My daughter is wondering when it is okay to give a Nursing baby a pacifier. She read somewhere that if you are breast feeding you should not give the baby a pacifier for at least 6 weeks. Is this true or an old wives tale? Anyone able to help??
J.
I breastfed my 2nd daughter within about 30 min. or so of her being born...she took her first pacifier shortly after =) It didn't interfere with her continuing to breastfeed in the least!
I nursed all of my children and gave them pacifiers starting in the hospital. They were all great nursers and never had any problems latching on.
Hi J.,
I nursed both of my babies for over a year. I also let them have pacifiers any time they wanted. They were great nursers and never wanted to wean! They both nursed 14 months each. I stopped because I was ready, but they weren't. :-(
Good luck with your daughter. I've never heard that wives' tale, either!
D.
I read the same thing, and if you are serious about nursing, wait! It might or might not mess up the nursing relationship, but it was a risk I was not willing to take. We are now in the process of weaning - my daughter is 15 months old.
the only time I gave mine a pacifier is in the car when they couldn't get to the breast...
No problem, I nursed my first one, and now my second one is 10 weeks old, and used pacifier and nurses everyday.
Never heard that myth!!!
I am a senior midwife student and we suggest to all of our new mothers to wait at least two weeks to give the baby any artificial nipple including pacifier. Giving a pacifier to a baby too early can cause confusion and make breast feeding much harder. Some baby's will be ok but many will not. It is also in all of the text books to wait to give a baby a pacifier. This is not an old wives tale.
Lisa
I think you should wait if the baby is having a difficult time latching on but if everything is going OK then pacifiers are fine.
