6 Best Pacifiers, Recommended by Experts and Tested by Parents

At the Good Housekeeping Institute Parenting and Pets Lab, we look at baby pacifiers when we vet products for our annual Parenting Awards. Pacifiers are sent to consumers nationwide and they fill out a survey about their experience, including thoughts about other pacifiers that they have tried. Our Lab pros who are parents also regularly review pacifiers for us.

For this list, we considered pacifiers that comply with CPSC Pacifier Regulations. To avoid choking hazards, we chose pacifiers that are made of all one piece and pacifiers that have large guards or shields so that a baby can't get the entire pacifier in their mouth.

As a final step, we poured through online reviews to be sure we had a complete view of how the pacifers work with thousands of families over time.

For newborns, sucking is a natural reflex and a pacifier can help satisfy it, and it can help soothe. When choosing one, think about:

✔️ Age grading: Pacifiers are marked for a certain age range; when buying, be sure you match the pacifier up with your baby's age and stage.

✔️ Material: All of the pacifiers on our list are silicone, which is easy to sanitize and relatively inexpensive. We do notice search for "natural" pacifiers, which could mean something like the HEVEA rubber pacifier, but reviewers wrote that those can be harder to clean and that, not surprisingly, they smell like rubber, which bothers some parents.

✔️ Orthodontic: Dentists prefer you look for pacifiers marked "orthodontic" for proper oral development. But we're going to be real for a moment: If a non-orthodontic pacifier ends up being the one that makes your infant happy, that's likely going to be the one you'll go with.

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) okays pacifiers for newborns and young babies. Its policy statement reads, "The AAPD supports parents in the decision to introduce a pacifier based on their infant’s needs and parental preference as pacifiers may be beneficial during the first few months of life in helping premature infants develop the sucking reflex, offering comfort and soothing, providing an analgesic effect during minor invasive procedures, decreasing the incidence of SIDS and preventing a persistent finger-sucking habit."

Dr. Peyser agreed. "In my opinion, pacifier use is preferred to thumb/finger use during the early years because you can always take the pacifier away," Dr. Peyser said. "I often reassure parents, especially of babies under age 2, that it is typical for a baby to want something to help soothe whether it be a pacifier, blanket or stuffed animal. As they get older, we begin counseling parents on ways to get child away from the habit assuming they haven’t curbed it naturally on their own."

Let's not make this too complicated: The Cleveland Clinic says you can just rinse a pacifier in warm, soapy water in your sink and it will be cleaned. Though it's crazy that someone actually had to say this, The Cleveland Clinic quotes pediatrician Jason Sherman, DO, asking parents to not suck on a pacifier themselves as a way to "clean" off germs.

Check the brand directions first, but most silicone pacifiers can be sterilized. You drop one in to boiling water for five minutes, keeping an eye on it to be sure the water doesn't all evaporate, leaving you with a melted pacifier. Some bottle warmers can also function as steam sterilizers and we also have a list of the best bottle brushes and sterilizers which can also be used for pacifiers.

No matter which pacifier you choose, the dentist we spoke with, Dr. Peyser, recommended you start weaning your baby off a pacifier by 18 months so that they are done by age 2. In our experience, the earlier you wean your baby the easier it will be. If you can have them off of the pacifier at 6 months, that can save you some trouble later.

For more than 100 years, the Good Housekeeping Institute has tested consumer products for safety and efficacy. Our team of scientists, data analysts, engineers and journalists test major purchases like the best family cars, kitchen appliances like toaster ovens and important items for your youngest family member like the best car seat stroller combos and nursery gliders.

This story was first reported by Senior Parenting & Relationships Editor Marisa LaScala. She helps judge the Parenting Awards and Toy Awards and writes many of our gift guides, including a recent list of the best gifts for parents. She's a mom who loves dad jokes.

Contributing Writer Jessica Hartshorn updated this story. She's covered the baby-gear industry for more than 20 years, including for Parents magazine and American Baby magazine. She's a mom of two (both of whom took a pacifier!) and passionate about inexpensive products that can make parenting easier.