04/14/2026
I recently shared a story from another SLP about pacifiers, and I received many messages. Here is my understanding on pacifiers and speech-language development....
Prolonged pacifier use may impact speech and language development!
Pacifiers can lead to reduced babbling. Children have less practice making and playing around with the sounds.
Pacifiers can lead to different tongue movements, oral motor development, and structural development (such as open bite).
Pacifiers are linked to speech sound errors, such as lateral lisps, due to talking around the pacifier.
Pacifiers may reduce back-and-forth interaction due to the lack of immediacy in the interaction.
EVERY child is different. Finding a balance is key.
If your child still has a pacifier, try having them remove it while talking and during highly interactive activities.
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Did my only child use a pacifier? YES!
When did I stop giving my child a pacifier? Around 6-7 months
Why? He had HFM, and it was awful! It seemed like a natural time to progress to other chewies and he tolerated it just fine. He was also starting to increase is babbling.
Will I ever give it back? Aldrin is only 11 months old. At this point, I don't plan to, but who knows?!
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Some of my resources:
Barbosa, C., et al. (2009). The relationship of bottle feeding and pacifier use with speech development in infants and toddlers. BMC Pediatrics.
Niemelä, M., et al. (2000). Pacifier as a risk factor for acute otitis media: A randomized controlled trial. Acta Paediatrica.
Warren, J. J., & Bishara, S. E. (2002). Effects of nonnutritive sucking behaviors on dental arches. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology.
American Academy of Pediatrics (2012). Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk.
