Can You Save Pacifiers for the Next Baby?

You can save tons of money with a few hand-me-downs when planning for your coming child. Babies grow fast, and some items may have barely been touched before you had to upsize. So, having decided to have another, you’re wondering can you save pacifiers for the next baby.

Pacifiers and other feeding items are some of the things you should buy new for the next baby. That still applies even if your previous tot only used their binky for a month before tossing it aside. You don’t want your child to be exposed to degraded silicone or latex, or to miss out on advances in orthodontic development.

Each child is unique, and what suits one may not apply to the other. Before popping a binky into your baby’s mouth, find out if they have sensitivity to any of the materials. Since these products expire, keep reading to find out if you can save pacifiers for the next baby.

What’s the Best Age to Start Your Next Baby on a Pacifier?

While using a pacifier is recommended for babies and infants of all ages. But it’s not practical to introduce your immediately newborn to a binky. The American Academy of Pediatrics or AAP recommends giving your baby their first dummy at three or four weeks old. That’s so that you can initially establish stellar breast- or bottle-feeding patterns while spotting your tot’s hunger cues.

If you wait on giving your newborn a pacifier for a few weeks, you’ll be able to study lip-smacking, sucking motions, or hands going to the mouth much better. Your baby will also avoid developing nipple preference or confusion when switching between a binky and your breast. 

The jury is still out on early breast weaning and the use of pacifiers. Some experts claim they cause tots to stop breastfeeding earlier while others claim there’s no difference. Still, giving your baby a binky doesn’t seem to result in any discernible difficulties, except the calming effect that mums everywhere appreciate.

It’s up to you and the preferences of your child, plus any concerns can be fielded to your pediatrician. On the other end of the spectrum, some babies will be motivated to wean pacifiers early while others may keep the dummy until they’re five or even six years old.

Why Should I Never Use Hand-Me-Down Pacifiers for My Next Baby?

So, we’ve established that your baby can use a pacifier from a newborn age, which is within the first forty days from birth. They’ll calm down your premature or baby with a health condition while acting to promote healthy orthodontic development. When your tot displays innate sucking behavior, dummies discourage them from starting to suck their thumb, blankets, or other items.

You should replace pacifiers on a fairly regular basis, particularly when they show signs of wear and tear. Unless a binky is new, out of its wrapping or carrying case, it’s best to toss it out even when being handed down from your older kid.

Reasons to buy new pacifiers or replace them regularly include;

Sizing

Your baby’s binky is age-appropriate, and the size your previous child left off doesn’t suit your newborn. A smaller dummy than the new tot’s oral cavity can also become a choking hazard for your next baby.

For babies less than three months old, a newborn size pacifier is sterilized at least daily. As such, the constant contact with high temperatures will wear down the binky’s nipple faster.

Hygiene

You shouldn’t compromise the health of your newborn with used pacifiers, especially if you can’t guarantee their hygienic standards. Pacis are affordable, and while an old dummy can contain infectious coliform, it’s easier to sterilize a new one.

Material Degradation

Materials used to make pacifiers, such as latex and silicone will break down after a while due to heat exposure. Rubber is natural and more bite resilient especially when your baby is teething. However, it degrades fast due to heat and water, while it can let off a rubbery taste or odor.

If your baby shows signs of a latex allergy, stick to silicone ones. The material, on the other hand, is more inflexible but resistant to high temperatures. It’s BPA-free and more durable, but some suspect strong chemicals are sometimes used in its manufacture.

Plastic is another material present on your baby’s pacifier. Currently, these follow child-safe standards, but you should always make sure they’re dishwasher or microwave ready.

The BPA Question

Also, there’s the BPA, or Bisphenol-A question, where any plastics older than the year 2000 may not be complying with today’s child safety standards. The same is true for phthalate and PVC or polyvinyl chloride, hazardous materials that were prevalent in baby items only a decade ago.

Tips on Pacifier Use for Your Next Baby

Keep more than a few sizes of your baby’s favorite pacifier so that you’ll have extras when it’s time for a replacement. If your toddler becomes attached to a particular binky, find one that’s exact in color or design and switch them when they’re napping.

Each time your tot throws their dummy on the floor, give them a fresh one that’s you’ve cleaned, sanitized, and stored in a sterile container.

I recommend going with orthodontic pacifiers, whose features include the distribution of sucking pressure equally on the jaw, gums, and tongue with side wings. These also reduce pressure on your baby’s palate to keep their tongue in a natural position.

Conclusion

In general, there are items that your next baby can inherit from an older child, but a pacifier is a big no. For safety, as well as sanitation reasons, it’s best to buy your newborn a binky of their size. Newer dummy models also offer improved orthodontic support, are easy to keep clean, and are dishwasher or microwave safe.

In good shape or not, play it safe by replacing pacifiers after every two months. That eliminates the risks of choking from expanded nipple holes or other small parts that can come undone. Before giving it to your child, check after each cleaning and sterilizing that the binkies materials aren’t impacted by wear or tear.