Pacifiers & suckling: what professionals say

The nature of suckling and how pacifiers play their part

Firstly, it’s worth knowing a little bit about why pacifiers exist in the first place. And it starts (as most things do) with nature. Specifically, suckling: it’s the innate reflex in newborns that provides comfort and calms them.

We’ve all seen those images of babies sucking their thumb in the womb. It’s true – they begin suckling before birth, and the behavior continues to develop long after. At around three months, babies become more self-aware and start to self-soothe. Suckling and continues to play a big part in helping babies manage emotions, all the way up to 10 months.

Pacifiers play a part in fulfilling that natural need in the first days, weeks, and months after birth. 

Q&A: what healthcare professionals say

As we know, introducing a newborn to pacifiers can be a delicate decision. Luckily, there are frequent studies from healthcare providers to bring some clarity about the benefits and precautions. We’ve paired their insights with some of your most frequently asked questions. Let’s go…

1. Will a pacifier really calm my baby?

It might sound obvious, but yes! Pacifiers really can help infants to calm down from crying.⁴ Plus, using a pacifier facilitates the self-comforting behavior² we mentioned earlier.

2. When can I start giving my baby a pacifier?

For babies being breastfed, pacifier use should only begin after breastfeeding is established. This is to avoid ‘nipple confusion’. Infants who are not being directly breastfed can begin using a pacifier as soon as you wish.

3. Can I give my baby a pacifier to sleep?

Yes, you can. Pacifiers are recommended by healthcare professionals to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, particularly when used at the time of sleep.¹

4. Will pacifiers affect my baby’s dental health?

You’ve probably heard many opinions about this. The experts say that pacifiers can affect your baby’s dental health. However, the likelihood can be reduced by keeping pacifier use to within your baby’s first 24 months¹

5. Do pacifiers cause issues with feeding?

Not really, but there are things to know. Let’s run through everything:

• Firstly, pacifiers can support parents and babies who are breastfeeding or bottle feeding^3.
• There is no association between using pacifiers and a shorter duration of breastfeeding^4.
• For breastfed infants, pacifier use may contribute to nipple confusion if introduced before breastfeeding is established⁷

Benefits of pacifier use

Pacifier use in infants has shown clear benefits:

• In term infants, it is associated with relieving pain and discomfort. It can help relieve air-pressure related ear pain, and has been associated with a reduced risk of sudden infant death syndrome^1,6
• In preterm infants, pacifier use has been associated with a decrease in length of hospital stay, ease of transition to oral/bottle feeding, along with reduced time spent fussing following tube feeding⁵

And that’s not all

• Pacifier use has advantages in reducing finger/thumb sucking and facilitating easier weaning from a sucking habit.³
• It assists in the development of neurological maturity in preterm infants⁷

You know your baby best

We hope you found the answers to help your decision. But of course, no one knows your baby like you do so if you decide to introduce a pacifier, it’s entirely up to you when to do so. The trick to making it a success? Never force it and never let it substitute mealtimes. A pacifier is intended only to meet your baby’s natural suckling needs outside of breastfeeding or bottle feeding.