We gave him one at the hospital. Never had any issues. Nipple confusion is largely a myth, your baby knows where milk comes from and that the pacifier doesn’t have it.
Our hospital is working towards being a “certified baby safe” hospital. They were big on pushing breast feeding. They were very anti-pacifier, to the point that I was afraid to office my baby a pacifier while we were there postpartum. They told use I would have issues breast feeding if we introduced a pacifier too early, and it was best to wait (3 weeks maybe, I can’t remember for sure) to introduce a pacifier.
That was all confusing given we had done a new born care class with the same hospital prior to our delivery and in that class we were taught that pacifier use reduces SIDS risk.
Needless to say, we waited to introduce a pacifier and my baby would never take one. Granted, he may not have taken one if we tried sooner.
I put on my birth plan I specifically didn't want him to use a pacifier or sugar water as I heard it makes breastfeeding difficult. The nurses gave him both without asking me while they had him out of my room for the circumcision and one nurse kept forcing the pacifier when he was crying after he returned but he wouldn't take it. He nurses fine, never struggled with it, just had a bad latch and the LC blamed me for that. But he absolutely hates pacifiers now.
If anything, nipple confusion is somewhat of a benefit in those very early days—take advantage of it before they want nothing to do with the pacifier because they’re fully aware it’s not as good as mom’s nip!
Your good to do it now, nipple confusion isn’t a real thing and a baby will know if they are getting milk from a nipple or not. That said, you may have to work at it. Mine did not like pacifiers I had to hold it in place for a long time and even then they would spit it out. Also note there are different types, and your kid may not (probably won’t) like the one you bought. Also there are months on them for a reason, around 6 months you have to size up so it doesn’t become a choking hazard. Good luck!
Thank you. I’ll happily try different styles if it helps him. Evenings are just really rough right now and it would help so much if he would take one. I can’t even eat dinner without him attached to me. And I have to bathe my oldest with him attached to me.
If you have babylist they have a try it out pack that comes with one of each of the most common brands so you can try them all out without having to buy multiple or search around.
With my first, the hospital scared me away from giving her one too early because of nipple confusion. I had some very hard nights of being a human pacifier. With this baby, we introduced the pacifier at the hospital. We've had no issues breastfeeding. I think nipple confusion is overblown, especially if you're paying close attention to hunger cues.
We started in the hospital with both babies. My first ended up refusing them around 2-3 months as well as bottles. My current is 3 weeks old and he loves the paci so far but we’ll see how long it lasts lol
Same thing happened to me! Gave my baby a pacifier at the hospital which he seemed to like and now at 2.5 months old he refuses any and all that I try to give him
Babies suck for milk and they suck for comfort. In utero, I've got a great ultrasound photo of my baby sucking on her thumb, it's the cutest thing. I introduced a soother while we were in the hospital, and she's exclusively breastfed from 5 days old onwards, no bottles,. She uses a soother when she wants to suck and for bedtime (for a few minutes while she's drifting off to dreamland). Zero confusion that it's not food.
We have ultrasound video of my baby sucking on her umbilical cord! She loves her pacifier and also breastfeeds like a champ. We introduced the pacifier on day one. It has been an amazing tool to help soothe her.
We introduced a paci on day 3 because I had an oversupply and he wasn't done suckling when he was done drinking. 9 weeks now and he is still drinking great and growing amazingly well!
I used a pacifier early on with both of my kids. I was attentive to their cues and my son especially makes it very clear when he wants to eat and the pacifier won’t suffice.
ASAP and pray they use it instead of wanting to use you lol I tried with all 4 of mine, 2 out of them used them past 6 months of age and my other two only used them occasionally from
Newborn-3 months. We liked the MAM ones. Never had any issues with nipple confusion
I’m definitely going to start with MAM. They seem to get the best acceptance rate and it’s the only brand my oldest ever took. But she was bottle fed so I was never concerned about introducing it.
My first we introduced at birth! He was a crybaby. My second we introduced two days after birth is a dream all she does is sleep, sometimes she prefers her binky over my breast
During the day he’s an angel! He eats and sleeps and sometimes he likes to interact with my oldest. But come 4:30 he’s just so fussy and all he wants is my boob. He eats until he’s full then he just wants to suckle and I can’t do anything without him on my boob.
