Adults facing stress turn to pacifiers for reassurance and rest

Grown-Up Pacifiers Gaining Popularity in China

Feeling stressed? You might be tempted to reach for a pacifier, and many young adults in China are doing just that.

This movement has taken off, with adult-sized pacifiers replacing more traditional methods like melatonin or meditation.

What started as a quirky trend has blossomed into a major retail phenomenon, with heavyweights like Taobao and JD.com now featuring these products prominently.

They don’t just sell pacifiers; there’s a whole range of sleep aids and stress relief tools that consumers are eagerly purchasing. Many online sellers are attracting thousands of customers each month.

One buyer expressed it well: “When work gets overwhelming, using a pacifier makes me feel safe, like when I was a kid.” It’s a relatable sentiment.

However, not everyone is on board with this baby-aisle revival.

Dr. Tan Kaomin, a dentist in Sichuan, cautioned that using a pacifier while sleeping could disrupt breathing, and in serious cases, could even lead to choking. Long-term use might mess with dental alignment and negatively impact sleep, he warned.

This trend isn’t limited to just China, either. It’s drawing attention on TikTok, where American adults are sharing videos of themselves using pacifiers to cope with stress from traffic jams and demanding workdays.

In one TikTok video, a user claimed, “I’ve been using an adult pacifier—doesn’t hurt my teeth—and I’ve had no issues in four years.” Others chimed in, expressing that sometimes, “You have to do what you have to do to stay focused.” One even opened up about an addiction spanning 23 years.

Yet, there are skeptics, suggesting alternatives like chewing gum or enjoying a lollipop instead of reverting to a pacifier.

Amid the buzz, TikTok comments range from light-hearted psychoanalysis—”Freud would have loved this!”—to personal testimonials affirming the pacifiers’ utility. One user summed it up rather vaguely, saying it’s “cheaper than a mouthguard, and I didn’t want to mess up my teeth while sleeping.”

This trend reflects a broader desire among young adults for softer ways to navigate the pressures of life. Some members of Gen Z are even signing up for “Adult 101” classes to grasp practical skills, like changing a tire, without relying on their parents.