A pacifier does not technically stop hunger, but it can mask or suppress hunger cues by comforting a baby through non-nutritive sucking. While useful for soothing, using a pacifier to delay feedings can lead to missed hunger signals, reduced milk supply, and poor weight gain, especially in the first few weeks.
A pacifier (or soother) can be used to satisfy a baby's need to suck. However, it should never be used instead of feeding, and it should never be used without the extra comfort and cuddling a parent can provide. If your baby seems to want to suck in between feedings, a pacifier can help.
You can recognize his hunger cues, so if he falls asleep with a pacifier and wakes up cueing more frantically than usual, you'll know that he probably was still hungry and that you should feed him more next time.
Some observational studies (Levi 2002; Ullah 2003; Vogel 2001) suggest that early infant exposure to a pacifier may interfere with breast‐milk production and lead to early discontinuation of breastfeeding by three to six months (Boccolini 2015; Mascarenhas 2006) and overall breastfeeding by 12 months (Scott 2005).
No. They can disguise hunger cues, but they don't make your baby less hungry. Use the pacifier if you need to give yourself a break.
Missed Hunger Cues: Babies use non-verbal cues to let their caregivers know they're hungry. Pacifiers can mask these hunger cues, potentially resulting in an insufficient number of feedings per day, especially for breastfed infants whose mothers cannot accurately measure their intake.
Potential complications of pacifier use, particularly with prolonged use, include a negative effect on breastfeeding, dental malocclusion, and otitis media. Adverse dental effects can be evident after two years of age, but mainly after four years.
The "4-4-4 rule" for breast milk is a simple storage guideline: fresh milk is good for 4 hours at room temperature (up to 77°F/25°C), for 4 days in the refrigerator (39°F/4°C or colder), and up to 4-6 months (or longer) in a standard freezer (0°F/-18°C). It's a handy mnemonic, though some organizations like the CDC recommend up to 6 months in the freezer and the AAP up to 9 months, with deeper freezers offering even longer storage.
If your baby uses a pacifier to sleep, your baby might have crying spells during the night. These can happen if the pacifier falls out of your baby's mouth. Pacifier use might raise the risk of middle ear infections.
Signs Your Child's Pacifier Use May Be Harming Their Teeth
They may just want comfort. If you're unsure, there's nothing wrong with a comfort feed — it means more bonding time with your baby. However, if you've had it up to here with feeds, you can try offering a pacifier instead. If they don't take the pacifier or spit it out, that's also a sign they could actually be hungry.
Gradually reduce external soothing: Over time, try easing up on rocking, feeding, or patting to sleep, giving your baby opportunities to settle on their own. Encourage natural comfort methods: Finger-sucking, hand-sucking, or using a pacifier are all common ways for babies to self-regulate.
The hardest week with a newborn is often considered the first six weeks, especially weeks 2-3, due to extreme sleep deprivation, constant feeding demands, learning baby's cues, postpartum recovery, and a peak in inconsolable crying (the "witching hour"), making parents feel overwhelmed as they adjust to a new, exhausting routine. While the first week is tough, the challenges often intensify as the baby becomes more alert but still fussy, with major developmental hurdles like cluster feeding and increased fussiness peaking around 6-8 weeks.
Cuddling, kissing, holding, responding to crying – every positive interaction promotes brain development. You don't need expensive toys: Your face, your voice, and your hands are all your baby needs to be content and develop their own communication skills.
Gentle touches like rubbing your baby's back while they're on their tummy or swaddling them can provide much-needed comfort. Top tip: the natural soothing effect of a pacifier, such as the Philips Avent Ultra Air Pacifier can help tackle discomfort caused by gas.
Offer your toddler a replacement for their soother, such as a stuffed animal or a blanket. This can help them feel comforted without the need for a soother. Offer other ways to help them soothe, especially at bedtime, rubbing their back, deep breathing, snuggles, and cuddles.
GUIDELINE: Health professionals, including nursery staff, should educate all breastfeeding mothers about how the use of pacifiers may interfere with the development of optimal breastfeeding. Breastfeeding babies should not be given pacifiers by the staff …
According to research, intense use of pacifiers, defined as use over several hours during the day, can have a detrimental effect on speech and language development, especially for children past 2–3 years of age (Giugliani et al., 2021; Strutt et al., 2021).
Breast milk does not need to be warmed. It can be served room temperature or cold.
At around 6 weeks, many moms introduce the pump and follow the Magic 8 method — pumping 8 times in 24 hours to help build and maintain milk supply.
As newborns get older, they'll nurse less often, and may have a more predictable schedule. Some might feed every 90 minutes, whereas others might go 2–3 hours between feedings. Newborns should not go more than about 4 hours without feeding, even overnight.
Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health asked a national sample of parents of children 1-6 years old about their experiences with the use of pacifiers or thumb/finger-sucking as self-soothing techniques. About half of parents (51%) report their child currently or previously used a pacifier.
While there's no best or easiest way to wean, experts cite going cold turkey as very effective—as long as parents are consistent. The best method will ultimately depend on what's right for your individual family. Try offering baby an alternative comfort object as they wean, like a blanket or a stuffed animal.
From what I could gather from the book, French parents often use pacifiers with their children, though comments regarding pacifier use were only made in passing (for instance, when discussing childcare options for infants). French parents advocate watching newborns and becoming familiar with their unique cries.