Looking for Advise on Which Pacifier to Buy for Breastfeeding

I've never used pacifiers, but from what I've seen, Gerber's NUK is most shaped like a nipple. Good luck!

My daughter loved the paci that they gave her in the hospital so we just bought more of those. Babies have an inherent need to suck and studies have found that babies who are put down with a pacifier have a lower incidence of SIDS. I let her suck to her hearts content until she was 6 months old, then the paci stayed in the crib and she was only allowed to use it there. We've never had a fight over the paci. My theory was that if she was going to suck something, it might as well be the paci which we could eventually take away from her rather than the thumb that was permanently attached to her hand. Moms should not be judging other moms on their decision to let their babies use a paci.

Hi L..
I, too, have heard to stay away from a pacifier for awhile to be sure the babies can nurse well. (Same as a bottle, they say some can suffer from "nipple confusion".) We got a Nuk also and I don't recall any problems. We got rid of it when she was about 4 months. She nursed alot, and often, but that was fine.
Good Luck.

It really depends on the child, and to be honest, any pacifier will do as long as it will fit in their little mouths. However, don't be surprised if they refuse the pacifier at first. I breastfed both my children to almost 12 months of age and my first only really accepted the pacifier when he was 4 months old (tried multiple types) and my 2nd was 6 months old. Before that they never were able to keep it in their mouths or would get upset by it and spit it out. They took the bottle as well as breast yet not fond of the pacifier.

Also, once they get older, try to limit their use to nap-time (I always kept theirs in their crib).

I was told to get a pacifier whose nipple most resembled my own. So grab your nipple and look at its shape and then go shopping. Also invest in some nipple balm, it will help while your nipples toughen up.

good luck, Nat

They may choose their own binky - my LO refused the first two I tried and loved the third.
Make sure you get lots of help from the lactation consultants to get the breastfeeding started off right...and don't introduce the pacifiers until breastfeeding is well-established (at least a few weeks).

Hi L.,
You don't need to introduce a pacifier at all. I don't want to repeating what Karen M aleady said but I totally agree with her advice .. And I am a mom of twins. My baby girls just turned 15 months and they've never had pacifiers. Life in the world of twins is all new. As for items of comfort like a blanket or something, they have each other and really prefer it that way for comfort, and it totally help bonding. Have faith in yourself that when one baby is crying you won't need a device / pacifier to sooth the other. My husband and I developed such teamwork that the babies needs were always met and now I'm the SAHM so when I am home alone with them hugs and comfort sooth beauitifully. You'll find abilities in yourself that will amaze you. Maybe not the advice you were looking for but I hopes this helps.
Congratulations,
L.

Hi L.,
I am currently breastfeeding my second baby, and I am using the "soothie" from first years. I have tried many different brands, and the soothie are the ones that worked best for both my boys. They are also the same ones that most hospitals use. Just make sure that they are the right ones for the right age. The ones for older babies are more firm, and harder for newborns to use.

Congratulations! Sounds like you will gave your hands full soon :) My first born loved sucking on a pacifier and breastfed for a year+. He has a frog Wubbanub pacifier which we absolutely love and call Fiona :) It is a binky with a small stuffed animal attached to it. You can order them online: http://www.wubbanub.com These pacifiers help anchor the binky so it doesn't pop out so easily. They are also a lot easier to keep track of and we don't lose it as easily as a normal binky. There are all sorts of animals to choose from. My second born has no interest in the binky, so it depends on your baby's preference. I recommend that you get one for each baby and see if he/she likes it. If so, you can order more. Love love the wubbanubs!!!! Good Luck :)

Hey- congratulations on your future as a MOT (mother of twins)! I'm one, too! They're now age 9.5, fraternal girls.
The best advice I have for you, is to try different brands. Buy one of each of several brands (be sure to get the right size for newborns), and have your babies try them out. Once they "tell" you what they like, buy more. Babies have different preferences, that's why there's so many different types out there. Best of luck. Rest. Get lots of help lined up to help you through the first weeks/months.

I used the NUK pacifier, i breastfed my little girl for 4 months. but truly you really want to wait until the babies are at least 4 weeks old or so before introducing a pacifier, or it may cause nipple confusion and it can also weaken their suck reflex, cause it takes a different type of sucking to nurse than it does to suck on a pacifier. also when you are first starting off nursing you really need to pay attention to their hunger cues and if you give them a pacifier when they want to nurse they will lose interest in latching on. good luck nursing is truly worth it if you stick with it, i wish had been able to nurse for longer than 4 months with my little girl but it takes patience and alot of learning

Hi L.,

Congratulations on expecting twins, that's so exciting! It's wonderful you are doing a little research about pacifiers before they arrive. I've had good luck with playtex brand pacifiers. They say on the package "natural latch" and are designed to be similar to a woman's breast. I breastfed by first son for a year and used these pacifiers and am currently breastfeeding my 3 month old son and using the pacifiers regularly. One tip, the pacifier is a wonderful soothing tool initially but if you use it too long it can be a difficult habit to break. At the recommendation of my father-in-law who is a pediatrician, we stopped using the pacifier with my oldest at 4 months and he didn't even notice! We plan to do the same with our new baby. Good luck!