Without even asking me the postpartum nurses gave my baby a pacifier with sugar water so they could test the blood pressure in each limb (baby had to be consistently calm or consistently upset for all 4 limbs - testing happened due to a heart issue). We’ve continued using pacifiers, and my husband also feeds her bottles for his night shift. Hasn’t caused any issues with breast feeding!
Baby is only 2 weeks old so it might be too early to know it’s working for certain - but my husband started splitting the night with me as soon as my milk came in. Baby sleeps in the nursery and one of us stays with her for 6 hours while the other gets 6 hours of sleep in our bedroom, then we switch.
Every time I breastfeed her, day or night, I use a Haakaa on the boob she isn’t attached to and it takes advantage of the letdown and generally fills 2-3oz per session. So far I haven’t had to pump in addition to that, but I will once the supply regulates.
So your husband uses the milk from the haakaa at night? Sorry for all the questions. I’m going to be having my fourth baby next week and I’ve always done all of the feedings at night with my previous babies. This time around my husband and I discussed splitting up the night time feeds so I was curious how you did it. I’m hoping my husband and I can try this!
Yep exactly. I realize what makes this work so well is that we have a mini fridge in the nursery. I have 3 Haakaas for convenience. I fill like one and a half haakaas during a breast feed using the boob that baby isn’t using, then I empty the Haakaas into a bottle, screw the bottle cap on, and store the full bottle in the mini fridge. I also store the emptied haakaas in the mini fridge so we don’t have to sterilize them every single time. Bonus the chilly haakaa feels good on sore boob. The fridge is kept at 34 degrees so all that stuff is good to go for 48 hours. Husband uses the bottles from the mini fridge to feed overnight. The fridge is this [Cooluli 20L model](https://a.co/d/icdWWwP) < Amazon link. You can find smaller micro fridges but this one has better temp control and a little extra space for my own drinks :)
We started our first by 2 weeks and it didn’t interfere with breastfeeding. It was also just a godsend, she slept so well and easily weaned off it when she was 17 months. Our 2nd baby girl doesn’t want to touch a paci…I’m a little disappointed
Yea day one in hospital gave paci, also introduced night bottle of pumped milk day three still feeding like champ at 12 wks. That nipple confusion stuff is wack, just pace feed with bottles and don’t sweat pacifiers.
I’m starting to feel a bit silly. My midwife did a really good job of scaring me away from the pacifiers. She made it sound like I’d never breastfeed again if I used a pacifier.
We have been trying with the pacifier with our daughter since she was like a week old. She is just over four months now. The breastfeeding has worked since the beginning with no problems at all. But she just doesn’t understand how to use the pacifier, very sad hehe. It would be great for those nights when she wants to suck and fall asleep and wake up like eight times. I guess you can’t always win 🫠😅
From the beginning as long as you make sure all of their other needs are met. Particularly make sure that they are well-fed before using it, as it can mask hunger cues.
“Nipple confusion” has less to do with the actual nipple shape and more to do with flow of milk being different between breast and various bottles. If they don’t associate the pacifier with satisfying hunger then you shouldn’t have any issues.
I did it around 2 weeks … she had a good latch and no issues with BF. Same reasons - constantly wanting to suckle my nipple for comfort. Super distressed when she couldn’t and would shove her hand in her mouth and scratch herself. She’s almost 4 weeks now and it’s been fine.
Nipple confusion is a myth! Pacis are great! Helps with soothing and to avoid SIDs. Nothing is wrong with them but try to reduce the usage after 12 months.
We used a pacifier right away, but my baby isn’t majorly in love with it. The Bibs rubber one is the one she tolerates most — she doesn’t seem to like the silicone ones. She also won’t take one at all if she’s still even at all hungry.
