where bacteria can harbor.
2. Safe Material
A pacifier's material is just as important as its design. Plastic pacifiers should be BPA-free. Most decent pacifiers these days are made from natural rubber latex or platinum-grade silicone.
Platinum-grade silicone and natural rubber latex are both free from BPA, PVC, and phthalates. Silicone is durable, hypoallergenic, and odorless, making it an ideal material for pacifiers.
Natural rubber latex (also simply called “natural rubber”) is made from rubber tree sap, resulting in a softer, more flexible, and natural feel. However, it is less durable and changes shape over time, so you must replace natural rubber pacifiers often.
At Moonkie, we make our one-piece pacifiers with platinum-grade silicone because it is incredibly durable and long-lasting, even through regular cleaning in the dishwasher and sterilizing in boiling water!
3. Shape and Size
When choosing a pacifier, opt for one with ventilation holes in the shield. The shield also needs to be wider than your baby's mouth to prevent choking.
Note: Pay attention to the size of the pacifier's shield compared to your little one's mouth, as using the same pacifier size for too long can increase the chances of your little one getting it stuck behind their teeth.
The shape of the nipple makes a difference for babies. Check out the various types in the chart below. Your baby may have a preference for one early on and switch to another later, or she may prefer the same kind throughout babyhood.
4. Free of Hazards and Extras
For whatever reason, some manufacturers and businesses think decorating pacifiers with plastic jewels, beads, moving parts, or gel-filled designs is a good idea. It isn't.
Pacifiers do not need to be decked out with glitter and glam; the extras pose too great a risk to your baby's health. Such things are choking hazards and are often made of materials humans should not ingest. Besides, the extras create more nooks and crannies for bacteria to hide, making proper sterilization impossible.
Cords, necklaces, and straps are also hazards. Sure, they help prevent a dirty pacifier, but they can choke your baby if caught on something, wrapped around the neck, or partially swallowed. It's not worth the risk!
5. Clean and Sterilize Regularly
When shopping for pacifiers, choose designs and materials that can withstand boiling water. During the first three months, your baby's immune system is immature, making your infant easily susceptible to viruses, infections, and illnesses (source).
Anything that goes into your baby's mouth must be clean, but "clean" means different things to different folks. Do not spray Lysol on your baby's pacifiers and call that clean! Running pacis through the dishwasher is fine for high-quality silicone, but leaving it at that will put traces of dishwasher detergent in your little one's mouth.
Only boiling your baby's pacifiers in water for up to 5 minutes is a surefire way to sterilize silicone pacifiers. Disinfecting toys is another thing altogether. Read how to do it well in The Dos and Don'ts of Disinfecting Baby Toys: A Comprehensive Guide.
6. Inspect and Replace As Needed
Pacifiers break down over time. They are often used, washed, and disinfected, so keep an eye on wear and tear. Plastic and natural rubber latex pacifiers break down faster than platinum silicone pacifiers do, even before your little one has teeth to chomp with.
When those teeth do finally poke through, pacifiers understandably wear out faster. The silicone pacifiers outlast plastic and natural rubber latex pacifiers by far, but even silicone can be bitten off by a determined and agitated toddler.
7. Don't Use Sweeteners
Sometimes, a fussy baby doesn't want the pacifier, and someone nearby may suggest dipping the nipple in sugar, syrup, or honey to incentivise your baby to take it. Don't do it! Babies do not need sugar or syrup, and honey is actually dangerous for babies younger than 12-18 months old, thanks to infant botulism (source).
Besides, if a baby who typically takes a pacifier is crying so much that she no longer wants it, you need to calmly be present with your little one and soothe her yourself. Trying to force the pacifier will only make the situation worse or cover up your baby's pain, fear, or frustration rather than handle the root problem.
How to Use a Pacifier Safely
Using a pacifier is pretty straightforward, right? Yes and no. Actually offering it to your baby, cleaning it often, and sterilizing it is one thing, but knowing how much is too much, when to offer it, and when to let your little one go without one is tricky.
Ultimately, every family settles into its own groove for pacifier use, but keeping a few basic guidelines in mind will promote pacifier safety.
Timing
Pacifiers are ridiculously convenient--so much so that sleep-deprived parents tend to rely on them like crutches. However, popping a paci into your baby's mouth every time he cries is a terrible idea.
