Pacifiers R Them!

On the heels of a negative-ish post about ABUniverse, I'd like to mention a positive experience. I ordered a pacifier and clip from pacifiersrus.com and was very pleased. Not only did I get my order quickly (especially considering it was a custom order), it was everything I expected and more.

For those who don't already know, the German company MAPI makes NUK pacifier and bottle nipples, which are orthodontically designed to fit babies' mouths. Gerber has an exclusive contract with MAPI -- they're the only company that MAPI will sell directly to in the USA -- and they choose to sell only the newborn and baby size ("NUK 1" and "NUK 2") pacifiers. They used to sell the toddler size ("NUK 3"), but they seem to have stopped selling even that. This means that MAPI's other products usually go unseen in the USA. However, MAPI also makes the NUK MedicPro Saugtrainer, a line of pacifiers for adults, basically -- they're used for things like physical therapy exercises. They come in sizes small and large (the AB community has taken to calling these "NUK 4" and "NUK 5", although MAPI doesn't use this terminology).

The only problem with the NUK MedicPro is that, although the nipple is just about perfect in shape, size and material, the rest of the pacifier is frankly dull. The plastic parts (the shield, hub and ring) only come in white. This isn't too surprising, since it's meant to be a medical product; I'm surprised it doesn't come only in surgical green like Depends used to. But if you want other colors, or if you look with longing at the wide variety of patterns and even cartoon characters that appear on baby pacifiers in stores, you could be out of luck ... if it weren't for pacifiersrus.com.

Pacifiersrus.com purchases both NUK MedicPro pacifiers and baby pacifiers, and, through a process they call MonSep12, disassembles them, replacing the baby pacifier's nipple with a NUK MedicPro nipple. The result is a pacifier that looks like a baby's pacifier but has that wonderful NUK nipple -- sized for an adult's mouth. They have several "stock" pacifiers you can buy, or you can send in a baby pacifier that you've found (in a store, perhaps) and they'll replace its nipple with a NUK 4 or 5. You can even buy a plain NUK 4 or 5 pacifier from them, if that's what you want. They also sell related products, like clips to keep your pacifier from falling to the floor and getting dirty.

I ordered a Minnie Mouse pacifier (it's pink, and she's so cute) and a pacifier clip. They make the clips themselves; they consist of a loop of fabric cord with a cheap but functional clip on one end, bound with a grommet and threaded with beads. There are several options for the beads -- you can get just plain beads in one color, or multicolored beads, or "multi design" beads, which includes beads of different fun shapes. In any case, they will choose beads that match the color scheme of the pacifier you've ordered, meaning that any clip you order is going to be custom-made for you. And especially in the case of "multi design" beads, it looks like they have a great deal of fun, and I like the idea that fun went into my paci order. Here's a picture of my pacifier and clip.

As you can see, they've put several fun shapes of beads into the clip's cord -- butterflies, dolphins, ladybugs, diaper pins, and pacifiers of course! The beads are different shades of red and pink, and even a few black ones (Minnie has black ears and a black nose, after all). This particular pacifier doesn't have a ring-shaped handle, just sort of a knob that's decorated with Minnie's face, which makes it more difficult to attach the clip to it, but I managed by knotting the loop through one of the breathing holes.

The order came with the box and instructions from the NUK pacifier and was wrapped in a couple of basic adult-size disposable diapers for padding. And, if there was any doubt that they were AB/DL/TB friendly (which they state on their website), it also came with a note stating that my bead theme was created by Baby Ashton -- the note signed in many colors of crayon by Baby Ashton in person.

Now, you're not going to believe me if I say they're perfect, so let me mention a few drawbacks to all of this. The clip's cord is really long, and somewhat heavy. Even if I clip it as high on my clothes as possible, like on the collar of my shirt, it's easy for it to fall onto a dusty tabletop, or drag on the floor if I'm crawling, and its weight tends to pull one side of the pacifier down, because the cord could only be attached on one side or the other. However, I was able to get around both of these problems by looping the extra length of the cord behind my neck. The clip, when attached to my shirt collar, sticks upward and can poke me, but if I clip it at an angle that isn't a problem anymore. And those are the only drawbacks here -- amid all the positives, they seem insignificant. I have had no problems with the pacifier itself at all, and I like the clip enough that these minor problems don't really matter.

Their personal touch and the sense that they just "get it" makes ordering from pacifiersrus.com a pleasure and receiving your order a special experience. I highly recommend them.