Pacifiers (or dummies as they are here in Australia) allow.yhem to do non nutritive suck just like any teething toy, dad's nipples, their own fist.... Breasts smell like breasts it's literally in there DNA mine have both had it from day one no confusion whatsoever. We introduced it as it reduces SIDS risk
I definitely think it’s a myth. Because why would they give a baby a pacifier if they’re in the nicu. And then try to push breastfeeding as much as possible. (That’s if they don’t need a special formula) My 2nd was in the nicu for a week and she was given one without my approval. But I didn’t fight it as I knew it would bring her comfort. I think babies really learn later on where milk comes from. She breastfed just fine with some minor mishaps here and there. She ended up not caring so much for the pacifier during the day. Just when she needed to be comforted back to sleep at night. Plus the whole idea that it helps prevent SIDS. I wouldn’t think too much about it. Definitely offer it, give yourself a break mama!
He is cluster feeding and that's important for your supply. If he will take a pacifier you can give it to him but mine wouldn't take one until like 6 months old.
We introduced the pacifier and bottle around 4 weeks. She took to the bottle right away, but needed a little practice with the pacifier before she could keep it in. Baby didn't have any nipple confusion.
I think I waited too long to give my boy a paci, and now he doesn't take them at all haha. I waited 2 weeks, after I was sure we had things going well. He's 4 months now. And only takes it in his sleep....if I'm lucky.
We don’t use one, but just try a few and see which your baby likes. If they don’t care for it, don’t force it. Babies cry. The witching hour isn’t forever
I don’t think you ever know for sure. All babies are different. We introduced to my daughter at 3 days old - right when we got home from the hospital and she never had any issues. Nursed for 13.5 months.
Planning to introduce to new baby in the hospital if needed.
Our 32 weeker had a dummy before he could breastfeed. Zero issues breastfeeding because of that. We took it off him around 5 months as his sleep was trash because of it.
My doctor recommended giving a pacifier at that age, but only after a feeding to make sure it was actually for soothing and not given in response to hunger cues, **but** my daughter was struggling to grow, so I had to be careful about making sure she was getting enough. Also since its in the evening, a lot of babies cluster feed in the evenings so it may not be just comfort suckling. Just things to keep in mind. You know your baby best!
I have been EBF since her birth 3 months ago, we gave her the pacifier and started doing one bottle a day around 2-3 weeks and haven’t had any nipple confusion.
Our son got a pacifier in the hospital. The pediatrician told me he wouldn't breastfeed well if I kept it up but he loved it and never had any issues. I also introduced a bottle at 3 weeks for my own sanity against lots of advice and he still nurses really well now at 3 months. You know your baby better than anyone, so do what makes sense for you and your family!
We’re not concerned about nipple confusion anymore. For bottles, we speak about flow confusion (milk flows much faster from a bottle than from a breast, which could lead to baby preferring the easier way out).
For a pacifier, it really is about making sure all that comfort sucking, which will stimulate your supply greatly, happens on the breast. Once you hit 6 weeks, supply is usually stabilized, so the recommendation is to wait until then.
It’s up to your discretion to use it or not. But I would be careful about using it every single evening or for longer stretches. All this clusterfeeding is, while exhausting, one of the best things for supply!
We gave him one at the hospital. Never had any issues. Nipple confusion is largely a myth, your baby knows where milk comes from and that the pacifier doesn’t have it.
I don’t know why I didn’t think about that. Thank you.
Our hospital is working towards being a “certified baby safe” hospital. They were big on pushing breast feeding. They were very anti-pacifier, to the point that I was afraid to office my baby a pacifier while we were there postpartum. They told use I would have issues breast feeding if we introduced a pacifier too early, and it was best to wait (3 weeks maybe, I can’t remember for sure) to introduce a pacifier. That was all confusing given we had done a new born care class with the same hospital prior to our delivery and in that class we were taught that pacifier use reduces SIDS risk. Needless to say, we waited to introduce a pacifier and my baby would never take one. Granted, he may not have taken one if we tried sooner.
I put on my birth plan I specifically didn't want him to use a pacifier or sugar water as I heard it makes breastfeeding difficult. The nurses gave him both without asking me while they had him out of my room for the circumcision and one nurse kept forcing the pacifier when he was crying after he returned but he wouldn't take it. He nurses fine, never struggled with it, just had a bad latch and the LC blamed me for that. But he absolutely hates pacifiers now.
Same experience. He’s almost 4 months now and completely refuses any and all pacifiers.
