25 out of 25 people found this review helpful.
Gerber Naturalflex Pacifier: Didn't Cut It For Our Picky Infant
Date of Review: Dec 26, 2007
The Bottom Line: If you have a nursing baby, these would probably be perfect.
Our youngest daughter has been a bit difficult in the sleeping and pacifying department. She naps for only short periods and at night she's still up every 2 hours (she's 10 months old!!) We have tried everything we can think of to help her sleep. Lavender baby washes and lotions, warming her bottle and even pacifiers. We tried a lot of pacifiers and only two brands out of several worked. One of the duds was the Gerber Naturalflex.
Price & Location
We purchased our 2 pack of the Gerber Naturalflex Pacifiers at Target for $3.97. You can purchase this product almost anywhere Gerber products are sold.
The Details
At the time I picked up the Gerber Naturalflex Pacifiers we had tried three other brands. I figured it couldn't hurt to give these a shot. Besides, the description was enough to convince me they might just work. Gerber claims that their Naturalflex Pacifiers flexes just like a mother's nipple, mimicking the suckling during breastfeeding. We all know that babies are soothed by nursing/suckling, so, a pacifier claiming to mimic that was intriguing.
The Naturalflex looks different than other pacifiers on the market. It has a clear base with a clear silicone nipple and there is no handle on the back. What sets these apart from other pacifiers we have tried is that the silicone feels much softer and more flexible. In fact I can't say that I have ever come across another pacifier that has that same type of silicone. The nipple itself has a squared off tip, instead of the traditional rounded or slanted tip. The nipple is also a lot smaller than the traditional pacifier. If you have a baby who has difficulty with a larger nipple, these might just work.
The "shield" is, according to Gerber, "vented" to allow for better air circulation. There are only a couple of color options, blue, green and pink. These pacifiers come in sizes one and two. These are dishwasher safe.
Addison Didn't Fall For It
We have seriously tried more pacifiers than I like to admit. It was of course, all in the name of getting a few hours of rest. Unfortunately Addison is just plain picky! While I was sold on the Gerber Naturalflex Pacifiers, Addison was not. In fact she spit them out each and every time I tried to give them to her. She'd suck two times and out it went. I tried repeatedly to offer these to her, but, to no avail.
I can't say what it was about the Gerber Naturalflex Pacifier that Addison didn't like. I wish that these had worked simply because they were so different from the other ones we had tried. I thought for sure these would work for her. Perhaps it was the different shape nipple that threw her off.
Overall
I would, despite Addison's dislike, recommend the Gerber Naturalflex Pacifiers. These offer a different spin on the traditional pacifier, and, provide a natural suckling/nursing action that other pacifiers do not. The silicone is flexible and softer than other pacifiers on the market. If you have a nursing baby, these would probably be perfect.
