Babies are born with a strong natural sucking instinct, and because of this, if parents decide to introduce a pacifier to their baby, the baby will adapt to sucking on it very easily.

One of the biggest benefits of an infant's use of a pacifier is that the baby will get a sense of contentment from the sucking movement.  A pacifier can soothe a fussy baby.  A pacifier can help a baby fall asleep.  When traveling on an airplane sucking on a pacifier might help a baby avoid the ear pain of cabin pressure.

When you buy a pacifier, it should be made of one continuous piece, otherwise, there is a risk that it will fall apart in the baby's mouth.  Make sure it is dishwasher safe and always keep it clean.

Because at birth, and after, the baby is learning how to feed itself and is developing a healthy feeding routine, the best time to introduce a pacifier to a baby is when they are around 3-4 weeks old.  By the time they are 2-4 years old, the toddler should have developed other soothing techniques and therefore should be weaned off a pacifier.  

Pacifiers provide soothing comfort to a baby.  Use it when needed, but never in the place of food and never force it on a baby.