Pacifier clips have incidents and recalls all the time. It's not a product I will sell and profit from, but you need to know how to use one safely, if you choose to use one.

Short answer: Pacifier clips can be safe for supervised, awake time when you choose a short, sturdy clip with no beads or small parts. They should never be used while your baby is sleeping, and I keep them out of the car seat too. The biggest risks with pacifier clips are strangulation from long straps and choking from parts that break off.

Pacifier clips are on almost every baby registry. They keep the binky off the floor, out of the grocery cart, and in reach. But a clip is a strap attached to your baby, and that deserves a closer look than most parents are ever given.

The Two Big Risks: Strangulation and Choking

Strangulation. The longer the strap, the more likely it can wrap around a baby's neck. That's why the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns never to tie a pacifier to a string or ribbon, and why the AAP says pacifiers that attach to clothing shouldn't be used with sleeping babies.

Choking. Clips have small parts: beads, charms, springs, snaps, and covers. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled pacifier clips because beads could detach when a ring broke, because a clip's spring mechanism could break and release small parts, and because a clip could break apart.

How Long Should a Pacifier Clip Be?

Shorter is safer. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends that a pacifier clip be no longer than it needs to be to work, and preferably no longer than 7 to 8 inches in total length. Clips also have to pass the federal small parts rules and use-and-abuse testing, and pacifiers can't be sold with a ribbon, string, or cord attached.

Europe's standard for pacifier holders, EN 12586, is similar: it caps the strap at 220 mm, about 8.7 inches, based on keeping the strap shorter than the average neck circumference of a baby or toddler.

Use 7 to 8 inches total as your guide, and never lengthen a clip, tie two together, or make your own out of ribbon or string.

Are Beaded Pacifier Clips Safe?

Beaded clips are some of the most popular, and some of the most recalled. Every bead is a potential choking hazard if the strand or ring holding it breaks. A lot of beaded clips are also marketed as teethers, which means your baby is chewing on the exact part most likely to come apart.

My recommendation: skip the beads. Choose a simple strap or a one-piece silicone clip with no beads, charms, or small add-ons.

Pacifier Clip Safety Rules

• Awake and supervised only. Clips are for times you can see your baby.
• Never for sleep. Take the clip off for naps and nighttime. Nothing should be attached to a pacifier during sleep, including clips, strings, and stuffed animals. More on that in when babies can sleep with stuffed animals.
• Not in the car seat. Babies often fall asleep in the car, and you can't watch them while you're driving. I keep clips out of the car seat.
• Clip to clothing only. Never around the neck, wrist, or ankle, and never to the crib, bassinet, or car seat straps.
• Keep it short. About 7 inches, and never lengthened.
• No beads or small parts.
• Inspect it every time. Check the clip, strap, and fasteners before each use. If anything is cracked, loose, frayed, or wobbly, throw it out.
• Check for recalls. Search your clip's brand at cpsc.gov/Recalls.

How Many Pacifier Clips Do I Need?

One is plenty. You'll only use it during supervised, awake time, and it's easier to keep one clip in good shape than several. Put your extras toward clean backup pacifiers instead. Here's how many pacifiers you actually need.

A Safer Plan B: A Clean Backup Instead of a Clip

The main reason parents reach for a clip is to avoid a dirty pacifier. A clean backup does the same job without a strap.

With Soothe Beginnings, you don't even need a whole second pacifier in the diaper bag. The nipples swap out, so you can carry a clean extra nipple in a case and swap it in when the first one hits the floor. The nipples are held on by a tension-tight screw cap, like a baby bottle, so it takes adult strength to open.

Every Soothe Beginnings pacifier comes with three nipple shapes (Nursing, Standard, and Orthodontic), no gaps for little fingers, and no hidden pockets for mold. Two of the shapes pass the triangle test.

Heirloom Starter Kit

Plastic-free, premium hand-finished keepsake with three nipple shapes to find your baby's perfect fit.

$50.00

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Flex Pacifier Starter Kit

Flexibility for everyday life, compatible with our Heirloom pacifiers.

$26.00

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Need extras for the diaper bag? Grab replacement nipples.

The Bottom Line

A pacifier clip can be a helpful tool, with limits. Keep it short, skip the beads, check it every time, and use it only when your baby is awake and you're watching. For naps, nighttime, and the car seat, the clip comes off.

Lindsay, CBC, Founder, Soothe Beginnings

Sources

• U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Safely Using Baby Pacifiers.
• American Academy of Pediatrics. Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Updated 2022 Recommendations for Reducing Infant Deaths in the Sleep Environment. Pediatrics, 2022.
• European Committee for Standardization. EN 12586:2025, Child care articles: Soother holder, Safety requirements and test methods.
• U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Chewbeads Recalls Pacifier Clips (2015); Toys R Us Recalls Pacifier Clips (2016); Sandbox Medical Recalls Pacifier Clip (2011).

This content is for educational purposes and isn't a substitute for personalized medical advice.