Natural Rubber Soothers: Size and Colour Difference

One of our most commonly asked questions about the natural rubber soothers that we stock is about size and colour differences when you're buying a replacement for your natural dummies. 

A lovely customer sent through a photo of her dummies, and we're very grateful, because it's a super clear photo to demonstrate! In the photo below, the older dummy is on the left and the new dummies are on the right. 

As you can see, not only is the older dummy darker, but the teat is a different size. This is very common, although it does cause some confusion when you're buying the same size and same brand natural dummy! 

Has the size of the dummy changed? 

The size of the new rubber soother hasn't changed, assuming that you're buying the same size and the same brand. However, because rubber is a 100% natural material, there are no chemical stabilisers to keep the size of the nipple the same. As your baby sucks on the dummy, the size of the nipple can expand and enlarge a little. Some babies like to suck hard on the dummy, while others are a little more gentle. Hard sucking is more likely to increase the size of the nipple. 

Leaving the pacifier in the sun, or washing in the dishwasher can also cause the dummy to enlarge a little. 

This is one of the reasons why we recommend having at least a couple of the same size dummy on rotation, and why we also recommend replacing natural rubber dummies every 8 to 12 weeks. That way, your baby will get used to swapping the natural soother around, and you're less likely to have them reject the new one when it's time to replace the old dummy. 

Why does the colour of the natural dummy look different?

Because each baby soother is made of completely natural materials, there are occasionally differences in colour, just like there are with apples. With no artificial colours or antioxidants, they will vary from one dummy to the next. 

Rubber can also react to oil. So the oils in milk and baby food can also cause the colours to change slightly, as will exposure to sunlight. 

Hopefully, this answers one of our most frequently asked questions about natural rubber pacifiers!

If you're looking for natural dummies, check out the Natural Rubber Soother brand, or the Hevea dummy range at Hello Charlie.