Keep Your Baby Safe From Toxins With The Best Non-Toxic Pacifiers

Pacifiers are an excellent tool to help soothe a fussy baby, but they aren’t all made the same. Here are the best non-toxic pacifiers for your baby.

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The Best Non Toxic Pacifiers

Did you know that not all pacifiers are non-toxic? It can be so hard to believe that there are baby products out there that could cause long-term damage to our little ones based on the materials they are made from.

While it can be so easy to go to the shop and find a pacifier to soothe your baby, there are fewer non-toxic options available and these choices can be difficult to find in common stores such as Target, Walmart and even Babies R Us.

If you’re a first-time parent, you might be against the idea of a pacifier in the first place, especially if you choose to breastfeed your little one. You don’t want any nipple confusion to happen in the early days and they can be a bit of a pain in the bum when it comes to weaning off of them.

However, pacifiers are excellent tools that new parents should try, regardless of breastfeeding just to gain a little bit of sanity with a newborn in tow. You might soon realize that even though the baby is breastfeeding, they will constantly want to be sucking and soothing, which is where a pacifier comes in handy and gives you a little bit of baby-free time, at least off your breast.

Many mothers, us included, have come to the conclusion that pacifiers do not interfere with the breastfeeding journey and can really help make the transition into parenthood a lot smoother.

We love the option of having a non-toxic pacifier for your little ones and we created this guide for you to make the selection process easier.

The quick notes are: rubber pacifiers are the best choice as they are made out of 100 percent rubber materials. These options are more on the expensive side, so we did include some more affordable options as well. All options listed here are non-toxic.

Pacifiers, whatever you want to call them, should be advertised as a new mom’s sanity saver.

It’s sometimes nothing short of miraculous how effective they are in calming a cranky baby.

Unfortunately, while pacifiers are a lifesaver for some parents, some mothers discover that their infants, particularly those who are breastfed, refuse to use them.

This list is geared at breastfed babies, but they’re beneficial to any baby, whether they’re given formula or drink from a bottle.

How Does The Pacifier Comfort A Baby?

Babies have a natural sucking reflex which in turn has a soothing and relaxing effect. When a newborn comfort sucks, it gives them a feeling of being back in the womb, all cozy and warm which brings them back to a happy state.

When your newborn is very hungry, they may suck a lot stronger. If this is the case, you will want to feed the baby and not pop in a pacifier in the place of food. A newborn baby will need about 8-12 bottles or nursing sessions per day, but in between those feedings, a pacifier can really help.

This is why many parents are very adamant about using pacifiers with their babies, so why not offer them a non-toxic version if we can.

The Best Non-Toxic Pacifier For Baby

All of these pacifiers are manufactured from natural rubber harvested from the Malaysian tree Hevea Brasiliensi. They’re all great non-toxic pacifiers that don’t contain any hazardous ingredients.

All natural rubber pacifiers should be replaced every 6 to 8 weeks, and you should carefully inspect them for indications of deterioration before giving them to your child.

Some parents say that they smell like rubber, but rubber smells like rubber, so that’s to be expected.

You should also inspect the pacifier after purchasing it to ensure that it is free of fractures or flaws.

These options are all molded in one piece, which means there are no gaps or crevices for moisture and dirt/fuzzies to get caught in, as well as making it easier to clean.

Pros	Cons
100% silicone	Hard to attach a pacifier clip
One-piece construction
Smaller sized, perfect for newborns
Extra Soft Nipple
Ergonomic Shape
Available in 4 colors

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Pacifier Clips

Many parents who use pacifiers don’t even know the lifesaving grace that a pacifier clip offers. If you are using a pacifier be sure to invest in a good clip.

Why do you need a pacifier clip? Because babies spit their soothers out often and it’s great to be able to find the soother on the clip and not have to go wash it right away because it hit the ground.

Here are our favourite pacifier clips.

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Guide To Buying A Non-Toxic Pacifier

Pacifier Frequently Asked Questions

Pro’s And Con’s Of Using A Pacifier (Advantages and Disadvantages)

Advantages	Disadvantages
Can Soothe Fussy Baby	Can Interfere With Breastfeeding
Distracts Baby	Baby Can Become Dependant On Pacifier
Can Help Baby Sleep	Might Increase Risk Of Ear Infection
Can Help During Flights	Prolonged Use Can Lead To Dental Issues
Can Help Reduce Risk Of SIDS

Pacifier Best Practices

• Replace your pacifier once every few months as it can wear down over time and become a choking hazard.
• Be sure to purchase the correct pacifier for your baby’s age. A 3-month-old may not be able to hold a 6-18 month pacifier in her mouth as it is too strong for her age.
• Do not let your baby sleep with a pacifier attached to a pacifier clip to prevent strangling.
• Check your pacifier before sterilizing to make sure it will not melt in the sterilizer.
• Your child should be weaning off the pacifier by 6 months of age.
• Do not add juice or sweeteners to the pacifier to prevent tooth decay.
• Always look at your pacifier before putting it into babies mouth to ensure it is clean.

Choosing Silicone Vs. Rubber Pacifiers

You’re definitely looking for a safe, non-toxic option after reading that laundry list of hazardous chemicals, right?

Fortunately, there are some excellent alternatives on the market that are both safe and non-toxic, as well as manufactured by reputable firms.

But first, let’s look at the dispute between silicone and natural rubber.

Food-grade silicone, which is usually regarded to be a safe material, is used in many pacifiers on the market.

