As a parent, comforting your baby is likely very important to you. According to the BabyCenter website, pacifiers are useful if your baby is soothed when she is sucking. A pacifier will allow your four-week-old baby to suck even when she is not hungry so she can be calmed and comforted. Offer your fussy infant a pacifier between feedings and when she cannot be soothed by rocking to help her relax and to satisfy her need to suck.
Step 1
Offer your four-week-old the pacifier if she is fussy between feedings or if you cannot soothe him by rocking him or talking to him. Let him guide you so you know if he is willing to be comforted by the pacifier or not, recommends BabyCenter.
Step 2
Hold the pacifier up to your baby's lips and gently rub the pacifier back and forth. Slowly insert the pacifier if he opens his mouth to take it.
Step 3
Keep your hold on the pacifier until your four-week-old has established a firm suck. Continue holding it until you are sure it will not pop back out.
Step 4
Replace the pacifier if your baby loses her suck on it or if she knocks it out of her mouth with her hand.
Step 5
Remove the pacifier if your baby has lost interest or can no longer be comforted by sucking on it.
Tips and Warnings
- If your baby is having a hard time getting a good suck on the pacifier, try pointing the nipple up slightly when placing it in her mouth to help her get a good hold on it. Use a pacifier that is recommended for a four-week-old baby because pacifiers that are the wrong size may choke your infant, reports the Healthy Children website. Consider purchasing several pacifiers for your baby so you always have a spare if one gets lost or falls on the floor. Allow your baby to sleep with her pacifier if she wants to, advises Baby Center, because sucking can help reduce the chances of SIDS.
- Do not attach your four-week-old baby's pacifier to a string or cord because they pose a strangulation hazard, cautions Healthy Children. Use a one-piece pacifier because two-piece ones can break apart and become a choking hazard. Do not delay feedings by offering your baby a pacifier. Your four-week-old baby still needs to eat every two to four hours and improper growth can occur if you regularly put off feeding her for more than a few minutes. Do not force your baby to take a pacifier if he does not want it.