Your baby communicates needs, insecurities, discomforts, fears, and frustration by crying. As annoying or stressful as that can be, you need to learn to distinguish those cries to understand what your little one needs. He isn't trying to stiff-arm you; he has no other way to communicate.
Using a pacifier to settle most of those crying fits brings a little peace in the moment, but it can make you procrastinate providing what your little one needs. Imagine how that tendency to shut down annoying or stressful requests will manifest itself later in parenthood.
Feeding your newborn every 2 to 4 hours is paramount in the first few weeks, as this is a critical window for weight gain. If you use a pacifier to buy yourself more time, you could delay feedings for too long, which could negatively affect weight gain.
As such, it is best to refrain from using a pacifier until after feedings and before settling for a nap or bedtime. This timing ensures you are only calming tired fussiness rather than hiding hunger cues.
Desire
Don't force your baby to use a pacifier! Sometimes, your little one will cry hard for seemingly no reason. You may have changed the diaper, filled the belly, burped the baby, and rocked for an hour, but still have unending screaming and crying. It seems easy to hold the paci in your baby's mouth until she stops fighting it.
However, forcing a pacifier in these moments can be dangerous. When worked up to an inconsolable fit (as with painful gas bubbles or colic), babies need clear airways to breathe between screams. Holding a pacifier to your baby’s mouth will partially block the air and cause more fear.
Instead, change the setting. Walk outside to touch grass, play music, and start dancing with your baby, or sit in the shower to play with water. Once your baby has calmed down a bit and you are sure all needs are met, offer the pacifier.
Limits
As awesome as using a pacifier can be, it is possible to use it too much. Some babies REALLY love their pacifiers, and as they get older, the habit becomes more ingrained. You should try weaning pacifier use during the day around 12 months old, and at night by 14 to 18 months old.
After babyhood, pacifiers don't provide many benefits. Moreover, using pacifiers beyond 18 to 24 months can cause dental issues, such as an overbite, crooked teeth, or a crossbite (when the teeth or jaw are not aligned properly).
Even longer pacifier reliance can misshape the roof of your child's mouth and interfere with speech development (source). It's best to pull the plug sooner rather than later!
Benefits of Not Using a Pacifier at All
With so many benefits to using pacifiers for babies, folks in the no-pacifiers camp must have some decent points worth consideration. Indeed they do! The benefits of not using a pacifier, though, can be almost entirely avoided with intentional steps to use pacifiers safely.
For instance, dental issues statistically do not show up until a little one has used a pacifier relentlessly for more than 18 months, but parents can avoid this by weaning their child from the pacifier between 12 and 14 months (source).
Here are a few other common benefits of not using a pacifier, along with a way to avoid those consequences while using one.
Breastfeeding Establishment Issues
Dental problems and breastfeeding establishment issues are two of the most commonly cited issues by pacifier opponents. Just as switching a newborn between breast and bottle can cause confusion and lower chances of successful breastfeeding, giving a pacifier can confuse a newborn's latch, causing poor feeding (source).
Contrary to popular belief, establishing breastfeeding is not instinctive or easy. It takes work, consistency, and some pain to get Mommy and Baby working together well. Anything that gets in the way of that teamwork in the first month, like an occasional bottle or pacifier use, will delay the establishment of a breastfeeding routine.
Does that mean pacifiers are totally unhelpful and should be avoided? No! It simply means that mothers who desire to breastfeed their babies should set aside a whole month to exclusively breastfeed and soothe their babies at the breast.
Exclusive breastfeeding promotes skin-to-skin contact, antibodies from Mommy's milk, heartbeat and temperature regulation, bonding, breastmilk regulation, proper latching, and so much more.
By the end of the first month of exclusive breastfeeding, introducing a pacifier for suckle-soothing to sleep after eating will free Mommy up a bit while soothing Baby — and it won't interfere with Baby's latch, since that has already been established (source)!
Learn more about feeding your baby, from establishing breastfeeding to introducing solids, in 15 Questions First-Time Parents Ask About Feeding Their Baby.
Germs
With immature immune systems in those first three months, you would think that pediatricians would be keen on not recommending anything other than a bottle nipple or a breast be put in a newborn's mouth. Pacifiers can be crawling with germs, especially if you've carried them around or dropped them on the floor.
Of course, careful pacifier washing, sterilization, and storage in a sterilized carrying case will prevent feeding your baby unwanted bacteria, but you need to think ahead and carry at least two pacifiers with you.
Beyond 6 months old, your little one's immune system will be much stronger, so you will be able to relax a bit.
