Pacifiers are amazing tools for satisfying non-nutritive suckling, offering pain relief, and helping babies learn how to latch. In addition, most parents know the magic of their baby’s favorite pacifier. It can be an instant calm for a crying and fussy baby. Despite the myths and misunderstandings about pacifiers and teeth, they’re undoubtedly great tools.
With all of these benefits, you want to keep plenty of pacifiers on hand and keep them clean. However, there is a right and wrong way to clean them, and cleaning them the wrong way can be a hazard to your baby’s health. That’s why this article will review how to clean your baby’s pacifiers the right way.
Sanitizing Pacifiers
While it’s easier to have plenty of pacifiers in rotation so that you always have a clean one on hand, you should still strive to sanitize your baby’s pacifiers once a day. Take some warm water and a bit of perfume-free soap, and wash it. Just be sure to wash off all of the soap so that your baby doesn’t swallow any.
If you’re on the go, there are cleaning wipes designed for pacifiers that are free of alcohol, perfumes, and bleach. In general, you should clean whatever your baby puts in their mouth as often as possible.
Sterilizing Pacifiers
Sterilizing gets rid of any water, mold, bacteria, and other forms of dirt. The most popular way to sterilize pacifiers is to boil them, but you should be careful. Boiling your pacifiers can cause them to crack and break down, potentially becoming a choking hazard, so boil them on a low boil for five minutes.
There are also steam and UV sterilizers specifically designed for pacifiers that will do a great job of getting rid of any harmful bacteria. However, use sterilizers specifically designed for pacifiers, as regular UV sterilizers and steamers can also break down the pacifier’s material.
What Not To Do
Sometimes you can’t clean your baby’s pacifier. Whether you’re nowhere near soap and water or don’t have any wipes, don’t clean your baby’s pacifier by sticking it in your mouth. Your mouth has bacteria in it that can cause your baby to get sick or cause cavities. In addition, don’t clean or keep any pacifiers that have cracks or look worn, as mold and germs can get caught on the inside of the pacifier, becoming impossible to remove.
Knowing how to clean your baby’s pacifiers the right way is critical for your baby’s health. However, do what you can and clean when you can. Being a parent is difficult enough, so don’t be hard on yourself if your baby’s pacifiers aren’t sparkling clean every day.
