Pacifiers: Knowing When It’s Time To Stage Up

“OMG. They are growing so fast! I’m constantly buying them larger clothes!” 

Baby’s legs are getting longer, they are putting on weight, their feet and toes are getting longer, their head is getting larger …and yes, their mouth is growing, too!

Although there are no teeth yet (maybe soon), their face and jaws are growing. Their jaws get bigger and stronger to enable “chewing” on new foods. Baby’s mouth gets wider to make room for new teeth which will be coming in, first, “down front”, then “up top” and then “in the back”. Of critical importance is the growth and size of the palate or the top of the mouth.

Because we have a pediatric dentist on our team at Smilo, we study growth rates in infants and babies. This informs our approach to designing pacifier sizes for each stage and size for infants and toddlers. Because your baby’s palate width will grow significantly, in the first 18 months, it is important that you choose the right size pacifier for their stage of development.

The pacifier ‘stage up’ concept is important because the cheek muscles push inward on the palate over time. The palate will become narrow if not supported by the appropriate pacifier size.  If you don’t pay attention to this now, it can result in costly orthodontic treatment later, as well as the need for “palatal expansion” treatment.

Although different companies have different “systems” for marketing their pacifiers, most companies only have two sizes of pacifiers for parents to choose from. Our team at Smilo knows the importance of the right size for the right fit, that’s why we have four stages of pacifiers for your baby: to size up as they are growing: newborn, 0-3 months, 3-9 months and 9-18 months. Furthermore, Smilo’s patented shape is the leading design on the market to help prevent crossbite, which is not naturally corrected over time.

We know that this may vary a little bit for your baby depending on age, sex, weight, the timing of tooth eruption, and other genetic factors. But with four stages to grow with, parents can rest easy knowing that Smilo has baby covered!