Experience story: Mariska on James's pacifier

When you are pregnant and ticking off your baby checklist, you face a lot of choices. Do you want a pacifier, and if so, which one?

Mum Mariska shares her story:

It was the end of October, about three months before our son James was born, when we went to buy all the baby things. A baby shop near us had a week of special offers, which was perfect timing. We were well advised, and one by one, every item on the list went into the trolley.

Some things are easier to choose than others. I clearly remember standing in front of the pacifiers and needing some help. Which one do you choose from that wall full of options? And do you even need a pacifier?

Glad we had a pacifier at home

You hear positive and negative stories about pacifiers. They are said to affect the position of the teeth and jaw, but they also comfort, help with sleep and are better than thumb sucking. So I decided to buy one, and we could decide later whether to use it. In the shop, they recommended a Difrax Natural Newborn pacifier, because newborns tend to accept it well.

That turned out to be a smart move. The first time we used it was during our second night at home with James. He had a lot of tummy cramps and kept crying. You try everything to ease the pain. Suddenly I remembered that a pacifier also offers comfort. What a relief when he finally settled with his pacifier.

Oh no, we forgot the pacifier!

At first, we mainly used the pacifier for comfort. Only after a few months did we notice that James also likes to fall asleep with it. He sleeps well, but if he wakes up at night, he drifts off again once he has his pacifier. When we are out and he is tired or grizzly, a pacifier helps too.

So whenever we go out, we always take a pacifier. When he was only a few weeks old, we once forgot it when we went out for lunch. Of course you only realise once you are sitting in the restaurant. James slept and kept sleeping, but it was not very relaxing. What if he started crying and would not stop?

A pacifier for as long as it is needed

For me, a pacifier is a handy helper for the trickier moments: when James is grizzly or wakes up at night. We rarely use it when we are out, but it is reassuring to have it with us just in case (read: crying just as you take the first bite of your lunch).

I am glad James never asks for his pacifier during the day, so I do not expect giving it up to be very hard. Still, for a next baby I will definitely buy a pacifier again. Just in case, because you never know when you will need it.

Still unsure? Read the pros and cons of a pacifier.