Pacifier Rash
Babies drooling from teething or actively sucking on the pacifier may develop a red, raised rash or small spots around the mouth. It can become itchy or dry and scaly over time as your baby uses the pacifier.
The rash from a pacifier can be caused by several factors:
Saliva or snot trapped against your baby's mouth for stretches of time by the pacifier shield.
Friction from the constant rubbing of the pacifier on wet skin around the mouth.
A latex allergy, resulting in redness, hives, or swelling where the pacifier shield touches the skin.
Take pictures of the rash over several days and discuss it with your pediatrician. If it is a latex allergy, the swelling should diminish or go away entirely by switching to a 100% platinum-silicone pacifier.
For run-of-the-mill redness and irritation from friction in a wet spot, reduce the amount of time your little one uses the pacifier, and gently dry the area whenever it is removed. Also, keep those pacifiers clean!
It is possible that your little one is sensitive to the soap you are using to clean pacifiers. To test this, you can do a spot check on a patch of skin (rub a little bit of soap on the upper arm and watch for redness or irritation). Learn about other possible culprits in 25 Common Household Things That Are Toxic to Your Baby.
Encourages Chewing
Some babies gnaw on their pacifiers, which isn't good for their dental development or for breastfeeding mamas. Babies chewing on their pacifiers are not getting the benefits of sucking to soothe, so the pacifiers should be removed in these cases.
Pacifiers are not designed for chewing and gnawing, especially with teeth, so it is unsafe for a little one to do so. If your little one begins chewing on his pacifier, it may be time to remove it. Something is likely agitating him, and he needs to teethe on a teether or eat something.
Ideally, your baby will never chew on his pacifier because it will only be available for him to suckle to sleep.
Focus on Parental Convenience Rather Than Infant Support
Another point the no-pacifier crowd often brings up is that parents too often overuse the pacifier. When parents use a pacifier as a magic plug to stop all crying or force it on their baby when their baby doesn't want it, the pacifier is misused.
Babies cannot communicate their needs, fears, desires, or discomforts, so they cry. As long as a parent does not use the pacifier as a first-choice soother, but a backup after all the baby's needs have been met, it is okay to use it.
15 Questions First-Time Parents Ask About Pacifiers
Knowing your options is better than making a decision in the dark! I was totally unprepared for how much I didn't know as a first-time parent (or as a third-time parent). Reading through common parent questions about pacifiers will help you make better choices for your little one.
These are the most frequent questions parents ask about pacifiers, with answers based on careful research and experience. I am not a doctor, so you should do your own research and question your pediatrician as well. I've added links to articles where necessary.
1. Is Introducing a Pacifier At All a Good Idea?
Yes, introducing a pacifier is a good way to soothe your baby and reduce stress. However, you need to introduce the pacifier after breastfeeding is established (around 4 weeks) to avoid latching issues at the breast.
Here is a quick list of other reasons pacifiers are good for your baby:
2. When Is the Best Time to Introduce a Pacifier?
The best time to introduce a pacifier is after breastfeeding has been established, around 4 to 6 weeks (if breastfeeding is your plan). Introducing the pacifier before breastfeeding is established can cause latch confusion and hinder establishment.
Starting pacifier use sometime in the second month is also advantageous because the risk of SIDS is greatest before 4 months of age, and using a pacifier during sleep at night actually reduces the risk of SIDS (source).
As your baby grows older, the benefits of pacifiers lessen. Beyond 12 months old, the benefits of pacifiers no longer outweigh the disadvantages. By 24 months old, the disadvantages of speech development disruption and dental harm far outweigh any advantages.
3. Is It Okay to Give My Breastfed Baby a Pacifier?
Yes! It is okay to give your breastfed baby a pacifier after your baby's breastfeeding routine is well-established (sometime between 4 and 6 weeks old). Once breastfeeding is established, your baby will likely not confuse the pacifier for your breast.
In fact, a pacifier can be a real help for breastfeeding mothers because little ones can suckle to sleep on the pacifier instead of Mommy. Don't worry: pacifiers can never replace the comfort and soothing presence of Mommy. Your baby will likely reject the pacifier in favor of time with Mommy.
4. Do Pacifiers Hide Hunger Cues?
Pacifiers can hide hunger cues until the baby is hungry enough to cry. Without a pacifier, your baby can signal a desire for feeding without crying: smacking lips, sucking on lips, reaching for Mommy or a bottle, or patting Mommy's chest.
