# A Solid Gold Pacifier **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 4, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-solid-gold-pacifier/520010 "2009-12-04T18:07:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-solid-gold-pacifier/520010/1 "2009-12-04T18:07:15Z")
I was watching a movie and the couple wanted their baby to have _everything_. Father: “I’m going to get that kid everything, he’ll have a solid gold pacifier” My question is what would be the consequences of giving a baby a pacifier made out of solid gold. Outside of him/her chipping any baby teeth as they grew in ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-solid-gold-pacifier/520010/2 "2009-12-04T18:11:21Z")
Really strong jaw muscles from holding it in. Hope the kid’s not a biter. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![IAmNotSpartacus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@IAmNotSpartacus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IAmNotSpartacus)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-solid-gold-pacifier/520010/3 "2009-12-04T18:16:42Z")
Gold is a heavy metal. I would have to imagine that heavy metals getting into a baby’s system would not be a very good thing. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-solid-gold-pacifier/520010/4 "2009-12-04T18:23:12Z")
> [@IAmNotSpartacus](#): > > Gold is a heavy metal. I would have to imagine that heavy metals getting into a baby’s system would not be a very good thing. It’s a heavy metal, but it’s not a [heavy metal](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_metal_(chemistry)). Gold is essentially [nontoxic](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold#Toxicity) in its elemental form - never have Goldschläger? ---
**Author:** ![Yarster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/7c8e57/32.png) [@Yarster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yarster)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-solid-gold-pacifier/520010/5 "2009-12-04T18:26:29Z")
Gold is also quite malleable so the biting would not be a problem, though I agree the kid would have strong jaw muscles from having to hold the weight. Relative to a plastic and silicone one, you can bet it would be quite heavy. I’m guessing the kid would probably never use it, however, due to the cold, hard metallic taste. More likely to suck on a bib, finger, or anything available near by… ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-solid-gold-pacifier/520010/6 "2009-12-04T18:28:39Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > It’s a heavy metal, but it’s not a [heavy metal](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_metal_(chemistry)). > > Gold is essentially [nontoxic](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold#Toxicity) in its elemental form - never have Goldschläger? A lot of people wear gold jewelry – which may be gold alloyed with silver, but silver has similar chemical properties. It’s pretty, and it’s also nontoxic. You can suck on your wedding ring as much as you like. ---
**Author:** ![IAmNotSpartacus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@IAmNotSpartacus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IAmNotSpartacus)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-solid-gold-pacifier/520010/7 "2009-12-04T18:29:11Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > It’s a heavy metal, but it’s not a [heavy metal](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_metal_(chemistry)). > > Gold is essentially [nontoxic](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold#Toxicity) in its elemental form - never have Goldschläger? Points taken. Goldschlager is pure gold leaf. Do you think it would even be possible to get a pacifier made of 24K gold? I guess if they use a non-toxic alloy then it should be OK? I’d still be worried about a baby ingesting any metal at all, but I’ve got an 8 week old so my view is probably quite skewed 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-solid-gold-pacifier/520010/8 "2009-12-04T19:06:36Z")
Note that gold is a preferred material for bridges, crowns and other dental work. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-solid-gold-pacifier/520010/9 "2009-12-04T19:29:06Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > Note that gold is a preferred material for bridges, crowns and other dental work. As a person with a lot of dental work, Gold is preferred, because it’s softer and puts a lot less stress on the other teeth. If you have a porcelain crown on a back upper tooth, the lower tooth the porcelain crown bites against, will often wear down quickly or even crack. This usually doesn’t happen with a gold crown ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-solid-gold-pacifier/520010/10 "2009-12-04T20:09:20Z")
> [@IAmNotSpartacus](#): > > Points taken. Goldschlager is pure gold leaf. Do you think it would even be possible to get a pacifier made of 24K gold? If you’ve got enough money, sure, you can probably get a jeweler to make anything you want. A couple grand for the gold, a couple grand for the labor, and you’re done. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-solid-gold-pacifier/520010/11 "2009-12-04T21:27:50Z")
> [@IAmNotSpartacus](#): > > Gold is a heavy metal. I would have to imagine that heavy metals getting into a baby’s system would not be a very good thing. While gold is a “heavy” metal, it’s not toxic. Goldschlager, as mentioned earlier. And then there’s [gold plated chocolate cake](http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/6989/the+best+chocolate+cake+with+gold+leaf). ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-solid-gold-pacifier/520010/12 "2009-12-04T22:59:02Z")
> [@Yarster](#): > > … I’m guessing the kid would probably never use it, however, due to the cold, hard metallic taste. More likely to suck on a bib, finger, or anything available near by… Easy solution: put it in the freezer for a couple hours. The kid wouldn’t be able to spit it out, it’d just dangle from his tongue. Hours(well, minutes) of fun! ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2009, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-solid-gold-pacifier/520010/13 "2009-12-05T01:03:32Z")
> [@Yarster](#): > > Relative to a plastic and silicone one, you can bet it would be quite heavy. . I dont know about that. I am guessing that I could make one with 3 or 4 Double Eagles, so that would be a 1/4 pound at most. I would not worry about the weight, a human breast weighs more than a 1/4 pound. Yes, and gold is non-toxic and it is a soft metal. Gold would be cold only upon first touching it, then it would warm up quite fast if you put it in your mouth. Its not as similar in texture to a human nipple as is plastic though. Frankly, I never thought about making a pacifier out of gold…but it would not be hard to do. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2009, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-solid-gold-pacifier/520010/14 "2009-12-05T10:06:23Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > And then there’s [gold plated chocolate cake](http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/6989/the+best+chocolate+cake+with+gold+leaf). Back in the 80’s, I saw a news story in _Time_ about a restaurant that served gold coated food, including gold steak. Looked quite unappealing to me, but apparently it wasn’t poisonous. > [@Susanann](#): > > I am guessing that I could make one with 3 or 4 Double Eagles, so that would be a 1/4 pound at most. I would not worry about the weight, a human breast weighs more than a 1/4 pound. On the other hand, a gold pacifier would be much denser, and all the weight would be supported by the baby’s mouth, not his/her mouth, head and the mother. And it is nowhere near as soft as a breast. I would expect it to be uncomfortable at best. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2009, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-solid-gold-pacifier/520010/15 "2009-12-05T10:55:32Z")
No, no, you are all missing the point. Only the handle would be made of gold. The part that goes into the kid’s mouth is made of some other substance, such as coral. Solid gold pacifiers are real. [cite](http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080510/FEATURES/805100304/-1/FEATURES0604) [cite](http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=YN_KXT64J6wC&lpg=PA216&ots=iKBto4vFdM&dq=teething%20coral%20gold&pg=PA216#v=onepage&q=teething%20coral%20gold&f=false) ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-solid-gold-pacifier/520010/16 "2009-12-06T15:13:11Z")
well, we sit corrected! and we thought it was a silly idea. wait… ---
**Author:** ![IAmNotSpartacus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@IAmNotSpartacus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IAmNotSpartacus)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-solid-gold-pacifier/520010/17 "2009-12-06T16:46:55Z")
Oh, well that’s a bit different then, isn’t it? He he ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-solid-gold-pacifier/520010/18 "2009-12-06T18:20:27Z")
**A Solid Gold Pacifier** What is “what the baby would be slurping on in _The Simpsons_ if the character of Maggie was played by the infant Auric Goldfinger?”