Should you give your baby a soother? | Philips Avent Soothie Snuggle review

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Pacifiers, or soothers, are a personal decision for every parent, but there are a lot of great reasons why you would want to use one for your baby. I feel like I’ve been on the fence about them before every baby, but then ultimately have been so glad we used them. So for those parents who are unsure about whether to use a soother or not, I wanted to share about why our family has chosen to use soothers and some of the benefits from them. I’m also including a review of our Philips Avent Soothie Snuggles, so make sure you check that out below. 

This review is sponsored by Philips Avent. All opinions are completely my own.

What are some of the benefits of using a soother?

I know that one of the main concerns about using a soother is when breastfeeding and the possibility of nipple confusion. This was my concern as well, but honestly, it isn’t something I’ve experienced. Pacifiers come in all different shapes and sizes, so if you’re breastfeeding, you might want one that is similar in shape to an actual nipple. We received Philip Avent’s Soothie pacifiers in the hospital with each kid and honestly, they’re our favorite. I really like the shape and Hannah has no issue going from nursing to taking a pacifier. It is so helpful for times when she really wants to latch only for comfort, but I’d like to do other things. Like sleep, for instance.

Soothers are also great for comforting babies when other things don’t work. For instance, Liam was born with jaundice and had to be under the bili lights for a while. We couldn’t hold or snuggle him at that time, so we used a soothie to comfort him. I also really like using them when babywearing or when rocking Hannah as an extra level of comfort too. Babies love that sucking rhythm and it really calms them. Soothers really come in handy when Hannah’s fussy between feedings or at night to help her get back to sleep. 

Philips Avent Soothie Snuggle

The Philips Avent Soothie Snuggles are adorable plush toys that can attach to Avent’s Soothie pacifiers. This is actually my favorite thing about them. Since we already had a few of these pacifiers around the house, this feature is really convenient. I love that the whole thing is one piece and that it’s designed for natural oral development. They’re also made with BPA-free, flexible, soft silicone.

The plush toy animals are so cute. We have the elephant and the giraffe and Hannah just lights up when she sees one. Each Soothie Snuggle has weight sewn into each limb to help stabilize the toy. This way, Hannah’s able to cuddle with it and keep the pacifier in her mouth pretty well without it rolling off every time she moves. It’s also becoming a little comfort friend that I have a feeling she’ll still want around even when her pacifier days are long over. 

It’s so easy to detach the toy and Soothie. We detach it for sleep time to switch out pacifiers. A girl’s got to match her pacifier to her outfits, right? Philips Avent makes these pacifiers in 0-6m and 6-18m sizes, so you can switch them out as your baby grows. We also detach the toy and Soothie in order to clean both parts. The toy is washable, which is a total win when it comes to baby items. And the Soothie pacifier needs to be washed and sterilized every so often. Like yesterday when Caleb grabbed Hannah’s elephant Soothie Snuggle and stuck the pacifier in his mouth. SO easy to clean so we could use it again.

To clean your Soothie Snuggle: 

1. To start, detach the Soothie pacifier from the Snuggle.
2. Sterilize the Soothie either in a Philips Avent Steam Sterilizer bag or in boiling water for 5 minutes.
3.  After sterilizing, allow the Soothie to cool for at least 5 minutes and squeeze any trapped water out of the nipple.
4. Check the product before each use and replace the pacifiers immediately in case of damage or weakness.
5. Philips Avent recommends replacing your baby’s pacifier after four weeks of use.
6. You can wash the plush toy in a mesh laundry bag with your normal laundry cycle. Set it out to air dry.
7. Once you’ve cleaned both parts of the Soothie snuggle you can connect them back together and give the pacifier to your baby.
8. The plush toy is compatible with all Philips Avent Soothies and pacifiers which can be swapped out and replaced with age appropriate soothies/pacifiers as baby ages.
9. Philips Avent Soothies are designed for babies 0-3 months and 3+ months, and other Philips Avent pacifiers are designed for babies 0-6m, 6-18m and 18+ months.
10. Once your child outgrows pacifiers altogether, his or her snuggly friend can still stick around and conveniently attach to car seats, strollers, or backpacks.

The Philips Avent Soothie Snuggle can be purchased at all major retailers including Amazon.com, Walmart and Philips.com. However, the giraffe, seal and elephant are the only ones available at Amazon. Head over to Philips.com to learn more about the Soothie Snuggle.