Best Pacific Clip Overall: Babygoal Pacifier Clip

After comparing and testing nine different pacifier clips, we crown the Babygoal Pacifier Clip as the Best Pacifier Clip.

Sure, pacifier clips seem like a simple enough product—one end attaches to your baby’s clothes and the other holds a pacifier. In our tests, however, we noticed some clips worked better than others. Here are three key points we looked at:

1. Loop design. We favored clips that had a loop design at the end that holds a pacifier or teething toy—these were easier to attach in our opinion.

2. Easy to clean/neutral colors. Clips must be machine washable (surprisingly, some are not). And we favored neutral colors versus busy patterns. Why? You’re going to take lots of pictures of baby in this cute stage—neutral colors photograph better!

3. Weight. Finally, we looked at the weight of the clip—the lighter the weight, the better the clip performed. Pacifier clips weighed down with teething beads and other trinkets tended to come detached from clothing too easily.

The Winner: Babygoal Pacifier Clip

Based on our testing, here are the pros and cons of the Babygoal Pacifier Clip:

What We Like

• Light weight. The clip itself weighs less than an ounce. We found heavier clips tend to more easily detach from baby’s clothing.

• Plastic clip. We prefer these to metal clips that can rust—and leave stains on babies clothes.

• Neutral, solid colors. Better for pics!

What Needs Work

• Dirt. Because of the solid pattern, these pacifier clips can start to look dirty rather quickly! Clips with patterns hide the dirt better. But let’s be honest—all pacifier clips will quickly get dirty, thanks to baby’s hands, drool, spit up, etc. So regular cleaning is a must—and these clips are machine washable.

• Durability. We’ve seen a few complaints that these clips don’t wear well after a few months—the loop can wear out and the stitching can come unstitched. We think this is a trade-off with affordability—some clips that cost more will last longer, but considering most folks just use these for the short term, we don’t see this as a major negative.

Best Clip Gift Set: Dodo Babies

What We Liked

• Good quality and durability are the reasons we recommend this pacifier gift set—Dodo Babies scored well in our tests.

• Includes a gift box and zippered pacifier holder.

What Needs Work

• It is a bit more pricey.

• This pick has a METAL clip . . . which means it can rust after repeated washing in a washing machine or dishwasher.

• These clips are not in solid patterns, which we prefer. True, they are cute with pluses or arrows . . . but we understand if some folks find that too busy.

Best Pacifier Clip + Toy: Liname Pacifier Clip for Girls with Bonus Teething Toy

These pacifier clips were parent favorites—we loved them in our testing.

What We Liked

 • Easy to use metal clips that are durable.

• And easy on the wallet.

• The cute teething toy included in the package is a nice bonus.

What Needs Work

• Yep, these clips are metal—so watch out for rust after several cleanings.

Safety rules and when to stop using a pacifier!

Pacifier clips are a great convenience—keeping a pacifier from getting lost or dropping to a dirty surface. But follow these safety rules:

1. Do NOT leave pacifier clip on an unsupervised baby. Enough said!
2. Remove the pacifier clip during nap or bedtime, or anytime they are not in view to avoid strangulation or suffocation.
3. Inspect regularly for any possible wear or damage prior to use. Especially after washing—even the best clips will wear out over time.
4. Never attach pacifiers to belts, cords, other ribbons, etc. because this could cause a strangulation hazard. 

When to Stop Using a Pacifier

Pediatric experts we interviewed for this article agree: ditch the pacifier between four and six months of age! Why? Because it interferes with sleep—if a six month old  falls asleep with a pacifier in his mouth, he will cry when it falls out. At 1am. And 3am. And 5am.

We know that is hard advice to swallow . . . getting rid of a pacifier by six months of age (at the latest) is a tough one for parents to get used to. After all, the pacifier is great at soothing a newborn and it is recommended as a way to reduce Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. But after four to six months, baby can fall asleep without any sleep crutches!

One of the toughest things about parenting is realizing this: because it works great at an early age doesn’t automatically mean it works for older babies and toddlers. Your baby needs to grow up! All the wonderful benefits of a pacifier for a newborn disappear after six months of age.

And yes, you will stroll around a mall and see TODDLERS with pacifiers. That doesn’t make it right! The big concern here is the damage pacifiers can do a child’s teeth—prolonged pacifier use can impact the growth of the mouth and teeth . . . resulting in big dental and orthodontic bills down the road.

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing baby gear, including pacifiers and pacifier clips since 1994. We do hands-on testing—we buy the products with our own money and evaluate with an eye toward safety, ease of use and affordability.

Here’s another key point: we don’t take money from the brands we review. No free samples, no sponsors, no “partnerships.” Baby Bargains is your independent and unbiased source for expert baby gear reviews.