Silicone pacifiers are more durable and last longer than latex pacifiers. They aren’t as soft as rubber pacifiers, either.

We strongly advocate natural rubber pacifiers over silicone since silicone is manufactured with synthetic components.

When it comes to avoiding harmful chemicals, this is the better option. Natural rubber is a non-toxic substance that originates from the Hevea Brasiliensi tree.

Natural rubber from a reputable manufacturer has no chemicals or preservatives. It’s also biodegradable for the environmentally minded, albeit it takes a long time.

Natural latex pacifiers, on the other hand, have certain drawbacks:

It degrades more quickly. They generally break down faster than their less-safe competitors since they don’t include any chemical preservatives or chemical softeners. Because they need to be changed more frequently, there is more waste and money spent.
Some babys are allergic to latex. These allergies are genuine, and the only way to find out whether your child has one is to give them a latex product.

How to Choose The Best Pacifier For Your Baby

Your little one will likely have a pacifier preference, just like they can have a baby bottle preference.

Some styles can be more soothing for one baby than some other pacifiers due to shape or material and texture.

Some babies are not picky at all. It can be difficult to buy a perfect pacifier for your baby before the baby is born, but there is no harm in having a few select styles for babies to choose from when they are ready for their pacifier.

Parts: Traditional pacifiers have 3 different parts: nipple, shield and ring. Newer-style pacifiers are made from one piece of molded silicone or rubber materials. Selecting a pacifier based on traditional parts or modern style will widely depend on parental preference. Most pacifiers do have a hole where you can attach a pacifier strap to keep the baby from losing her dummy.

Orthodontic: Choose a pacifier that is orthodontic to support the proper development of teeth and gums.

Sizing: You can buy a pacifier that matches your baby’s age. A pacifier that is too big or too small can cause discomfort and will do the opposite of soothing the baby.

Sizing Guide:
Small: Newborn to 6 months
Medium: 6-18 Months
Large: 18+ Months

It is a good idea to stick the age guidelines on the pacifier packaging to ensure the pacifier you are purchasing is right for your baby.

Materials: Most pacifier nipples are made from silicone, latex or rubber. A silicone pacifier is usually dishwasher safe and will not retain odours. A latex pacifier wears out faster than silicone, retains scent more often and has to be hand washed. There are also special one-piece pacifiers that are made from sturdy rubber. These pacifiers tend to be more expensive than silicone or latex models, but a lot of babies do prefer the texture of the rubber material.

Avoid plastic pacifiers:  When choosing a pacifier, avoid plastic parts on the pacifier to avoid chemical exposure to your newborn. Silicone and natural rubber pacifiers are the best.

Avoid scented pacifiers:  Some companies create scented pacifiers to make the pacifier more pleasant for a baby. However, these are simply not necessary and can contain more chemicals than we like to introduce to babies.

How Do We Know if a Material is Toxic

When we talk about toxic materials, we really mean the chemicals that the materials are made out of. Some chemicals can be good and harmless but not all of them are. In the United States, approximately 8500 chemicals are released and we come in contact with them during our everyday routines.

A lot of these chemicals have a wide range of purposes such as the plastic in a bottle and the flame retardants in black resin of cell phones and computers are used for safeguarding the product.

Not all chemicals have been studied to determine how harmful they are for human bodies in the long term. Some of them however have been determined to be harmful to adults. If a chemical is harmful to an adult, it can be even more dangerous for a baby.

The Challenge of Keeping Our Babies from Being Hurt by Toxic Chemicals

Manufacturers create their products using many chemicals and sometimes don’t even know they are harmful. Consumers do not typically do research and just use the products that are put out there and are labelled as safe.

What Harm Can Toxic Chemicals in Safe-Appearing Products Do

Toxic chemicals can cause a wide range of problems such as the risk of cancer and the health of various organs such as the lungs, heart, and liver.

We need to focus on the safety of our babies and the most important organ to develop – the brain.

Chemicals can alter the genes in parents and disrupt the function of the nerves in the brain in a newborn and during pregnancy as well. We want to eliminate any sort of toxic substances in order for the brain nerves to develop properly during the baby stages and through childhood too.

The chemical impact varies depending on which chemical the baby is exposed to and for how long they were exposed to it.

Tips To Stop Pacifier Use

There are some disagreements between doctors as to the age a pacifier is no longer good to use. Some doctors recommend the baby is weaned off at 1 year, and some are ok to wait until the child is 3 or 4 and can self-wean off the pacifier.

There is a great 3-day plan created by Mark L. Brenner which you can use to wean your baby off the pacifier.

Day 1: The first day is all about mentally preparing your child to no longer be using the pacifier.

Day 2: Let your child know that in 2 days time there will no longer be a pacifier.

Day 3: This is the day you will team up with your child and look for all the pacifiers in the home and put them in a bag. You will say goodbye to the pacifiers and assure your little ones that they no longer need them.

The Best-Non Toxic Pacifier For Baby Final Thoughts

You should have all the knowledge you need to choose a non-toxic pacifier for your new baby. If your baby is fussing, you can start with a Philips Avent Soothie as it is the number 1 hospital-recommended pacifier for newborns.

If your breastfed baby just won’t take a pacifier, you can try the Natursutten Natural Rubber Pacifier or the Chicco Silicone Pacifier as they represent the shape of a mother’s nipple closer than some of the other pacifier options.

Remember that you don’t have to choose a non-toxic pacifier for your little one, but it is the better choice for the health and safety of your little one.

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• Keep Your Baby Safe From Toxins With The Best Non-Toxic Pacifiers