To soothe or not to soothe...? (Avent Newborn Soothers)

Member Name: sambam000

Product:	Avent Newborn Soothers
Date:	25/08/09 (75 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Clean/modern style. Come with caps to keep clean.

Disadvantages: None (if you are open to the use of soothers).

There's often great debate over whether babies should be given soothers or not. I decided whilst pregnant that I wasn't aversed to the idea, so long as my son was weaned off them early on, & wasn't overly dependant on them. I had heard that babies who weren't given soothers would get into the habit of thumb sucking - a habit which is even harder to break since the thumb can't be taken away!

Since I was breastfeeding, we didn't give our son a soother straightaway, as the advice is that learning to suck a teat/soother can interfere with breastfeeding. However, after 3 weeks of constant screaming, we were ready to give soothers a chance!

Having tried other brands & not having much success, we tried the Philips Avent Soothers. I much prefer the looks of these over other soothers - they are clear plastic with either a coloured or clear centre, & the teats are made of transparant silicone. I bought the clear soothers, as I prefer them to be as least noticeable as possible!

The soothers come in a pack of 2 & are housed in a plasic box, which is handy for storage. The soothers each come with a clip on cap, which protects the teat & keeps it clean. They can be sterilised in all the usual ways - I normally pop them in the steriliser when I run it (which is infrequent with breastfeeding), or in a cup of boiling water in between times.

They certainly did the job of soothing my son, & for a few weeks he seemed to be getting very dependant on them to get to sleep & to calm down when crying. I was getting worried about his dependancy....until he discovered his fingers....! Now he will not take the soother at all - pop it in &...'pffft'....it's out again! I'm pleased in a way, but worried about weaning him of the fingers....!

In my opinion, (having tried several brands) these are some of the best soothers out there. They are aesthetically pleasing & a modest size (I hate those dummies that are practically the same size as babies face!). The silicone teat is strong & hard-wearing, & somehow looks cleaner & more hygienic than the traditional rubber teats.

The soothers retail around £3.90 for 2, and are available in a range of sizes (0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-18 months).

Summary: See review.