Pacifier Soothie
It is sometimes difficult to get a newborn baby used to the idea of accepting a pacifier as a substitute for nursing when the child does not have to eat. That instinct to suck is very strong in a newborn so much so that she will want to suck on something even she doesn’t need to eat. This is the very reason that the entire pacifier industry came into being. If you talk to your pediatrician about the problem of satisfying baby during the first couple months of life, he or she will suggest a specialized pacifier that is made to help you teach the child to accept this substitute for nursing.
This kind of pacifier is called a soothie, which is an apt name because the purpose of the pacifier is to sooth a troubled baby to calm her and help her prepare to sleep. A soothie pacifier is especially helpful to dad who does not have the equipment to feed the child but still has that nurturing instinct to want to give his little one something to comfort her while she is being rocked to sleep.
One of the customizations that are present in a soothie style pacifier is that it is usually made somewhat smaller than other pacifiers. The mouth of a newborn is tiny compared even to a six month old baby. So a newborn does not need a pacifier that is going to become a challenge to use because of size. The soothie is made to fit a tiny baby. In fact, there are specialized pacifier soothies that are made for the very tiny jaws of premature babies. These pacifiers are especially helpful in guiding the "preemie" through those weeks when she is struggling to get her weight up. Sucking on the soothie helps comfort the child and it helps her release vital hormones that will speed her development.
If you were waiting on introducing a pacifier to a newborn because you thought it was too early, you will be quick to notice how the baby naturally adapts and seeks out any pacifier she can find. Many parents discover early on that the baby will be comforted by sucking on your finger. The finger is the right shape and if you use the pinky finger, the right size to help the baby satisfy that sucking instinct. But it is inconvenient to always have your finger occupied in the mouth of your child.
The soothie is made with a hollow tip so you can slide your finger into it to help the baby learn that the pacifier will become a replacement for nursing or for using your finger for comfort. After using the soothie pacifier a few times with your finger in the tip to help teach the child how to adapt to the unit, you will see her get used to the feel of the pacifier and begin to use the pacifier naturally. This is a smooth transition toward using a pacifier that will be a natural step along the way to using other pacifiers later in infancy. The soothie pacifier provides that training aid so important to an infant just learning how to do things in this world.
