How to Keep a Pacifier From Falling Out of Your Baby’s Mouth
Pacifiers can be a great soother for babies when used properly. They promote suckling in your baby, which helps them to self-soothe! When babies are first born, they need to learn how to use the pacifier, as it can easily fall out of their mouth. Once they get the hang of it, though, their pacifier becomes their second best friend (behind you, of course!).
Keeping the pacifier in their mouth at first is tricky as they need to build up their jaw muscles. Thankfully, there are techniques that you can put in place to help your baby keep it in!
Keep reading to learn how to keep pacifiers from falling out of your baby’s mouth.
How to Keep the Pacifier in Your Baby’s Mouth
When your baby is a newborn, they have never used a pacifier before, so it will take some practice before they can keep it in for long periods of time. You may think that you should continue to replace it and then leave it alone, but that’s actually not the case!
As you give your baby their pacifier, gently begin to pull the pacifier away from them. This will stimulate your baby to suck it back into their mouth intentionally instead of it simply being placed in there.
Many parents wonder how to stop their baby from crying when their pacifier falls out. Some babies are content once they drop the binky in their sleep, while other babies wake up every time the pacifier falls out. If your baby immediately wakes up and will not sleep until they have the pacifier back in their mouth, you may have to try taking their pacifier away from them right as they are beginning to fall asleep. They may cry, and you will need to start the process over again.
Pros and Cons of Using a Pacifier
Like any choice we make, there are pros and cons to using pacifiers. Let’s explore them so you can make an informed decision about what’s best for your baby.
Pros of Using a Pacifier
Pacifiers can comfort your baby. They allow your baby to engage in their natural sucking motion which helps them self-soothe.
They can help your baby fall asleep. As they are great for self-soothing, using a pacifier can help your baby drift off into dreamland each night.
Pacifiers have been shown to help reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Offering your baby a pacifier at naptime and bedtime can help reduce the risk of SIDS. This is because the action of sucking keeps your baby stimulated while they sleep.
You can throw away a pacifier. A baby’s sucking is good for self-soothing, and as they age, you can throw away the pacifier. If they take to sucking their thumb, though, you can’t throw away their finger!
Cons of Using a Pacifier
Pacifiers could encourage middle ear infections. While this may lead to middle ear infections, they typically are less likely to occur before six months of age, when the risk of SIDS is the highest.
Your baby may rely on pacifiers. As a baby uses their pacifier frequently to help comfort themselves and fall asleep, they may become over-dependent on their binky. This could be a problem at nighttime if they wake up and they don’t have it in their mouth!
Pacifiers can make breastfeeding difficult. As mentioned before, an established nursing routine should be set before introducing your baby to a pacifier to avoid nipple confusion.
Things to Keep in Mind While Using Pacifiers
When your baby is still using a pacifier, there are safety tips for you to keep in mind to ensure they are safe:
Don’t force it. A pacifier can be good for your baby to soothe themselves when they are tired or upset, but it should never be forced into your baby’s mouth if they refuse it. There could be other things causing their distress, such as a wet diaper, hunger, or gas.
Leave it alone if it falls out. When babies fall into a deep sleep, they may drop the pacifier in their sleep. If this is the case, don’t put it back in their mouth! If they wake up looking for it, you can put it back in.
Avoid attachments. It may be tempting to use that pacifier that has a cute little stuffed animal attachment on it or that beaded cord you’ve seen online. Unless you are watching them the entire time during use, it is best to avoid using these. They can be a suffocation and strangulation hazard for your baby, especially at nighttime.
If your baby is breastfeeding, wait to start using a pacifier. Introducing a pacifier too early can interfere with successful breastfeeding, as using a pacifier and breastfeeding use two different sucking techniques.
Don’t coat the pacifier. The pacifier should not be coated with sugar or honey to entice the baby to suck the pacifier. An additional note is that a baby under the age of one should never have honey, as this can cause botulism.
Monitor Your Baby’s Sleep with Baby Connect
Using pacifiers in your baby’s everyday routine can help comfort your baby as well as develop their jaw muscles. They are a great self-soother and have been shown to reduce the risk of SIDS. While they have many benefits for your baby, it can be difficult to teach them how to use them at first.
Like learning any new skill, it might take multiple techniques and tries before your baby learns how to suck their pacifier properly. This is why using an app such as Baby Connect is a great way to track what methods you are using! You can document what techniques you use to help your baby use their pacifier, their feeding schedule, and even track their bowel movements. It makes your life (and your baby’s) that little bit easier!