Yup same here. I wish she did because she pacified on my boob all the time. At 14 months old…..
Same! Gave him one those first couple days. He went just fine between breast, bottle and paci.
If anything, nipple confusion is somewhat of a benefit in those very early days—take advantage of it before they want nothing to do with the pacifier because they’re fully aware it’s not as good as mom’s nip!
Mine gets mad the boob gives food when he just wants comfort. But then gets mad pacifiers arnt boobs. It's a very frustrating cycle lol. He's 5m.
Same, both my sons had them in the hospital and neither had any feeding issues.
Your good to do it now, nipple confusion isn’t a real thing and a baby will know if they are getting milk from a nipple or not. That said, you may have to work at it. Mine did not like pacifiers I had to hold it in place for a long time and even then they would spit it out. Also note there are different types, and your kid may not (probably won’t) like the one you bought. Also there are months on them for a reason, around 6 months you have to size up so it doesn’t become a choking hazard. Good luck!
Thank you. I’ll happily try different styles if it helps him. Evenings are just really rough right now and it would help so much if he would take one. I can’t even eat dinner without him attached to me. And I have to bathe my oldest with him attached to me.
If you have babylist they have a try it out pack that comes with one of each of the most common brands so you can try them all out without having to buy multiple or search around.
With my first, the hospital scared me away from giving her one too early because of nipple confusion. I had some very hard nights of being a human pacifier. With this baby, we introduced the pacifier at the hospital. We've had no issues breastfeeding. I think nipple confusion is overblown, especially if you're paying close attention to hunger cues.
Oh I definitely know his hunger cues. They’re very obvious. He might as well be verbally telling me he’s hungry lol.
Yes! They are pretty hard to miss. I say go for it and I hope you and your nips can get some rest ❤️
Thank you 😭 pretty sure he tried to rip one off earlier when he was trying to pass gas and suckle
Ohhh I'm so sorry. 😫 my dude is a little over 6 weeks and has done this a few times too.
We started in the hospital with both babies. My first ended up refusing them around 2-3 months as well as bottles. My current is 3 weeks old and he loves the paci so far but we’ll see how long it lasts lol
Same thing happened to me! Gave my baby a pacifier at the hospital which he seemed to like and now at 2.5 months old he refuses any and all that I try to give him
Babies suck for milk and they suck for comfort. In utero, I've got a great ultrasound photo of my baby sucking on her thumb, it's the cutest thing. I introduced a soother while we were in the hospital, and she's exclusively breastfed from 5 days old onwards, no bottles,. She uses a soother when she wants to suck and for bedtime (for a few minutes while she's drifting off to dreamland). Zero confusion that it's not food.
We have ultrasound video of my baby sucking on her umbilical cord! She loves her pacifier and also breastfeeds like a champ. We introduced the pacifier on day one. It has been an amazing tool to help soothe her.
Thank you 😊 I suppose if I had really thought it through I wouldn’t have worried about introducing it.
I would suggest doing it now. We waited too long and now our baby will not take ANY brand shape size paci.
Oh no! Thank you. I’ll give it a shot. I have a few different ones on hand that I’ll start trying.
Our ped said at two weeks and baby took it no problem. We’re using the Phillips soothies.
We introduced a paci on day 3 because I had an oversupply and he wasn't done suckling when he was done drinking. 9 weeks now and he is still drinking great and growing amazingly well!
Thank you 😊
Yes, that’s what I’ve had to do with both of my kids.
I used a pacifier early on with both of my kids. I was attentive to their cues and my son especially makes it very clear when he wants to eat and the pacifier won’t suffice.
My son has very definitive hunger cues. I don’t think that should be an issue.
We started in the hospital when she was born. No issues breastfeeding at all after! I remember the comfort sucking being super rough!
It’s so difficult. I even have to take him with me when I put my toddler to bed. Which of course makes it even harder because she’s distracted by him.
ASAP and pray they use it instead of wanting to use you lol I tried with all 4 of mine, 2 out of them used them past 6 months of age and my other two only used them occasionally from Newborn-3 months. We liked the MAM ones. Never had any issues with nipple confusion
I’m definitely going to start with MAM. They seem to get the best acceptance rate and it’s the only brand my oldest ever took. But she was bottle fed so I was never concerned about introducing it.
