Pacifiers, also known as soothers or dummies, are very popular baby accessories, which can come in all shapes and sizes! But if you’re breastfeeding, should you use a pacifier for a breastfed baby? We dive into the risk and benefits of using a pacifier for a breastfed baby in this article!
In A Nutshell…
- Pacifiers are artificial teats shaped like a mother’s nipple. They help soothe and calm babies down.
- Prolonged and frequent pacifier use may result in a variety of problems. This includes missed feedings, nipple confusions, early weaning, ear infections, and poor dental health of your child.
- In special instances, pacifier use may be beneficial for preterm babies, for babies needing a quick soothe from minor hospital procedures, or to reduce the risk of SIDS.
- Your own breast and nipples are still better than artificial teats. However, if you choose to use pacifiers, do so after establishing breastfeeding.
What is A Pacifier?
Pacifiers are also called soothers, binkies, dummies, or artificial teats. It shaped just like a mother’s nipple. It’s also attached to another flat piece of plastic. Commonly, they are made out of soft silicone or latex material. Babies usually hold the silicon teat in between their lips and rest the front part of their tongue. They mimic the latch to a mother’s breast.
Pacifier use dates back to a thousand years ago when they were still made out of clay, silver, pearl or coral. Up until this day, pacifiers are still largely popular among parents, with reports showing more than 80% of infants in North America using it from time to time.
Risk of Using Pacifiers
You might think that pacifiers are completely safe to use since they’re all over the market. Over the years, a few studies have shown that pacifier use is associated with increased risk for health and breastfeeding problems.
Pacifiers and Breastfeeding
According to experts, pacifiers do not directly affect breastfeeding, especially if breastfeeding is already established well. However, prolonged pacifier use can result in missed hunger cues, poor latching, decreased milk supply, and early weaning.
That’s why the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) stated in their “Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative” that “no artificial teats or pacifiers must be given to breastfeeding infants”. In addition, the La Leche League International recommends that “pacifiers should never be used as a substitute to a mother’s breast”.
Here’s why:
Missing Hunger Cues
There are a few ways babies show hunger. They might start sucking their fingers or fist, search for a nipple with a wide open mouth, become fussy, or start crying. These signals are called their natural hunger cues.
However, these hunger signs can also be misinterpreted to mean something else. Out of frustration, many moms just opt to give a pacifier so that they can quickly soothe their fussy babies. In return, the baby fails to feed on demand and may miss nursing times.
Poor Latching and Nipple Confusion
The position of the baby’s mouth and tongue when sucking is important to establish a good latch. Artificial teats try to imitate the shape and structure of a mother’s nipple, but often they fail to do so.
Pacifiers are usually made out of a firmer material like silicone and latex. On the other hand, a mother’s nipple is softer in comparison to the dummies. This causes the baby’s mouth to remain relatively closed and more towards the front of the tongue.
Frequent use of a pacifier also leads to a shallow latch and nipple confusion. They may find it more difficult to tell whether they are sucking a pacifier or a nipple. As a result, the baby becomes fussy and too frustrated to breastfeed. You won’t be able to empty out all of your breastmilk. In addition, your breast may begin to hurt.
Low Milk Supply
Breastfeeding relies on the law of supply and demand. As long as your baby is feeding regularly, there will be a continuous flow of breast milk. The frequent use of a pacifier for a breastfed baby can lead to poor latching and delayed feedings. Hence, expect that your milk supply might also drop.
However, in instances where feeding remains to be on schedule or if the mother oversupplies, the use of a dummy might not have an effect on the milk supply.
Early Weaning From Breastfeeding
Studies show that there is an association between pacifier use and early weaning from breast milk. Use of a pacifier for a breastfed baby may result in early weaning.
Experts recommend exclusively breastfeeding for the first six months of life and complementary feeding of solid foods and breast milk for up to a year. This helps to get the full benefits of a mother’s milk. However, once this is cut short due to prolonged pacifier use, the baby may miss the chance to get the best nourishment through breastfeeding.
Pacifier and Ear Infections
Ear infections (also called Otitis Media) are one of the most popular causes of pediatrician visits with more than 25 million children visiting each year. It’s an infection of the middle ear which can occur alongside a common cold, the flu, or other respiratory infections.
There are a variety of risk factors associated with an ear infection. One study in Finland associated the use of pacifiers to the risk of ear infections. The results showed that frequent pacifier use is linked to higher risks of Otitis Media.
Pacifiers and Poor Dental Health
Babies that use pacifiers for a long time can have long term problems with their teeth, such as dental caries, malocclusion, and gingival recession. This is proved by a recent study where they identified significant differences in the dental arch and occlusion characteristics of pacifier users at 24 months and 36 months, in comparison to those that stopped using by the first year.
Both the American Dental Association (ADA) and the Canadian Dental Association (CDA) recommend limiting the use of pacifiers. They also suggest parents choose only those that are clean and unsweetened.
