Can a Newborn Sleep with a Pacifier?

Using a pacifier comes with pluses and minuses. If your baby likes a pacifier, then it is probably their favorite accessory. While the future of their teeth can be a concern, in the short term, pacifiers are a nice way to soothe crying babies. Pacifiers are a great way to keep your baby quiet during the day, but can a newborn sleep with a pacifier?

There is no specific answer about how soon you can give your baby a pacifier. If you are exclusively breastfeeding, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends waiting until you and your baby have a good nursing routine. This can mean waiting a month so your baby can avoid nipple confusion. Bottle-fed babies can start using a pacifier immediately.

Sucking on a pacifier can help your baby fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer, even if they’re not crying a lot. Pacifiers have also been linked to lowering the risk of sleep-related deaths in babies, such as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Studies have shown that giving a baby a pacifier while sleeping can cut the risk of SIDS by more than half.

Pacifiers prevent your baby from suffocating during sleep by making it harder for the baby to roll over on their stomach, and the pacifier can block your baby’s face from accidentally getting too close to the mattress, pillow, or blankets.

If you’ve been worried about your baby sleeping with a pacifier, you don’t have to be. Pacifiers are a great way to soothe your baby while they are awake and while they’re asleep. Pacifiers also have the added benefit of being able to reduce the risk of SIDS and suffocation. If you’re bottle-feeding your baby, you can start using a pacifier immediately. However, it’s best to wait about a month before you start giving your baby a pacifier if you are breastfeeding exclusively.

It is ideal to use the pacifier as a soothing tool and not let id become a dependency. To do this make sure you remove the pacifier once your baby is calm and relaxed. They will have very strong suction and you may feel it will wake them. Just lay your hand on their chest and turn the pacifier to the side to break the latch. It is not ideal to leave the pacifier in the mouth as it becomes a real challenge later on if they need you to replace it every time it falls out. We hope this helped answer the question of can a newborn sleep with a pacifier? If not, you can reach out and we can provide additional advice.