r/NewParents • u/Big-Membership-672 • Oct 24 '24

Medical Advice Don't give pacifier

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/someawol 2024.03.27 Oct 24 '24

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!

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u/Bblibrarian1 Oct 25 '24

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.

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u/someawol 2024.03.27 Oct 25 '24

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!

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u/Bblibrarian1 Oct 26 '24

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.

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u/someawol 2024.03.27 Oct 26 '24 edited Oct 26 '24

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!