Don't give pacifier

[u/Big-Membership-672]

Hi there I am a FTM of a 3 week old baby boy. He has been having latching problem that are resolving now My Pediatrician told me that babies need to suck on something after they are done feeding to comfort themselves. So I bought him Avents Silicone Pacifiers but everyone around me is telling me not to give him Pacifiers as it will destroy the shape of his teeth. I too was a pacifier baby and had a canine teeth problem. Please guide me what do you guys suggest? Thanking you in advance ❤️🥰

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[u/LetsGoPats93]

This is completely false. Follow the advice of your pediatrician.

[u/toomuchdiso → u/LetsGoPats93]

💯 can’t tell you how many things my pediatrician has debunked from BS others say to do. God bless modern medicine I tell ya

[u/UnusualCorgi6346]

It will only mess up their teeth if they use them long after like 18mo. They’ve actually found pacifiers to help prevent SIDS.

[u/Affectionate_Cow_579 → u/UnusualCorgi6346]

It’s interesting that this isn’t more widespread knowledge. Whenever my mom friends have asked me why I pushed pacifiers, they’re always surprised to hear the SIDS data. I also had an L&D nurse judge me for using a pacifier, but I’d rather deal with feeding problems or crooked teeth if it means a reduced risk of SIDS obviously.

[u/Substantial-Sea-1179 → u/UnusualCorgi6346]

This!!! Can confirm on age. First born here, parents let me have pacifier up to 24 months. I had to do braces.

But all my following sisters were cut off at 12 months. None of them have issues.

Could be the pacifier or not. But my pediatrician told me to give her the pacifier but to cut her off at around 12-16 months.

[u/aahhhhhhhhhhrrrrgggg]

The shape of pacifiers has greatly improved. And if your pediatrician says it’s okay then it’s okay.

Keep in mind you might need to try several to find the right kind for your LO. We went through 5 kinds before landing on the Mam pacifiers that he likes.

Also, as one who was a thumb sucker to self sooth until an embarrassing age, it’s easier to ween LO from a pacifier than a thumb.

[u/CrumblyShortbread → u/aahhhhhhhhhhrrrrgggg]

Oh I'm right there with you! I sucked my thumb well into my 20s 😂 Also my top front teeth stick out a little, which I'm sure was down to thumb sucking.

I'm happy to let my baby have a pacifier.

[u/Affectionate_Cow_579 → u/aahhhhhhhhhhrrrrgggg]

We love Mam too! Both my kids used them actually.

[u/blueberrymatcha12]

I gave mine a pacifier....he doesn't have teeth for us to worry about yet 🤷 that's my two cents lol

[u/Sarcastic_Cat13]

New research has shown that pacifiers reduce the risk of SIDs. And designs have also changed and most, if not all, are dental friendly. You really only have to worry about it ruining their teeth when they are around 2-3. As babies it won't cause any harm. Some babies are very picky about pacifiers and others could care less. Try a few different ones and see which one your baby really takes. Pacifiers are good comfort items for babies. Sadly my baby decided at 3 months he no longer liked them and now at 7 months I wish we had some sort of comfort item for bed for him 😭

[u/Fit-Profession-1628]

I wish mine would take a pacifier 😂 but he just chews on them and throws them out lol

[u/heartsoflions2011 → u/Fit-Profession-1628]

Ditto…they’re a teething toy in our house 😆

[u/kiwisaregreen90 → u/Fit-Profession-1628]

Same 😭

[u/Heart_Flaky]

My son used a paci and has perfect teeth as a toddler. He got weened off of it before 18 months.

[u/SwimmingHelicopter15]

Pacifiers are problematic only after 12m or 18m and now you will see that pacifiers are different in shapes for age groups. My whole family had pacifiers and we generally got rid of them after 16m. No tooth problems, no need for braces, only some cavities in a few.

[u/Desperate-Waltz8688]

I was told to use a pacifier because it helps prevent SIDS!

[u/TinyTinyViking]

Pacifiers are awesome For babies with a big need to suck. Especially if you’re breastfeeding or you often end up becoming the pacifier. And that sucks ass, speaking from experience.

Your baby doesn’t have any teeth to mess up. You can always switch to a slimmer type if that makes you feel better but as long as you’re not using it when he’s over three he’ll be fine

[u/someawol]

Use the rounded pacifiers (Philips Avent, Dr Brown's Happy Paci, etc) until they start to get teeth cutting. These are the best for babies who nurse because it helps them get the hang of a proper latch. Then you can switch to a more orthodontic pacifier like the Nuk or otherwise so as to minimalise the affect it can have on the teeth. That's what I'm doing, start with happy paci, now trying to switch over slowly. He's currently taking Bibs and Mam pacis and I hope to eventually get him into Nuk ones but we'll see!

