Disclosure :: This post was written by Dr. Allyn Clause of Lafayette Pediatric Dentistry, in collaboration with Sarah Tate, the in house feeding therapist with Hope Therapy Lafayette.
Bottles And Pacifiers: How Do I Know What To Pick? There Are So Many Options!
If this article interests you, you may be entering the beautiful part of life known as parenthood. With this change comes the responsibility of making many choices that will impact the lives of our children. We have worked alongside our in-house therapist, Sarah Tate MS CCC-CLP, of Hope Therapy Lafayette, to provide useful information on pacifiers and bottles.
Pacifiers
When choosing a pacifier for your child, it is important to avoid bulbous shapes. The bulbous nature doesn’t allow for ideal oral motor development as the child is not required to use many of the facial muscles to keep the pacifier in. It is also helpful to avoid pacifiers that are marketed as having an “orthodontic” design. These can facilitate a lower tongue posture which is not helpful for latching or feeding. Instead, use cylindrical shaped pacifiers, which allow more recruitment of oral muscles to help better guide oral motor development. A good comparison: it is easier to hold a softball versus a golf ball. The golf ball requires you to use more hand muscles to fine tune your grasp around the smaller ball. It is also important to avoid weighted attachments on pacifiers. This added weight exceeds the necessary force needed to orthodontically move teeth which could lead to more pronounced adverse bite patterns.
Pacifier Tidbits
It is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) that non-nutritive habits such as pacifier or digit sucking be discontinued by the age of 18 months. This lowers the chance of bite changes related to pacifier use such as narrow palate, open bite, excessive overbite, or cross bite.
Pacifiers are shown to be protective against SIDS in the first 12 months of life. They also are a great resource to help settle a baby who may be feeling ill or upset. After 12 months, however, it is known that pacifiers increase a child’s risk of acquiring ear infections.
Pacifier Recommendations
Avent Soothie
Evenflo Cylindrical
Bottles
Bottle nipples either gradually slope from the tip of the nipple to the base or have abrupt transitions. Abrupt transitions are not supportive of deep latches. Examples of bottles with abrupt nipple changes include Comotomo or Phillips Avent. It is important to try to stick with gradually sloping nipples as they promote a deeper latch that is more harmonious with breastfeeding mechanics which involve wide, deep latches. When possible, we try to aim for breastfeeding mechanics while bottle feeding as it is known that proper latch is the preface to suitable eating skills.
More information on nipple shapes:
- Wide Based
Wider based nipples promote a wider latch that can be beneficial for successful back and forth transitions from bottle to breast. - Narrow Based
Doesn’t allow for a wide latch, but assists with proper tongue posture where the tongue is elevated at rest. - Flat
Flat nipples are usually not recommended as they can promote munching or biting motions to extract milk.
Bottle Tidbits
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend that children should be completely weaned from bottle feeding by 15 months. It is also recommended for children to not take a bottle of milk or any beverage that is not water to bed as it increases their chance of developing cavities. When cavities form in this situation, it is commonly referred to as “baby bottle decay.”
Bottle Recommendations
Wide based, gradual slope: Evenflo Balance Plus
Narrow based, gradual slope: Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow
We Can Help
We are happy to help if you are concerned that your baby’s bite may be changing as a result of a pacifier habit or if they are experiencing feeding issues.
For more information on pacifiers and bottles or if your child is experiencing feeding issues, don’t hesitate to reach out to Lafayette Pediatric Dentistry! 337-443-9944!
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Other Dental Related Topics that May Be of Interest ::
- What’s The Best Sippy Cup? A Pediatric Dentist’s Perspective
- Why Does My Child Have White Spots on Their Teeth?
- What if My Kid Freaks Out at the Dentist?
- Tips on Weaning Your Little One From Thumb & Finger Sucking
- Sleep Disordered Breathing: More Common Than You Think!
- Why Take X-Rays Routinely at the Dentist?
- Teething Toddler Woes: Tips and Tricks For Relief
- The Most Common Causes of Cavities
- Four Reasons Moms Should Reconsider Fruit Snacks
- Why Is My Child Grinding Their Teeth At Night?
- The Truth About Tongue and Lip-Ties
- The Most Common Causes Of Discolored Teeth
About the authors
Dr. Allyn LaCombe Clause is a pediatric dentist at Lafayette Pediatric Dentistry. She is a native of Eunice and is thrilled to be living close to home again, serving the little patients of the Acadiana area! Dr. Clause received her doctorate from the LSU School of Dentistry in 2021 and completed an additional two years of a Pediatric Dentistry Residency at LSU afterward. Dr. Clause and her husband Adam are proud parents of their beautiful daughter Azalea! When she’s not occupied with being a mother or taking care of baby teeth, she enjoys playing tennis and pickle ball. She’s even working on a children’s book!
Sarah Tate, MS, CCC-L/SLP is a licensed and certified Speech-Language Pathologist at Hope Therapy Lafayette trained in infant feeding and development. Sarah received her master’s degree in speech-language pathology in 2022 and completed an additional year of intense study for infant feeding assessment and intervention under a clinical fellowship. Sarah aspires to provide holistic, inclusive, and personalized support and education to all families. Her favorite thing about speech therapy is treating and growing with patients during major transitions in their lives. Sarah spends her free time traveling, trying new foods, and dancing at Lafayette Ballet Studio.
