How to Use a Pacifier

Pacifiers are a mother and father's life saver. It helps quiet a fussy baby and indulges their natural sucking reflex. Parents often use a pacifier to soothe their nerves. Follow these steps to learn how to use a pacifier.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Try to give your baby a pacifier if she is eating constantly. A majority of the time babies just eat to satisfy their sucking reflexes. A pacifier can do this just as well but without the upset stomach.

2. Offer your baby a pacifier if he is having trouble unwinding to go to sleep. The soothing motion of sucking lulls a baby off to sleep.

3. Distract your baby with a pacifier if he wants to eat immediately and you are not in a position yet to feed him. The pacifier will temporarily satisfy him while you get ready to feed him.

4. Pull the pacifier when she starts biting off the nipples or is no longer showing interest. This usually occurs between 1 to 2 years of age.

5. Make the transition off the pacifier pleasant. You can try something creative like hanging the pacifier from a tree and telling your child that the "Binky Fairy" is going to pick it up and take it to another little boy or girl. Don't make it a traumatic experience.

Tips & Warnings

• If the pacifier is getting cracks in it or it is wearing thin, it needs to be thrown away. It can become a choking hazard at that point.
• Never use a bottle nipple as a pacifier. It is too small and a baby can choke on it.