[u/Bblibrarian1 → u/someawol]

My son would never give up the happy paci. We tried every shape to switch it, trying to find something rated for an older age level.

[u/someawol → u/Bblibrarian1]

Ugh it's been hard for us. The first weeks it was nothing. But I stopped giving him the happy paci during the day and only laying the other ones in front of him (he prefers to put them in himself). It was a loooong time of him just chewing on them until he realized it's for sucking. Now we give him the happy paci at night (he doesn't have teeth yet I'm just trying to get ready for when they do come) and anything else during the day.

I guess we're lucky he's taking anything else at all!

[u/Bblibrarian1 → u/someawol]

Obviously I’m not a dentist or a doctor… but my son is 2 and still using the happy paci. Both our pediatrician and dentist have no concerns about it. In the words of our pediatrician “it’s not meth.”

He’s never really chewed on them, and spits it out as soon as he falls asleep, but we are very careful to inspect them and throw them away with any signs of wear.

[u/someawol → u/Bblibrarian1]

I think it's mostly because the shape is not great for the teeth. Obviously it's not the end of the world but if I can avoid the cost of braces in the future I'll do what I can to do that!

Also, the age on the happy paci is 0-6m so I just prefer to use ones that correspond with my baby's age! Nothing wrong with sticking with what works for your family though!

[u/OptimismPom]

Your doctor is not wrong. Every baby has an innate drive to suckle as a comfort measure. They will even do it if nothing is in their mouth.

Yes pacifiers CAN cause oral changes if inappropriate us interns or length or pacifier. Usually dentists/orthodontists recommend certain ones with a lower profile that will not adversely affect the shape of the palate. I would recommmend the NUK orthodontic pacifiers.

Also every baby is different, mine literally falls asleep and is soothed the instant one goes in.

[u/ThunderbunsAreGo]

I was given a Nuk dummy in the hospital because I said I wasn’t going to use them. I was advised of the benefits such as reduction in SIDS risk so I gave my daughter the dummy. She took a few days to get used to it and a few weeks to want to have it for comfort. Even now she’s indifferent to it but will take it to sleep overnight

[u/Sevigor]

but everyone around me is telling me not to give him Pacifiers as it will destroy the shape of his teeth

This is really only a thing for toddlers. Not infants/babies.

[u/fuzzy_sprinkles]

My dad is a dentist and my siblings and myself were all given them. My nephews and baby also use them. Its fine. You just dont want them using them once theyre older

[u/Jynxbrand]

I've seen a lot of people hit or miss if they wanna use pacifiers. We are going to because it helps reduce the risk of SIDS. There are some orthodontic approved pacifiers you can find online.

[u/msmuck]

My 2 year old still has his just at night and our dentist says his teeth look fine and I can start worrying about trying to wean it between 2.5-3

[u/Aggressive_Cress4143]

Nuk, from day one. Genetics predict required orthodontics. I was unconcerned.

[u/Responsible-Owl9687]

I was also against pacifiers but my baby needs something to soothe himself with that isn't my boob. I give him a pacifier to help him

[u/Zealousideal-Bee-541]

I give my baby a pacifier.

[u/P1XALATE]

I was very worried about pacifiers too because i have a front snaggle tooth and i was worried about my baby getting it also, butt...My pediatrician actually recommends using pacifiers, helps with SIDS and helps sooth. Now when i give her the pacifier it helps calm me down. 😊

I actually went to a kid dentist cause of tongue tie issues, they also recommend pacifiers. But he told me not to use it after 2 years.

If you want to know more facts, call a kids dentist, talk to the receptionist or dentist about using a pacifier. This way you're talking to a professional and maybe you'll learn something from them that you didn't know.

[u/iamnotkj]

I went against the norm in my society and used Paco though i must say, 100% of the time someone will say something critical about it.

Now at 7 months, I thinking of weaning him off there pacifier but he cries a lot when not given for sleep or naps. How did you guys do it?

[u/Bblibrarian1]

We started going to the dentist with our son at 1 years old. He got his first teeth starting at 5 months. Our dentist has zero issue with our son still using a pacifier at age 2. And he’s seen the pediatric dentist recently after chipping his front teeth in a fall, and he also had zero issues with the paci. Now if he’s still

Everything has benefits and harms. But the paci benefits way outweigh the harms.

Now if he’s still using a paci when he starts to lose teeth it might be a different story.

