Pacifiers: The Tiny Plug of Peace or the Root of All Dental and Sleep Evil?

A Humorous Look at the Pros and Cons of Soother Use (With Real Research!)

soother, dummy or pacifier depending on where you are from

Ah, the pacifier. That magical piece of silicone that can silence a newborn scream faster than you can say, “Where is it?! I know I put it in the diaper bag!”

But is it a gift from the parenting gods—or just another gateway to orthodontic doom? As a sleep consultant I am anti-soother but keep reading for an unbiased or as unbiased as I can be, breakdown.

🍼 PRO: Instant Baby Silencer

The humor:
Pacifiers are like baby remote controls—press one in and suddenly, mute mode. Now if you know me and you have spoken to me I will always say, instead of keeping them quiet, we should look at why they are crying in the first place. I worry that they can be used to mask issues -ie, why is the baby crying? What do they need?

The research:
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) supports pacifier use during naps and bedtime, as it can help reduce the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). One 2005 study found pacifier use during sleep reduced SIDS risk by up to 90% (Mitchell et al., BMJ). So yeah... they’re not just peace-keepers, they’re life-savers. But they can also be tricky to use when babies have colds and or have plugged noses.

🧛 CON: The Great Nipple Confusion Debacle

The humor:
Introducing a pacifier too soon might make your baby look at your boob like it’s a low-tech imposter.

The research:
The WHO and UNICEF warn against early pacifier use in breastfeeding infants. Studies suggest early introduction (within the first few weeks) may be linked to shorter breastfeeding duration. But hey—some studies also say pacifier use doesn’t affect breastfeeding at all.

Welcome to parenting: where science says “maybe” and you just have to wing it anyway. Honestly, sometimes I do wonder who comes up with all of this stuff.

😴 PRO: Soother = Sleep Fairy

The humor:
A pacifier at bedtime is basically the baby equivalent of melatonin gummies.

The research:
Pacifiers can help babies self-soothe, which can mean longer stretches of sleep for everyone (Hauck et al., 2005). Plus, they help babies learn to fall asleep without nursing or rocking—a key ingredient in the elusive “sleeping through the night” unicorn. I don’t agree with this, as the baby is then not soothed when it’s gone, so therefore this is not self soothing! See how complicated this is………

🦷 CON: The Dentist is Coming for You

The humor:
By age three, your kid’s soother may cost more than their future college tuition—in dental bills. I do know that between the age of 18 months and the age of 3 years they are harder to remove due to emotional development and as alot of children visit the dentist around 18 months, may be asked to remove it as they enter the phase where its harder to be removed.

The research:
Prolonged pacifier use (especially past age 2-3) is linked to dental malocclusion, which is just a fancy way of saying your kid might get buck teeth (American Dental Association). The longer they use it, the more likely it’ll interfere with tooth and jaw development.

🤧 CON: Germ Magnet

The humor:
Dropped pacifier? Quick—blow on it, lick it, sacrifice it to the laundry gods. Anything but the public floor of doom.

The research:
Pacifiers can harbor bacteria and yeast, and may increase the risk of ear infections. A 2012 Pediatrics study showed a significant association between pacifier use and acute otitis media (a.k.a. those never-ending ear infections). This is because when babies lay on their backs sucking on the soother, saliva and bacteria enters the ear tube which are being opened due to the sucking reflex ( think about being on a plane and sucking on a sweet, we do it to open up the ear tubes ).

😂 PRO: It’s Cheaper Than Therapy

The humor:
Let’s be honest—if that $3.99 piece of silicone saves your sanity at 2 a.m., it’s cheaper than a therapist and quicker than a glass of wine.

The research:
Well… there’s no official study on this one. But countless parents will tell you that the emotional ROI of a quiet car ride is priceless.

Final Verdict: It’s All About Balance

Use a pacifier if it works for you but if you are looking to work with me, Im going to tell you to get rid of it. Just know when to hold ‘em and when to pull the plug (usually by age 2–3, before the orthodontist sends you a thank-you card). Like most parenting tools, the soother isn’t a hero or a villain. It’s a tiny, squishy, sleep-saving mystery—and sometimes, that’s good enough but if your baby needed it, they would be born with it. I do see the benefit to babies who are in the NICU needing one to improve their ability to suck, but on a long term basis, you want it to be gone.

Want to know the best way to get rid of it? Book a free 15 minute chat with me