Any smacking or sucking cues are totally hidden by a pacifier. You can avoid masking this by keeping an eye on the clock for regular feeding times (or time between feedings) and reserving pacifier use only for after a feeding.
5. Are Pacifiers Dangerous for Sick Babies?
Babies already struggling to breathe due to excessive mucus and swollen glands may have difficulty breathing with a pacifier. However, the pacifier can also be helpful because it keeps the baby's jaw and tongue moving while sucking, relieving pressure in the ear.
In cases where your little one has a runny nose, a pacifier should be totally fine. Just keep it clean, sterilize it often, and listen to your little one's breathing. Even using a pacifier during a nasty stomach bug can help soothe your little one.
Learn more about handling your sick baby in 30+ Questions First-Time Parents Ask About Common Illnesses and Their Children Under 4.
But if your baby has something more serious, like RSV, an ear infection, a respiratory infection, the flu, or COVID, hold your baby upright when using the pacifier. If it inhibits those airways too much, you will have to make do without it.
Babies can go from mildly sick to hospitalized in a matter of hours, especially those under 3 months old. Know the signs of serious illness beforehand by reading When It's More Than a Cold: RSV in Babies and Toddlers.
6. How Long Can My Baby Use a Pacifier in a Day?
How long your baby can use a pacifier in a day is not an easy answer. Some babies do not care for pacifiers and use them only when falling asleep, or they totally reject them. Others are super attached to their pacifiers and refuse to go without them. Most babies are somewhere in between.
Ideally, you will only use the pacifier after feeding to soothe your baby to sleep (source). This ensures your baby's needs are all met, so you are not hiding any cues.
Should you let your baby use a pacifier while playing or crawling around the house? It is better not to allow this because you cannot ensure the pacifier is clean. Moreover, prolonged pacifier use can hide softer cues (possibly leading to outbursts) or cause a rash around the mouth from trapped moisture.
7. Should I Remove the Pacifier When My Baby Is Sleeping?
No, allowing your baby to suck on a pacifier in her sleep prolongs sleep and reduces the risk of SIDS (source). When you begin weaning your baby from the pacifier, remove it when your little one is asleep.
During naps and nights when your baby is sick, listen closely to ensure the pacifier isn't making it harder for your baby to breathe.
8. Do I Need to Change Pacifiers?
Yes, you need to change pacifiers as your little one grows. Most pacifiers have an age range on the package, but the main thing is to ensure the shield cannot fit into your baby's mouth, which could create a choking hazard.
I've already listed pacifier nipple shapes earlier in this guide, and your baby will make his preferences known. However, a basic progression is to start with a cylindrical pacifier because it doesn't restrict the tongue and jaw as much as the other types do.
If the baby rejects the cylindrical pacifier, try the cherry or round nipple next. It is closer to the shape of a breast's nipple during feeding, so a young baby is more likely to latch on. A drop-shaped pacifier nipple is also acceptable at this stage.
After 6 to 9 months old, switching to an orthodontic or anatomical pacifier nipple (if you haven't already) is advisable because it reduces pressure on those new front teeth and holds the tongue in a way that minimizes an open bite (source).
9. Do Pacifiers Interfere with Skill Development?
During the first year, using the pacifier properly, without overusing it, will not interfere with skill development. However, prolonged pacifier usage (i.e., all-day use or frequent use after 12 months of age) interferes with eating and speech development (source).
Generally speaking, the older the child, the less beneficial a pacifier becomes. Past age 2, pacifiers are detrimental to a little one's health and development.
10. Do Pacifiers Interfere with Tongue Ties?
Yes, pacifiers can interfere with tongue-ties in babies. A tongue tie is when the piece of tissue that connects the tongue to the floor of the mouth extends further than it should, or is thicker or tighter than it should be.
Tongue ties restrict tongue movement, affecting breastfeeding, latching, swallowing, and speech development. So, if the tongue is already restricted by a tongue tie, applying additional pressure with a pacifier is not helpful!
Using a pacifier with a tongue tie can encourage a baby's tongue to rest in a low, forward position (known as "tongue thrust") and narrow the palate, making the natural upward tongue movement nearly impossible.
Some pacifiers are designed to support a baby's recovery after the tongue tie is released (frenectomy) by putting pressure on certain areas of the tongue and encouraging movement where movement was not possible before (source).
