greenbaby

The whole time I was pregnant I proudly told anybody who asked (and sometimes people who didn’t ask) that my baby would not be using a pacifier. My philosophy was that a baby whose parents met her needs with cuddling, nursing and attention would not need a pacifier. A pacifier could turn into a crutch that might last into the baby’s second or third year.
That philosophy lasted all of one day.
The second night we were in the hospital after Sweet Pea was born a nurse came and got her to take a blood sample. When she came back to the room she was securely swaddled and had a pacifier in her mouth. She was asleep, and sucking at it blissfully. My immediate, groggy reaction was that I should take it out of her mouth. But she had kept me up all night crying and nursing, and Pookie was passed out on the pull out cot in the corner, and S.P. seemed so happy that I let her keep it. Since then, we’ve found a good balance with the pacifier. We definitely don’t use it to plug her up when she’s crying. Really, the only time we use it at home is to help her fall asleep after she’s been changed, fed and cuddled. Out and about, she sometimes uses it if she’s in a situation where she seems to feel unsure and need some comfort in addition to being held by Mom or Dad. And we also use it in the car when she’s crying and there really isn’t anything else we can do.
The best pacifier we found is the Natursutten Natural Rubber Pacifier. Danish in origin, this is a golden-colored pacifier molded all in one piece from natural rubber. Because the pacifier is all one piece, there are no cracks or crevices for dirt or bacteria to become lodged and it is easily disinfected by boiling it for five minutes. The natural rubber the pacifier is made from contains no parabens, PVC, phthalates, or BPA (bisphenol-A). The shield (the part that rests against the baby’s face) is a little larger than on other pacifiers in order to keep the baby from bending it enough to fit the whole thing in her mouth. An added advantage to this is that the baby can easily hold the pacifier herself and chew on it.
The only drawback to this pacifier is that natural rubber biodegrades over time, so the pacifier needs to be replaced every four to five weeks. This makes it a bit more expensive than other pacifiers, but in my opinion, it’s worth the price!