When I was a first-time mum, I always used to be a bit anti-soothers (or dummies, as I'm sure most people still called them back then !). I thought it was the easy way out, that mums shoved them in the mouths of their crying babies without bothering to try working out what was wrong, that they would make teeth grow wonky and they were a breeding ground for germs.
Three kids later and I've had a rethink ! Sometimes, especially if they're tired or teething, babies just cry because they need to and a soother can, well, soothe. My midwife told me that some babies have a huge need for a sucking reflex to be calm and happy and, although some people warn about nipple confusion if you give a soother to a breast-fed baby, I breastfed all three of my babies quite successfully (6 months for Sophie, 9 months for Juliette and 14 months for Pierre) and they all had soothers, especially at night. More importantly, earlier in the year, I was shocked to discover the Soother Savvy campaign which suggests that giving a soother to your baby can even help reduce the risk of SIDS (cot death). OK OK, I'm convinced !
However, one of the things I do still dislike about soothers is that they hide too many heart-melting baby smiles. Well, not if you buy one of Nuby's transparent Natural Flex soothers ! The photo below doesn't really show it properly but you can see right through to baby's mouth, smiles and all - although it does look a bit strange at first because you can see baby's lips sucking tightly around the transparent teat !
The first time Pierre sucked on his new soother, he pulled it out of his mouth, looked at it quizzically and giggled, then put it back in his mouth. A bit later, when playing with him, I let him put in my mouth and sucked on it to make him laugh. The "Natural Flex" part of the name suddenly leapt out at me. Unlike all the rigid soothers I've used up to now, the whole thing flexes and pulsates in your mouth, mimicking the sensation of breastfeeding. It feels really weird at first and obviously Pierre felt the same the first time he tried it but now, if he has the choice of a Natural Flex soother or one of his old rigid ones, he almost always chooses the Nuby one.
As you can see here, he sometimes has trouble choosing between the blue one or the green one so he holds one in each hand and swaps them over every now and then !
star rating : 5/5
Other reviews you may be interested in :
Soother Savvy - Did you know dummies can help prevent Cot Death ?
Nuby Natural Touch Softflex Silicone Nurser - Ideal for Transition from Breast to Bottle
Nuby 3 Stage Natural Nurser - Breast Size Nipple / No Spill Spout
Aww so cute, glad to hear Mum tried it too.
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