Will a Baby Spit out Pacifier if Hungry? The Honest Answer

Whether a baby will spit out a pacifier if hungry is not up to his mother but is entirely up to the child, and whether it happens or not depends on whether the child is passive or active. If he is active, expect him to protest hunger by spitting out his pacifier but if he is passive, he will most likely not spit out the pacifier as he will sit patiently and wait for the next meal. There is also the tendency for the baby to suck the pacifier real hard before spitting it out.

Pacifiers as good as they are should not replace a baby’s meal. It is meant to suckle the baby and not to feed him, and to keep him busy while you are having a go at other activities and so if your baby spits out his pacifier because he is hungry then you shouldn’t have a complaint.

 Many parents have oftentimes abused the use of a pacifier and tend to replace feeding with a pacifier which is an outright misplacement of priority because no matter how soothing a pacifier maybe it is no meal for the baby.

What is a Pacifier?

Pacifiers are babies’ equipment designed to pacify and comfort a baby in between meals. Furthermore, it is also designed to aid proper oral development in a child. Babies could be so fussy at times and parents are not expected to leave them crying. Hence, the use of a pacifier allows babies to self-soothe.

Furthermore, pacifiers are designed to simplify raising babies for parents and not as meals to babies. Below is an example of a good silicone pacifier on Amazon.

Why Give Your Baby a Pacifier?

Watching babies grow means a lot to parents and it is the desire of every parent to watch their baby play and have fun but sometimes raising a child could be a difficult task especially when the baby is in his cry-cry days but pacifier among other things makes growing babies a simpler task.

Some babies always want to suck thereby depriving their mums the privilege to do other things and cry every time their mother stops breastfeeding. But if you have a pacifier you can hand it over to the baby as most pacifiers are designed in a way that the baby cannot differentiate it from his mother’s breast. And so will not worry his mother until he is hungry.

With the pacifier, you can keep a baby that loves to suck sucking and deprive him of cry and sadness. Nonetheless, pacifiers are no food and so cannot replace food in the growth of a child. Most babies will not even take a pacifier if hungry.

Food or Pacifier: How do I Know When My Baby is Hungry

Nursing babies could be as challenging as any difficult task you can think of. He is in his infancy and responds to uncanny situations with a cry. So whether he is hungry or sick, tired, or sleepy the only way he shows his reaction is to cry and that makes it challenging for parents to detect whether he needs food or a pacifier. Sometimes a baby will want a pacifier but spits out.

But not to worry we have compiled a list of things the baby may do when he is hungry for your perusal.

• When he is unable to sleep: The baby may be awake and alert all the time. For the active child, he may resort to crying but the passive child who may not cry will find it difficult to sleep.

• When he is sighing, whimpering, or making other sounds without stopping. One way babies show their disgust at hunger is to make tiny sounds such as whimpering or sighing and if he does this longer than other times then it could be a sign that he is hungry.
• Making faces: When the baby frowns or gives you some facial looks that are different from the usual, then it could be a pointer that he is hungry and at that point, he will spit out any kind of pacifier you give to him.

• When he puts his fingers or fist into his mouth: Babies love to suck and in most cases find a way to improvise and there are no better ways than to suck their fingers or fist. Although some babies will suck their fingers whether they are hungry or not but others don’t, so when such babies that don’t suck fingers suddenly resort to doing so then it is a pointer to the fact that they could be hungry.

• When your baby is restless, fussing, squirming, fidgeting, or wiggling around, that could mean hunger as there are no other means that they know to alert you of hunger. at this point the baby will keep spitting out pacifier, if given to him.

• When a baby spits his pacifier out of his mouth: Babies enjoy using pacifiers because it allows them to self-soothe and remains comfortable and calm while their parents attend to other things. However, no matter how much a baby may enjoy a pacifier, there is a tendency to spit it out when he is hungry. And so when a baby spits out his pacifier it may be to alert you of his hunger.   

Why Do Babies Spit out Pacifiers?

A baby may spit out his pacifier for numerous reasons. Sometimes it could be by accident and it happens more often when the baby cannot hold the pacifier to his mouth. And at other times the baby could spit it out when he is tired and no longer have needs for the non-nutritive sucking. While in other cases a baby may spit out his pacifier because he is hungry.

Do Babies Accept Pacifiers When They are Hungry?

This could depend on the level of hunger. If he is not very hungry he could take the non-nutritive sucking for a while but when hunger hits its climax he will spit out the pacifier. Furthermore, parents are not advised to give their hungry babies pacifiers.

Final word

In our world of today, a lot of equipment has been designed to help parents in their bid to raise their babies without stress or struggles, and pacifiers are one of them. But there is a necessity also, to not abuse the use of a pacifier but instead to use it the right way and that means administering it to babies’ in-between meals or after meals and not as a replacement for food.

And so if your baby keeps spitting out his pacifier and crying it could be that he desires food and it behooves on you as his parent to meet that need.