I’ll Show You Where to Park Those Pacifiers

By Brenda Ponnay

I fell in love with the pacifier drier the minute I saw it. I loved the three round faces cut out of smooth light wood. It was design at its simplest, yet still so cute. To me, the three roly-poly snowman faces were gasping “Oh no!” like there was something behind me that I must be looking out for. So disarming, yet charming at once!

Then I realized what the real purpose of this handy-dandy thing was. You can stick pacifiers in the round mouth holes, and the nipple end sticks out the other side, like a tongue. Brilliant! I love design with a sense of humor.

The only problem with the pacifier drier, I was determined to breastfeed. I was not going to let my child near a pacifier. In my book, pacifiers were “tools of the devil,” used to lure a baby away from the breast. I had such lofty goals back then (a mere three months ago). I decided I’d use the cute little wooden stand as a ribbon dispenser, instead. I’d string the ribbon through their mouths. I would be the picture of domesticity wrapping presents with ease, and three colors of ribbon to pick from. Hah!

Then my daughter was born, and I was brought back to earth with a solid thud. I quickly learned that breastfeeding does not always come naturally. I thought my daughter hated my breasts. She would arch her back and spit at me every time I brought her near. Those were dark days for my inner earth mother. Finally, at my wits end, I bought a pacifier and stuck it in her mouth.

Who would have thought the sounds of her sucking and cooing on that silly piece of plastic could be so sweet? At last, the sputtering, spitting badger-baby was replaced with a happy, content, beautiful, little angel. All it took was a pacifier. I still worried she’d starve herself sucking away on a rubber nipple all day, but she eventually spit the pacifier out and came back to me. Ah, true bliss!

We found a happy medium. I am still breastfeeding and I am now the proud owner of thirteen pacifiers. If I had more shelf room in my nursery (and cash, of course), I’d buy three more pacifier driers to display them all.

The Pacifier Drier, available online at www.nettocollection.com.
Brenda Ponnay inspires us daily with her chronicles of new motherhood and artistry as Secret Agent Josephine. www.secret-agent-josephine.com