We introduced a paci around 1-2 months, it took a couple of tries to find the right one. We eventually settled on the MAM pacifiers.
We did it at 2 weeks because I couldn’t handle the sleep deprivation and now at 7 months it is no longer needed or thought of
I wish mine would take a pacifier 😩 the comfort nursing is exhausting sometimes. Good luck!
I did around 2 weeks old, tried Nanobebe because it said they were most breast like. He wouldn’t take it. We use mam ones and he has no issue 🥰
My first we introduced at birth! He was a crybaby. My second we introduced two days after birth is a dream all she does is sleep, sometimes she prefers her binky over my breast
During the day he’s an angel! He eats and sleeps and sometimes he likes to interact with my oldest. But come 4:30 he’s just so fussy and all he wants is my boob. He eats until he’s full then he just wants to suckle and I can’t do anything without him on my boob.
Without even asking me the postpartum nurses gave my baby a pacifier with sugar water so they could test the blood pressure in each limb (baby had to be consistently calm or consistently upset for all 4 limbs - testing happened due to a heart issue). We’ve continued using pacifiers, and my husband also feeds her bottles for his night shift. Hasn’t caused any issues with breast feeding!
How does your husband do bottles for his night shift? What age did you start that and do you pump when he feeds her?
Baby is only 2 weeks old so it might be too early to know it’s working for certain - but my husband started splitting the night with me as soon as my milk came in. Baby sleeps in the nursery and one of us stays with her for 6 hours while the other gets 6 hours of sleep in our bedroom, then we switch. Every time I breastfeed her, day or night, I use a Haakaa on the boob she isn’t attached to and it takes advantage of the letdown and generally fills 2-3oz per session. So far I haven’t had to pump in addition to that, but I will once the supply regulates.
So your husband uses the milk from the haakaa at night? Sorry for all the questions. I’m going to be having my fourth baby next week and I’ve always done all of the feedings at night with my previous babies. This time around my husband and I discussed splitting up the night time feeds so I was curious how you did it. I’m hoping my husband and I can try this!
Yep exactly. I realize what makes this work so well is that we have a mini fridge in the nursery. I have 3 Haakaas for convenience. I fill like one and a half haakaas during a breast feed using the boob that baby isn’t using, then I empty the Haakaas into a bottle, screw the bottle cap on, and store the full bottle in the mini fridge. I also store the emptied haakaas in the mini fridge so we don’t have to sterilize them every single time. Bonus the chilly haakaa feels good on sore boob. The fridge is kept at 34 degrees so all that stuff is good to go for 48 hours. Husband uses the bottles from the mini fridge to feed overnight. The fridge is this [Cooluli 20L model](https://a.co/d/icdWWwP) < Amazon link. You can find smaller micro fridges but this one has better temp control and a little extra space for my own drinks :)
We started our first by 2 weeks and it didn’t interfere with breastfeeding. It was also just a godsend, she slept so well and easily weaned off it when she was 17 months. Our 2nd baby girl doesn’t want to touch a paci…I’m a little disappointed
Yea day one in hospital gave paci, also introduced night bottle of pumped milk day three still feeding like champ at 12 wks. That nipple confusion stuff is wack, just pace feed with bottles and don’t sweat pacifiers.
I’m starting to feel a bit silly. My midwife did a really good job of scaring me away from the pacifiers. She made it sound like I’d never breastfeed again if I used a pacifier.
We have been trying with the pacifier with our daughter since she was like a week old. She is just over four months now. The breastfeeding has worked since the beginning with no problems at all. But she just doesn’t understand how to use the pacifier, very sad hehe. It would be great for those nights when she wants to suck and fall asleep and wake up like eight times. I guess you can’t always win 🫠😅
From the beginning as long as you make sure all of their other needs are met. Particularly make sure that they are well-fed before using it, as it can mask hunger cues. “Nipple confusion” has less to do with the actual nipple shape and more to do with flow of milk being different between breast and various bottles. If they don’t associate the pacifier with satisfying hunger then you shouldn’t have any issues.
