There’s a lot of confusion about pacifiers on the internet. Do they help newborns sleep or make it harder for them to learn to self-soothe? Should you worry about nipple confusion? Will they mess up your baby’s teeth? Here, Lovevery’s sleep and breastfeeding experts answer the most common questions about pacis to help you make sense of the research.
Is it okay to give my baby a pacifier?
Yes. The rhythmic motion of sucking can help babies feel calm and secure. It also helps develop a baby’s oral muscles, which are crucial for learning how to chew, swallow food, and speak.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) actually recommends giving your child a pacifier at naptime and bedtime to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
For breastfed babies, it’s best to wait until nursing is well established—usually around 2 to 4 weeks of life. Why? There’s some concern that pacifier use can interfere with a baby’s ability to communicate their hunger cues. This has the potential to affect how often they nurse, which could impact your milk supply.
Should I be concerned about nipple confusion?
Many parents worry about nipple confusion, but breastfeeding and sucking on a pacifier require very different oral motor patterns—and babies can learn both.
Will a pacifier interfere with my baby’s ability to self-soothe?
A pacifier may actually help babies learn to calm down on their own. In the first year, a pacifier is the one safe object that you can give them in the crib to provide comfort. So if your baby accepts a pacifier, it’s a good idea to offer one.
Are there any downsides to pacifier use? Could it mess up my baby’s teeth or interfere with language development?
The AAP recommends starting to wean daytime pacifiers at 6 months due to the increased risk of middle ear infections. There is some evidence that prolonged pacifier use for multiple hours during the day could affect speech and language development as your baby starts to talk, but the data is very limited.
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends stopping all pacifier use—including nighttime—by age 3. This helps prevent any misalignment of the teeth or jaws caused by persistent sucking.
Will it be hard to wean my baby off of the paci?
A great first step is to use it only while sleeping, starting at around 6 months. This way, your baby will learn other ways of soothing during playtime, when you’re there to help them, but they can still have the pacifier when napping and sleeping at night.
If you’re concerned about using the pacifier into the toddler years, remove the pacifier at 12 months of age. It may be a bumpy few days, but babies usually adjust pretty quickly.
How should I choose a pacifier?
- Choose a one-piece, dishwasher-safe option. Pacifiers with multiple pieces require more thorough cleaning and frequent inspection for wear and tear.
- Don’t worry too much about nipple shape—data doesn’t support one shape over another. Just go with your baby’s preference.
- The Tommee Tippee Ultra-Light Silicone Pacifier tends to work well for newborns who have trouble keeping larger, heavier pacifiers in their mouths. The most common pacifier used in hospitals is the Philips AVENT Soothie.
The links in this post were chosen without marketing sponsorship or partnerships—they just reflect our experts’ genuine recommendations. Lovevery will donate to Every Mother Counts any commissions it receives through affiliate links in this post.
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Meet the experts
Breana Barron
Breana Barron is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and board certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (DNP). She has worked with breastfeeding mothers for more than a decade.
Lauren Lappen
Lauren Lappen is a certified sleep consultant through the Family Sleep Institute. She believes sleep is a foundational need for everyone and loves helping families get quality rest so they can all be at their best.
Learn more about the research
American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. (2021). Policy on pacifiers. The reference manual of pediatric dentistry. American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, 408-425.
Lieberthal, A. S., Carroll, A. E., Chonmaitree, T., Ganiats, T. G., Hoberman, A., Jackson, M. A., … & Tunkel, D. E. (2013). The diagnosis and management of acute otitis media. Pediatrics, 131(3), e964-e999.
O’Connor, N. R., Tanabe, K. O., Siadaty, M. S., & Hauck, F. R. (2009). Pacifiers and breastfeeding: a systematic review. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 163(4), 378-382.
Pinelli, J., & Symington, A. J. (2005). Non‐nutritive sucking for promoting physiologic stability and nutrition in preterm infants. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (4).
Sexton, S., & Natale, R. (2009). Risks and benefits of pacifiers. American Family Physician, 79(8), 681-685.
Kanellopoulos, A. K., & Costello, S. E. (2024). The effects of prolonged pacifier use on language development in infants and toddlers. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1349323.
Zimmerman, E., & Thompson, K. (2015). Clarifying nipple confusion. Journal of Perinatology, 35(11), 895-899.
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