Can baby sleep with a pacifier?

The vast majority of children in the Western world use pacifiers – in fact, up to 75-85% of all children according to figures from the joint public health portal. Some children only use pacifiers during the day, while others also take their pacifiers with them to the crib or cot.

But can babies sleep with a pacifier? And what considerations should parents make? We delve into this and much more in the article.

There are advantages and disadvantages to letting your child sleep with a pacifier at night.

Babies are born with a natural need to suckle, which only subsides around 12-15 months of age. The sucking reflex is not only necessary for your baby to get nourishment, but sucking also has a calming and reassuring effect on the baby.

There are different opinions on the use of pacifiers. Some parents are very against it, while others are big advocates of it and experience a good effect by giving the child a pacifier both during the day and at night. Whether your child should be allowed to use a pacifier at night (and for that matter during the day) is entirely up to you, but we would like to highlight some of the most important advantages and disadvantages:

The benefits of sleeping with a pacifier

1.      It may be easier to get the child to calm down and fall asleep at bedtime

2.      It can make it easier to get the child to fall back asleep if they wake up at night.

3.      It allows others besides the breastfeeding mother to comfort the baby.

4.      There will be less risk that the child will start sucking their thumb (which can be harder to break)

The disadvantages of sleeping with a pacifier

1.      The baby will tend to wake up more easily when the pacifier falls out of the mouth.

2.      It can potentially negatively affect breastfeeding technique when the baby switches between breast and pacifier early in the breastfeeding process.

3.      There is a risk that the pacifier may become a permanent part of sleep (and that the baby therefore cannot fall asleep without it)

There are ways to calm your baby in the evening and at night without using a pacifier.

Although it can be argued that there are more advantages than disadvantages to letting your baby sleep with a pacifier at night, it is no secret that there are alternative ways to soothe your child.

Here are some tips for calming your little one in the evening and at night without using a pacifier:

•   Rock and cradle the baby
  
  
• Sing or hum a song
  
  
• Give baby massage
  
  
• Play calm and pleasant music
  
  
• Invest in a baby weighted blanket (can be used from 6 months of age)
  
  
• Ae baby on the forehead

Find more baby sleep aids here .

Babies are different, and what works well for some has a more limited effect for others. It is therefore worth trying different methods and noticing the effect. For example, there are many Danish parents who have had success introducing their baby to our weighted blanket , so it may also be the solution for you.