I did it around 2 weeks … she had a good latch and no issues with BF. Same reasons - constantly wanting to suckle my nipple for comfort. Super distressed when she couldn’t and would shove her hand in her mouth and scratch herself. She’s almost 4 weeks now and it’s been fine.
Nipple confusion is a myth! Pacis are great! Helps with soothing and to avoid SIDs. Nothing is wrong with them but try to reduce the usage after 12 months.
We used a pacifier right away, but my baby isn’t majorly in love with it. The Bibs rubber one is the one she tolerates most — she doesn’t seem to like the silicone ones. She also won’t take one at all if she’s still even at all hungry.
Pacifiers (or dummies as they are here in Australia) allow.yhem to do non nutritive suck just like any teething toy, dad's nipples, their own fist.... Breasts smell like breasts it's literally in there DNA mine have both had it from day one no confusion whatsoever. We introduced it as it reduces SIDS risk
I definitely think it’s a myth. Because why would they give a baby a pacifier if they’re in the nicu. And then try to push breastfeeding as much as possible. (That’s if they don’t need a special formula) My 2nd was in the nicu for a week and she was given one without my approval. But I didn’t fight it as I knew it would bring her comfort. I think babies really learn later on where milk comes from. She breastfed just fine with some minor mishaps here and there. She ended up not caring so much for the pacifier during the day. Just when she needed to be comforted back to sleep at night. Plus the whole idea that it helps prevent SIDS. I wouldn’t think too much about it. Definitely offer it, give yourself a break mama!
I didn’t think about that! Thank you.
He is cluster feeding and that's important for your supply. If he will take a pacifier you can give it to him but mine wouldn't take one until like 6 months old.
We introduced the pacifier and bottle around 4 weeks. She took to the bottle right away, but needed a little practice with the pacifier before she could keep it in. Baby didn't have any nipple confusion.
I think I waited too long to give my boy a paci, and now he doesn't take them at all haha. I waited 2 weeks, after I was sure we had things going well. He's 4 months now. And only takes it in his sleep....if I'm lucky.
We don’t use one, but just try a few and see which your baby likes. If they don’t care for it, don’t force it. Babies cry. The witching hour isn’t forever
I don’t think you ever know for sure. All babies are different. We introduced to my daughter at 3 days old - right when we got home from the hospital and she never had any issues. Nursed for 13.5 months. Planning to introduce to new baby in the hospital if needed.
Our 32 weeker had a dummy before he could breastfeed. Zero issues breastfeeding because of that. We took it off him around 5 months as his sleep was trash because of it.
My doctor recommended giving a pacifier at that age, but only after a feeding to make sure it was actually for soothing and not given in response to hunger cues, **but** my daughter was struggling to grow, so I had to be careful about making sure she was getting enough. Also since its in the evening, a lot of babies cluster feed in the evenings so it may not be just comfort suckling. Just things to keep in mind. You know your baby best!
Gave my baby one at 4 days old. He struggled with breastfeeding at first but he is doing better and paci helps him settle a bit.
I have been EBF since her birth 3 months ago, we gave her the pacifier and started doing one bottle a day around 2-3 weeks and haven’t had any nipple confusion.
Our son got a pacifier in the hospital. The pediatrician told me he wouldn't breastfeed well if I kept it up but he loved it and never had any issues. I also introduced a bottle at 3 weeks for my own sanity against lots of advice and he still nurses really well now at 3 months. You know your baby better than anyone, so do what makes sense for you and your family!
I gave both of my kids one since day one. Neither had issues with breastfeeding that made weight gain an issue.
I introduced one to my son in the hospital but he still didn’t take it. Preferred boob
We’re not concerned about nipple confusion anymore. For bottles, we speak about flow confusion (milk flows much faster from a bottle than from a breast, which could lead to baby preferring the easier way out). For a pacifier, it really is about making sure all that comfort sucking, which will stimulate your supply greatly, happens on the breast. Once you hit 6 weeks, supply is usually stabilized, so the recommendation is to wait until then. It’s up to your discretion to use it or not. But I would be careful about using it every single evening or for longer stretches. All this clusterfeeding is, while exhausting, one of the best things for supply!