Your little one is born with a natural instinct to suck – in fact, babies have actually been found to suck their thumbs in the womb!
Breastfeeding allows your infant to satisfy this basic need, however, when they are tired, bored or in need of comfort, a number of children want to suck in between feeds. This is where a soother can come in handy.
While some parents will allow their baby to suck their thumbs during these moments, this can actually have a negative effect on their teeth and bone structure. Also, while it can be tough to wean your little one off their soothers, parents find it a lot more difficult to get toddlers to break a developed thumb-sucking habit.
Respected brands, such as NUK here, work with dental experts so that their soothers have an orthodontic shape and softer feel to promote healthy oral development. Their Genius soother here is a much-loved design with a flexible baglet to reduce the pressure on Baby's jaw and teeth and cut the risk of teeth misalignment.
A lot of research has gone into soothers since we were babies, and now there are a variety of tried-and-tested options available.
For example, NUK Soothers can be bought in three different sizes: size 1 for 0-6 months, size 2 for 6-18 months and size 3 for 18-36 months. This ensures the soother you choose is best suited to your child’s development stage and mouth shape, providing your little one with a safe soother experience.
Even your baby’s skin is taken into consideration when making soothers these days. NUK’s Freestyle soother here is designed to cut the number of skin contact points and therefore cause less irritation to your little one’s delicate skin. It also features large ventilation zones to help channel saliva away from the mouth.
Soothers are also available in silicone and latex models. Silicone is the stronger, more durable option, but latex versions have proved popular among parents as they are softer and allow Baby to adapt more easily.
Here are some tips from our MummyPages community that that will help you if you decide a soother is best for you and your baby:
• Always replace worn or damaged soothers immediately.
• Ensure that the soother is clean as hygiene is incredibly important. Many mums will sterilise soothers when sterilising feeding equipment here.
• If you are breastfeeding, it is best to make sure this is properly established before introducing a soother, as it can interfere with the process.
• Try to wean your baby off the soother between six and 12 months; any later than this and you may have difficulty.
