Best Pacifiers for Breastfed Babies

Breastfeeding is a labor of love. It provides a special bond between the mother and baby. It helps with immune support for your baby, long and short term, reduces the risk of SIDS, and so much more! Breastfeeding is a great gift that you can give your baby, but the truth is that despite how great it is for your baby, it can be challenging, exhausting, and stressful.

For me, it’s been hard to be the sole provider of nutrients for my babies. I’ve felt like I can’t be away from my baby for very long because they might not take a bottle. Breastfeeding has been a beautiful source of bonding for me and my children, but at times it’s left me feeling burnt out and resentful. If any of this rings true to you, please know you are not alone!

Should breastfed babies use pacifiers?

Using a pacifier can be controversial among the breastfeeding community. Some say that a newborn pacifier will cause nipple confusion making breastfeeding more difficult. Others say that if your baby uses their pacifier too much too early it can hide hunger cues and cause your milk supply to drop too early.

Nonnutritive sucking is innate for newborns and when they suckle at the breast it helps the mother’s breast milk supply. If they are using a pacifier instead of suckling at the breast it might affect the mother’s supply.

However, don’t let this information deter you from immediately introducing a pacifier. Like I mentioned above, pacifiers have a surplus of advantages! In my personal experience, our son learned how to breastfeed better because using a pacifier helped him to practice the sucking motion needed for feeding.

Are some pacifiers better for breastfed babies?

The truth is, babies are going to like what they like. Each child is different so you will want to try out a few different kinds. That being said, the experts recommend a cylindrical shaped pacifier. This shape allows for your baby’s tongue to wrap around it the same way it wraps around a nipple. Here are our top recommendations for breastfed babies:

·       Phillips Avent Soothie: My kids love these the most and so does my wallet! These are very inexpensive and easily accessible at a variety of locations and online!

·       Tommee Tippee Breast-like Pacifier: These are affordable and made to move just like a mother’s nipple!

·       Ryan and Rose Cutie Pat Round: These are 100% medical grade and incredibly soft! However, pacifiers need to be replaced frequently and they are on the more expensive side!

The good news is that no matter which infant pacifier or newborn pacifier you choose the Ingy Bingy Band has two models so any pacifier will attach to it! The Ingy Bingy Band is a pacifier wristband velcros around baby’s wrist and turns any pacifier into a pacifier wristband, helping them self-soothe from as early as 4 months. This pacifier bracelet saves you time and frustration because, whichever pacifier your breastfed baby loves, your baby will always have access to it on their own. You’ll never have to worry about finding that sacred sanity saver ever again if that infant pacifier keeps falling out!