Congrats! I have 13 month old boy girl twins and was able to breastfeed them till one. Because this is your first time nursing, please beware of some of the anti-pacifier/bottle pressure that you may get at the hospital. This was my second time breastfeeding so I was able to weed through the advice. I don't think it would have worked if I listened to the lactation consultants. Breastfeeding twins is an whole different ball game than breastfeeding one! The Nuk pacifier worked well and that is the bottle that I used to give them pumped milk. I could NOT have nursed twins if I didn't have help with expressed milk in bottles. I started them by about 5 days old and there was no nipple confusion. Go with your gut. If they are latching on OK, it is a Godsend to be able to have someone give a bottle of breastmilk. Good luck! Its a great ride!

Hi L., Congrats! I breast fed my daughter and found that she never took to a pacifier. Even though I had to pump and bottle feed for the first three weeks (!), once she figured out how to latch on, she never needed a pacifier to soothe. It's great for us both because I'll never have to take away her pacifier and we never had any drama if it got lost or left home! Good luck!

L.-

If you can, don't introduce a pacifier at all. My first child never had one and my second never used one until he was one and my daughter found one in the toy box and gave it to him. he is now 2 1/2 and we have to bring the "paci" everywhere to keep him happy. He sleeps with it everynight and if it falls out of the crib he wakes up and cries until we go in and give it back to him which sometimes happens 2-3 times a night.

I'm not sure the best pacifier, since neither or my daughters really took to one. They both used the newborn soothies by "The First Years" that they got in the hospital though.

My sister had twins and said a twin nursing pillow is a must. She said this was the single most useful thing she found for twins.

Congrats and good luck!

Hi Lori.
I used the gerber Nuk with my youngest my oldest never liked a pacifier. Don't introduce it until breastfeeding has been established and they are nursing and latching well. Introducing a pacifier or bottle too soon can lead to nipple confusion. Good luck and congrats on the twins that's so exciting!
Edited: After reading a few other repsonses I wanted to let you know that my oldest is 7 never sucked a thumb or pacifier and he needs braces. Sucking a pacifier doesn't harm their mouth these days they are specially shaped and are recomended now to prevent SIDS. If you take away the pacifier by 9 months they never even realize its gone but if you wait you will have a hard time. My youngest used it especially when teething pop it in the fridge its great. Newborns have a natural need to suck by the time he was 3 or 4 months he was just using it at night and by 9 months we took it away and he never knew or noticed it was even gone.

I used the MAM pacifiers and never had any problem with my son nursing. He seemed to prefer the 6+ size.

Hi L.....CONGRATS!!

They say that you are not supposed to give a breastfeeding baby a pacifier until they have properly latched on.....4-6 weeks....YIKES!!!! I breastfed my twins and brought a Nuk brand pacifier to the hospital, the nurses didn't like it. They seemed to latch on fine and were happy with the Nuk brand pacifier. I breastfed for 8 months. Good luck with it!!!

PS....my girl/boy twins are just over a year.

Don't get any. Babies do not need pacifiers. First you give your babies pacifiers then you won't be able to wean them from the pacifiers. Neither of my boys used them and nor did they suck their thumbs. My stepson had a pacifier and my husband said it was very, very difficult taking it away at age 3. Then he picked up sucking his thumb. We went through braces, appliances, etc to correct the damage he did to his palate and front teeth from sucking on his thumb. So why teach your child to comfort himself by sucking? Both of my sons had comfort items (a stuffed animal and a blanket). They both understood these items were very special and should stay clean so they could sleep with them, so they were not allowed to take them out of the house (except for sleepinging over, vacation, etc). They both lost interest in them by pre-school age. I may sound insensitive, but I just can't see the need for a pacifier.
Good luck!!

I agree with the responses you received below that suggest not introducing a pacifier. Neither of my daughters would take one and it's a great thing. You never have to go through the weaning from the paci trauma. They also learn to self-sooth early on. They may find a finger or thumb but my girls didn't keep that habit for long at all.

Good Luck with the twins, you're going to love it!