Benefits of Using Pacifiers
In special occasions, the use of a pacifier may be beneficial to a baby. Counter studies and researches have been done to show the positive effects of pacifier use. This includes its analgesic effect, reducing the risk for sudden infant death (SIDS), and shortens hospitals stay of preterm infants.
Pacifiers Have An Analgesic Effect
Due to its soothing and calming effect, pacifiers are primarily beneficial for pain and anxiety prevention. It’s a great way to relieve an infant’s pain. Hospitals use pacifiers for vaccinations or minor procedures.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has recommended the use of a pacifier for the following procedures: infant catheterization, circumcision, heel sticks, immunizations, insertion of an intravenous line, lumbar puncture, screening for retinopathy, and venipuncture.
Pacifiers and SIDS
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the unexplained death of an infant less than one year during their sleep. Although the cause of SIDS remains to be unknown, there are many associated risk factors including a baby’s respiratory system, brain development, prematurity, and other environmental factors.
Since it happens usually during sleep, using a pacifier may be a helpful soothing accessory. Although the mechanism of how dummies lower the risk of SIDS is still unclear, many experts suspect that it may be largely due to the how pacifiers tend to drive a baby’s respiratory function, most especially during sleep.
Since evidence remains to be insufficient, no recommendations have been set at this time.
Pacifiers for Preterm Infants
Preterm babies are those that are born fewer than the 37 weeks of gestational age. Since they are born earlier than expected, they might need to stay in the hospital a little longer than usual to closely monitor their growth.
In most neonatal intensive care units, pacifiers are used to soothe and calm babies. They also use this to train their sucking reflexes. According to a scientific review, nonnutritive sucking through pacifiers are also linked to shorter hospital stays. Overall, pacifier use may do more good than harm for preterm infants.
So Is It Okay to Use Pacifiers for Your Baby?
Story Time:
I personally had a very traumatic experience with pacifiers! My first baby Samuel was so into the pacifier those first few days, so he wasn’t feeding as often as he should, which affected my supply. Every time it fell out of his mouth, he would be hysterical and this drove me crazy! My mother-in-law would run to his aid all day long, but at night time I ended up being me that had to take over, which was not all that good for me.
After two long breastfeeding journeys, I would much recommend you be your babies pacifier just because your nipple is the original pacifier moms have been using since the begging of time, it stimulates milk production, truly comforts your baby, and keeps you sane.
Breast is Best
When it comes to calming down your baby, your breasts and nipples are still the best pacifiers. Other than soothing the baby, your maternal touch also adds to your baby’s relaxation. These mother-and-baby moments are irreplaceable. No other type of artificial teats can take the place of a mother’s connection to their baby.
Considerations For Using Pacifiers
However, there are instances where a pacifier acts as a good temporary replacement for the mother’s breast. Consider using pacifiers during these occasions:
- Your baby will undergo a painful hospital procedure like immunizations or blood tests
- During a long-haul flight, to relieve them of earaches due to cabin pressure
- Soothing a baby to sleep, which may reduce their risk for SIDS
When Can You Start Giving Pacifiers?
Breastfeeding your baby lessens their need to use pacifiers. However, if you still choose to use dummies for your baby, experts recommend offering soothers a month after being born. This allows breastfeeding and nursing schedules to be established first to avoid missed feedings and nipple confusions.
Well-breastfed babies are even more likely to not need any pacifiers as they get the soothed and comforted by the mother’s own breasts. Usually, breastfed babies can wait up to 6-8 weeks before they are introduced to pacifiers.
Things You Should Know Before Using Pacifiers
Pacifiers are generally safe to use as long as you keep these in mind:
- Start pacifiers once breastfeeding is well-established.
- Check first if your baby’s desire to suck is due to his hunger cues.
- Do not substitute or delay feedings with a pacifier
- Only use pacifiers to soothe or calm a baby.
- Make sure that pacifiers are regularly cleaned and sterilized. Babies who use pacifiers are at greater risk of contracting infections, including oral yeast (thrust) which can be transferred to a mom’s nipple.
- Check for the safety of your pacifiers. Some pacifiers can result in choking or strangulation, especially if they have straps that go around the neck.
- Change your pacifiers every two months.
- Do not add sugar or honey in the pacifier. This will cause dental problems for your baby.
- Wean your baby from pacifiers as early as possible. Prolonged pacifier use can lead to dental and speech problems.
The Verdict…
Pacifiers are one of the most popular accessories for babies as they help to calm down a fussy child. But just because many people use them, it doesn’t mean they are completely safe and good to use.
Prolonged and frequent pacifier use has been linked to a number of problems including missed feedings, nipple confusion, low milk supply, ear infections, and poor dental health. However, there are special cases where pacifier use can be beneficial. This is particularly helpful in soothing babies who are in need of quick pain relief from minor hospital procedures, reducing the risk for SIDS, and for preterm babies.
When it comes to soothing your baby, breasts remain to be the best! A mother’s touch and own nipples can provide the same relief an artificial teat can give to your child. If you do choose to give a pacifier, wait until breastfeeding is well-established.