You can ask your pediatric dentist for therapeutic pacifiers designed for your little one's specific struggles.
11. Do Pacifiers Have to Be Sterilized Often?
Yes, you should sterilize your baby's pacifiers often. During the first three months of life outside the womb, your baby's immune system is immature, making him extremely susceptible to viruses and infections. Sterilizing pacifiers and toys is critical throughout this period.
Sterilizing pacifiers every time you wash them is a wise practice until your little one begins crawling around (about 6 months of age). By then, your baby's immune system is working well, and your little explorer is sticking everything into his mouth to figure it out.
A common misconception is that spraying your baby's toys with Lysol "disinfects" them. However, that simply isn't the case, and you should never spray Lysol on your baby's pacifiers, eating utensils, or teethers. Learn more in The Dos and Don'ts of Disinfecting Baby Toys: A Comprehensive Guide.
12. Can My Baby Use a Pacifier In a Carrier or Car Seat?
There is not much expert advice online to answer this question. So, here are my two cents. In a baby carrier, your little one is upright and strapped close to you, so a pacifier should not be necessary. Your baby can look around, feel involved with you, and feel snug.
If your baby is crying after all needs have been met and you have decided to carry her in a chest or back carrier while you get things done, using a pacifier to soothe her is not a safety issue, as long as her head is up.
If she slumps down because she is falling asleep, her airways are slightly restricted, and the pacifier will further restrict them. Should you use a pacifier while carrying your baby in a chest or back carrier, pay attention to your baby's airways.
As for the car seat, we all know that we can drive more safely without a baby screaming. However, you will not hear any breathing issues or mucus trouble if your baby is using a pacifier.
One of my babies had a severe tongue tie and struggled to swallow properly already. Adding mucus from a virus made car rides particularly scary because I couldn't get to him right away if he started choking. Even worse, when he fell asleep, he would sometimes tilt his head in a way that restricted his airways, and I couldn't hear it.
Using a pacifier in the car seat would have made that situation much worse. So, I preferred silicone travel toys for babies over pacifiers while on the road. My baby was able to teethe on these to his heart's delight, and I could hear how he was doing.
13. Do Pacifiers Interfere with Dental Development?
Though interference with dental development is often cited by parents who refuse to use pacifiers, there is insufficient clear evidence to support dental problems in babies using pacifiers properly under 12 months old (source). After that, however, the evidence suggests otherwise.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents wean their children from pacifiers around 12 months of age. After that, pacifiers do not benefit the child very much. By 24 months, pacifier use is detrimental, especially to dental and speech development (source).
14. When Should I Begin to Wean My Baby From a Pacifier?
Every child is different, but you should start the pacifier weaning process by your baby's first birthday. Several factors can complicate pacifier weaning: consolidating daytime naps to one, time changes, travel, weaning from the breast, introducing cow's milk, separation anxiety, and more.
Weaning from the pacifier during the day is typically easier than at night. Simply offer it less often before your child's first birthday. As he begins to fill his days with exploring, new food, and learning to drink from a cup, he may not notice the pacifier being less available.
At night, if you are breastfeeding, you can try feeding until he falls asleep, or rock him for progressively longer periods before offering the pacifier. When your baby is in deep sleep and no longer sucking on the pacifier, remove it.
15. How Old Is Too Old for a Pacifier?
Toddlers are too old for pacifiers. After age 2, pacifiers are not very beneficial and can significantly interfere with dental and speech development (source). If your little one successfully weaned from a pacifier but started stealing one from her new sibling, don't encourage it.
Take it from your toddler and say, "No, pacis are not for toddlers; they are for babies." Teach your toddler to clean the pacifier with soap and warm water, and let her watch while you sterilize it. Allow her to offer it to her newborn sibling when it is needed, and say, "Great job! Baby needed his pacifier, and you helped him get it. You're a helpful big sister!"
Allowing your toddler to help her younger sibling by taking care of the pacifier will encourage her to see it as a baby thing she can help with, rather than a toy for herself.
If your toddler is struggling to calm down or be soothed, try introducing a comfort object. Learn more in 10 Comfort Gifts for Teething Babies and Toddlers.
In a Nutshell
Pacifiers are nifty tools for parents and babies. They enable safe, peaceful naps and bedtimes, help guard against SIDS, and help calm stress. The material, size, and design of your baby's pacifiers matter, so choose wisely and update at each developmental stage. Do you use or plan to use a pacifier for your little one?
