For or Against Using a Pacifier?
Should I give my baby a pacifier during sleep?
Short answer: There are studies suggesting that pacifier use may reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome / SIDS.
In more detail:
Offer baby a pacifier for naps and at night once they are feeding well.
- If feeding baby human milk through direct breastfeeding, wait until breastfeeding is well established, based on your pediatrician’s guidance, before trying a pacifier. Breastfeeding is “well established” when the parent has enough milk to feed and satisfy baby’s hunger, parent and baby are comfortable during breastfeeding, and baby is gaining enough weight to meet growth goals.
- If not breastfeeding, offer baby a pacifier as soon as you like. Research shows that pacifiers are especially helpful for reducing SIDS risk in formula-fed babies.
- To reduce the risk of strangulation, choking, and suffocation, do not attach the pacifier to clothing, stuffed toys, blankets, or other items.
- Do not coat the pacifier with anything, such as a sweetened liquid or honey.
- If the pacifier falls out of baby’s mouth, you don’t need to put it back in.
- It is OK if baby doesn’t want the pacifier; don’t force baby to take it.
- Finger or thumb sucking does not reduce SIDS risk.
from the website of Safe to Sleep by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in the United States (safetosleep.nichd.nih.gov)
Highlights
- There is no clear reason why pacifiers help prevent SIDS.
- Pacifiers increase salivary production.
- Antibacterial compounds in saliva could provide a protective effect.
- Combined, increased salivation &; antimicrobial action provide a plausible mechanism.
- Most preventable & nonpreventable SIDS risk factors relate to infection.
from the ScienceDirect website (sciencedirect.com)
* Most of these materials are sourced from original English-language sources. The translations were created with the help of Google Translate and ChatGPT. For the most complete and accurate information, please always refer to and verify the original source first. For the most complete and accurate information, please always refer to and verify the original source of the information.
Check the latest information on the topic yourself
Cited Sources
- Ways to Reduce Baby’s Risk (safetosleep.nichd.nih.gov)
- Why do pacifiers/dummies have a protective effect in sudden infant death Syndrome? A new hypothesis (sciencedirect.com)
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