I got one of these at the hospital, and it is the only pacifier my son has ever accepted. Highly recommend you at least try it if you haven't already. It's great, because you can stick your finger in and babies tend to latch onto it better when you do.
And they look like a suckerfish, as you can see by looking down the translucent nub. It's entertaining AND useful.
And I totally don't laugh at my child.
When my little one was discharged from her stay in the NICU, the NICU nurses threw together a bag for us with all kinds of stuff from their shelves. Included was about 30 of these. I think I'm good to go on pacifiers for the rest of her infanthood.
These little guys are great! We got several other brands of pacifiers at our baby shower, and my daughter rejects anything but these. She's not a huge fan of pacifiers in general, and only wants to take one when she is super, super fussy, or crying while she's waiting to eat. The Soothies are big enough and bold enough in color to find in the middle of the night in the crib, too, which is an extra bonus. They're also really easy to keep clean. I throw mine in the dishwasher. You can also stick your pinky finger in the little hole on the nipple part, and that really seems to be something my daughter likes a lot.
With all that said, the best part of all isn't advertised. These pacifiers are translucent, so when you put it in your baby's mouth, you can see the sucking action. It looks a bit like a lamprey, really. It's absolutely absurd and adorable. I never thought I'd find amusement in watching my kid suck on a pacifier, but it's strangely fascinating, and my husband and I both laugh at it every time. She's our little lamprey.
Buy Philips Avent BPA Free Soothie Pacifier, 0-3 Months, 2 Pack, Packaging May Vary Now
I ordered this pacifier to use while my baby is in her car seat and swing. While she usually falls asleep after a few minutes of driving she doesn't like being in her car seat and gets really upset. The only thing that soothes her is letting her suck on my pinky but this won't work once Daddy goes back to work and I have to drive when we go out. I was reluctant to give her a pacifier since she is exclusively breastfed and I have heard pacifiers can create problems with latching. So far we have had no problems with her latch and she is calmed by this pacifier in the car or swing. Once she gets a good latch on it, which takes about 30 seconds of holding it for her, she is able to keep it in her mouth until she falls asleep. I don't plan to use this long-term. I know every infant is different but we have had success with this pacifier so far. Please keep in mind I only give it to her when she has a full tummy and needs to suck on something to fall asleep in her swing or car seat.
Read Best Reviews of Philips Avent BPA Free Soothie Pacifier, 0-3 Months, 2 Pack, Packaging May Vary Here
I have a 5 week old and have tried the other pacifiers, but found that my newborn started chewing on my nipples when I breastfed her because the shape of the pacifier and my nipples were not the same.
After reading some reviews, I bought the GumDrop Newborn Pacifiers and the Philips AVENT Soothies at the same and had high hopes for both of them, but when I got them, my newborn rejected the GumDrop pacifiers as the base of the pacifier is a harder plastic than the Soothies.
She absolutely loves the Soothies, and the round base around them mimics breastfeeding more closely than the Gumdrops. I have since purchased more Soothies and have one in almost every room in the house. As a result of these great pacifies, she has since stopped chewing on my breast and has a better latch!
Want Philips Avent BPA Free Soothie Pacifier, 0-3 Months, 2 Pack, Packaging May Vary Discount?
On the one hand, whatever is comforting to the baby is a winner, and I like that now you can get the Soothie in a color other than the typical green.
However, as far as pacifiers go, the Soothies are my least favorite. First, they are nearly impossible to stay in baby's mouth without assistance. There are a few Soothie holders out there, like the Wubbanub, but who designs a $15-$20 pacifier holder that doesn't detatch from the pacifier? (For washing/replacing purposes...).
Second, these seem to be the worst option for long-term use from a dental perspective. The nipple is about as anti-orthodontic as you can get....just take a look at the difference in shape between these and a NUK. From an oral development perspective, a baby may as well suck their thumb....they'll have the same shaped teeth. If my babies are going to use a pacifier, I'd much rather it be an orthodontic design that puts less pressure on the gums/incoming teeth.
Third, as other reviewers have noted, the non-nipple part of the pacifier leaves little room for a tiny newborn's nose....not a great design.
Fourth, when these pacifiers drop, they bounce and roll to all corner of the earth. Like bouncy balls that pick up dirt and lint and god-knows-what with each bounce.
That said, of my 3 kids, both daughters seemed to go through a "Soothie Phase" as newborns. When it comes to soothing a little one, I go with what works. For long term use, however, I was able to re-introduce orthodontic pacifiers to both my girls at about 3 months (the youngest seems to prefer the Avent orthodontic design, my oldest stuck with the NUK).
Every baby seems to have it's own preferences, so I've held on to our Soothies for each of our kids, but if I could choose a pacifier to get "hooked on," it would be the NUK. My suggestion is that if you have a baby that already likes an orthodontic design, stick with that!
Even though they are latex free, there is a band-aid shaped rash/red mark left on my daughter's skin after these come off. She's three, and bandaids rarely last for more than a few hours so it isn't like she's getting extreme exposure for days at a time. They are stiff and plasticy. I'll stick with the name brand stuff from now on.