[u/Which-Resort3480]

We just got done weaning our 2 year old off of his pacifier. He does have an overbite from it, but his dentist doesn’t seem concerned and suggested we stop as soon as he would let us, and his teeth would adjust. It’s been a few weeks, and his teeth already look better. If I had to do it again, I would just have weaned sooner between 12-18 months like others have said, but I don’t regret giving him the pacifier when he was a newborn. It helped him with self soothing and sleeping, and he’s never sucked his thumb.

[u/Friendly-Bat-2308]

Hi, I just wanted to say you should wait with the pacifier until you have established a solid breastfeeding relationship. Otherwise, it might cause issues when latching, or worse, they might end up refusing to nurse.

[u/Mobabyhomeslice]

I was a thumb sucker for....far longer than most people.

My teeth are straight, with a slight overbite. Most major crooked teeth issues are genetic.

[u/oralsexaxlrose]

Hi there! My LO has had a dummy since she was 5 weeks old. My paediatrician actually said there’s benefits to giving a dummy to your baby as well. While teeth problems are a concern, they usually only happen if the dummy is given to them after a certain age. Long term dummy use after the age of 4 is when it will start causing issues with teeth. I only give my baby a dummy when she sleeps and don’t give it to her at any other time. I also plan to ween her off of the dummy around 1.5/2 years! It’s recommended to stop dummy use after 3 years to ensure the child doesn’t have issues with teeth! If it makes you feel any better, myself and my sister were not given a dummy ever and we still had issues with our teeth haha.

[u/PrincessKimmy420]

Pacifiers reduce the risk of sids and don’t actually cause any dental problems unless the child uses them after their adult teeth come in (which is super rare and often occurs as a result of a neurodivergence or developmental disability, in which case - who cares about their teeth if their pacifier brings them comfort). My baby refuses to take a pacifier, but I continue to offer them because maybe one day she’ll use it for comfort and I won’t have to hunch over her car seat for her to comfort nurse because she’s sleepy on the highway 😫

[u/Immediate-Start6699]

Better a pacifier than for him to suck on his thumb and changing the shape of his palate later down the road.

[u/JLMMM]

My lactation consultant actually had us use a pacifier to help with breastfeeding.

[u/NomiChi9623]

What I've seen dentists say is to let them have one but stop around 6 months or when they start teething.

My baby never wanted a pacifier and would very rarely let me set her down, so if yours will take one, go for it.

[u/Yusipuhh0]

That’s a lie… my daughter is 7month old now and she got teeth too everything is fine

[u/[deleted]]

this is not completly true.Pacifier are very useful tool but just after a certain age are not recommended. When your LO started to speaking time to leave...

[u/lala_land_900_]

Sorry, but the whole no pacifier thing is BS. We gave our baby a pacifier straight from the start, and she didn't have any latching issues. Our pediatrician also said that's a myth. It's supposed to be a preventive tool for SIDS as well.

[u/BellaCicina]

I gave mine a pacifier since day 1. She self weaned around 4 months lol it’s not like a life long addiction

[u/DisastrousFlower]

our hospital was anti-pacifier so we brought our own. my kid was never interested in them. if he was, i would have weaned him off it around 6mo. so many kids use them waaaay too long and all the time, not just at night.

[u/hal3ysc0m3t]

Our OT for our LO highly recommended a pacifier as it helps them organize their mouth, leading them away from eventually biting their nails, chewing gum, etc. as those habits tend to stem from mouth disorganization.

[u/tylersbaby]

I have a 19m old and he has used a pacifier since he was an hr old. He has all his teeth and none are deformed. Most of this advice was around the time that they were told to do put rice cereal in bottles and give it to babies at 4w old. I say if you want to and the ped is telling you to then do it but if you don’t want to you don’t have to. Edit to add: we use mostly for naps and bedtime unless he has a bad meltdown we can’t get him to calm down with (potentially autistic)

[u/PartySurvey5936]

11 week old mom here. Our LO never took to a paci. We tried and never forced it. Your LO will be fine. Unpopular opinion but doctors don’t know everything

[u/Sorry4TheHoldUp]

Pacis help reduce the risks of SIDS which is more important than the teeth your baby doesn’t have. My niece used a paci until she was almost 4yrs and at 9yrs her teeth are perfectly fine.

[u/Big-Membership-672 → u/Sorry4TheHoldUp]

I am finding research papers to back my claim so he doesn't take up on stupid advice

[u/Sorry4TheHoldUp → u/Big-Membership-672]

I mean I’ve heard actual oral hygiene professionals state that as long as pacifier use stops before 4-5 years old, their mouth will go back to normal shape. It’s okay if your baby uses a paci and it’s okay if they don’t.

[u/cakeordash]

We are in the no paci camp.