Picking the correct pacifier for your baby might be easy or hard, depending on the pacifier you choose. Most pacifiers are either medical-grade silicone or natural rubber. Understanding the best pacifier for babies is essential if you want to buy one.
Both silicone and rubber pacifiers have their benefits and drawbacks. Choosing the less expensive alternative may be tempting, but this is not always the best decision. Use this guide to discover more about rubber versus silicone pacifiers and which is best for your child.
Natural Rubber Pacifier
Since rubber is a natural substance, it appeals to many parents who seek all-natural products. In addition to being entirely natural, rubber is more flexible than silicone, so it better imitates the breast and will feel more natural to breastfed infants. Additionally, these pacifiers are biodegradable. While they have many positive qualities, there are a few potential drawbacks.
These pacifiers will rapidly expand and break down. The natural rubber properties cause the nipples to swell when they are repeatedly sucked on. Your infant could be using a 0–6-month pacifier, but as the nipple expands, it will resemble a 6–12-month pacifier. Besides expanding rapidly, these pacifiers will also begin to break down after a few weeks of usage. Therefore, you should replace them when they get sticky and show signs of wear and tear.
One way to make these pacifiers last longer is to have multiple options for your baby. Keep one for the crib, another for the car seat, and a couple to circulate throughout the home.
Silicone Pacifier
Although silicone isn’t made from natural ingredients, it’s a material that poses no health risks to humans, more so kids. Unlike rubber pacifiers, they can be safely boiled or steam-sterilized to sanitize bacteria without becoming brittle. Silicone pacifiers are typically cheaper than rubber pacifiers, which is a significant selling factor for many parents.
Medical grade silicone is the purest form of silicone and an industrially produced material. The material’s high purity level makes it useful in sensitive fields, including food and medicine. Quality silicone products, like Bibs Pacifier Silicone, do not contain harmful ingredients like BPA, PVC, or phthalates. Furthermore, the material is clear and translucent, and its surface is smooth.
Silicone’s disadvantage is that it is a material that is thicker and hence stiffer than natural rubber. Since this pacifier is less flexible than the mother’s breast or a bottle nipple, it may take some time for the infant to get used to using one.
What to Consider When Choosing a Pacifier?
1. Safety
The function of a pacifier is to calm infants by resembling their mother’s breasts. To make it as simple and natural as possible for a baby to move between a pacifier and a mother’s breast, many choose natural rubber, which is softer and more identical to the skin and breast’s elasticity than silicone.
2. Allergies
Among the two options, silicone is the cleaner and less allergenic choice. If someone in your family is allergic to latex, you should consider using medical-grade silicone pacifiers.
3. Taste and smell
Silicone is a fragrance-free material, but natural rubber has a little characteristic smell. Different children have different preferences and will choose whichever suits their taste.
4. Durability
Natural rubber is more elastic than silicone, making it more difficult for infant teeth to break. Silicone pacifiers don’t wear out as quickly as their natural rubber counterparts. Therefore, you will observe that natural rubber expands and changes shape over time, but silicone maintains its shape.
5. Storage
Natural rubber is susceptible to damage from light and heat, but silicone is more resistant to environmental effects. Therefore, you should store your natural rubber pacifiers in a cool, dry, and dark location and never on a windowsill, where they might be exposed to sunlight.
6. Cleaning
The younger the baby, the more critical it is to keep the pacifier clean, and the more frequently it will have to be cleaned. In such cases, silicone pacifiers tend to be more manageable than natural rubber ones because their surfaces are smooth and do not collect dust or grime. As silicone has a high tolerance for heat, the pacifier will not be harmed by the regular, repeated sterilizations required for optimal pacifier care.
The Bottom Line
So, which choice is better for your child? You can determine your solution in several ways. Both silicone and rubber pacifiers are effective, so your choice depends on your baby and your preferences. However, a rubber pacifier is great for toothless infants because of its flexibility and softness, making it easy and safe to use. Silicone, on the other hand, is more firm, sturdy, and long-lasting than other pacifier materials, making it a better choice for children with teeth.
In contrast to silicone pacifiers, rubber ones get softer over time, making them simpler to chew. But if you’re searching for a soft pacifier made of a different material, silicone may be your best option. So, there you have it. Instead of merely choosing whichever pacifier you find on the shelf, you now have the information to make an informed decision for your child.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
