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Safe Sleep Recommendation: Try giving your baby a pacifier at nap time and bedtime.

Safe Sleep Recommendation: Try giving your baby a pacifier at nap time and bedtime.

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This helps reduce the risk of SIDS, even if the pacifier falls out after your baby is asleep. But keep in mind:

  • If your baby is breastfed, wait until breastfeeding is established before offering a pacifier. That means your milk supply is good, breastfeeding is comfortable and consistent, your baby is latching well and they’re gaining weight like they should. If you’re not breastfeeding your baby, you can start the pacifier whenever you like.
  • It’s OK if your baby doesn’t want a pacifier. You can try offering again later, but some babies simply don’t like them. If the pacifier falls out after your baby falls asleep, you don’t have to put it back in.
  • Don’t hang a pacifier around your baby’s neck or attach it to their clothing when they’re sleeping.
UNC Collaborative for Maternal and Infant Health logo

Safe Sleep NC is a program of the UNC Collaborative for Maternal and Infant Health. Our goal is to strengthen the adoption of infant safe sleep practices that reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and that prevent infant sleep-related deaths such as accidental infant asphyxiation and suffocation across the state.

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