Peek into any baby gift registry or gift basket for new parents, and you’re bound to see pacifiers. You’ll also see babies with the distinctive pieces of silicone in their mouths in ads and movies. In fact, pacifiers have been around since 1900, when the first “baby comforter” was created.

Sure, babies look adorable with pacifiers, but it’s not the only reason people use them. Some other notable benefits of pacifiers include: 

1. Safety 

Babies who sleep without pacifiers and rest on their stomachs have a 2.5 times greater risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) when compared with infants who use pacifiers.

2. Keeping Babies Happy

There’s a reason these inventions were originally called “baby comforters.” Even in the womb, infants suck their thumbs and a pacifier provides the same comfort. 

3. Hygiene

Babies love to put everything in their mouths, including their hands, blankets and anything they find on the ground. These items may not be safe or clean. A pacifier featuring medical-grade silicone can be disinfected or replaced, making it a safer option. When a baby has a pacifier in their mouth, they are less likely to put something unsafe there.

4. Distraction

Many infants feel soothed when they suck on a pacifier, and parents use them to help babies stay calm in public, when getting medical procedures and more.

5. Help Infants Fall Asleep

Infants six months and younger often fall asleep faster with pacifiers.

6. Aid Parents

By helping babies stay distracted and happier, pacifiers can be a great tool for parents, too. A happier infant can mean calmer parents. When a baby falls asleep with a pacifier, moms and dads get to rest too.

7. Help Preterm Babies

At least one study has found pacifiers can help preterm babies. Researchers found non-nutritive sucking or the kind associated with pacifiers, was linked to better bottle feeding and shorter hospital stays for preemies.

8. Useful on Flights

Babies can’t chew gum or yawn on demand to prevent the “popping” of ears when they fly. A pacifier can help ease some of the discomfort.

9. Make It Easier to Break the Habit

While many children try non-nutritive sucking early on, over time, it can be a problem for social interaction and dental health. When a child sucks their thumb, it's often harder to wean them away from the sucking because their thumb is always there. With a pacifier, it’s possible to throw it or transition it away.

10. Not a Choking Hazard

Babies put many items in their mouths, including smaller items they may swallow. A pacifier can distract a baby and prevent this type of choking hazard from other items.

Find the Perfect Pacifier Today

If you want even more functionality from your pacifier, Nookums® Paci-Plushies pacifier holders and teethers let a baby hold onto a plushy toy. The pacifier is replaceable, so you can keep the plush toy and replace the pacifier as often as needed. Compatible with many pacifiers, Nookums Paci-Plushies comes with 100% medical-grade silicone pacifiers in the same size and shape as hospital ones to make the transition from the hospital to home a little easier.

Nookums Paci-Plushies help your baby move away from pacifiers as they get older because the child can keep their favorite stuffed animal, even after the pacifier is gone. Nookums® also offers Paci-Plushies Chillies™ for teething babies and Shakies™ which come with a rattle.

Browse the full Nookums selection of products and contact us if you have any questions.