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In the past decade, the effort to get parents to put their babies to sleep on their backs has reduced the rate of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) by 50 percent. Now researchers are suggesting another simple item that may further reduce the risk just as dramatically – the pacifier.
For many parents, it’s an indispensable tool.
“It soothes him when he’s upset,” says Kathy Donnelly, mother of 10-month-old William. “Now it’s helping him go to sleep.”
Research suggests it soothes children and saves lives. Several recent studies have found that using a pacifier at bedtime can help prevent SIDS. In fact, one study in the journal Pediatrics showed the risk was reduced by 90 percent.
“What is surprising to me about this study is how strong this association was,” says pediatrician Karen Dewling, M.D. “It seems very clear in this study that there is some protective effect of using a pacifier.”
Experts don’t know exactly why pacifiers seem to reduce the risk, but there are a couple of popular theories.
“[The] number one [reason it reduces risk] is that a baby is more alert if they’re actively sucking,” says Dr. Dewling. “They’re perhaps not sleeping as soundly, and therefore somehow at less risk for SIDS. The other is that the pacifier provides a mechanical way of holding open the airway.”
At the same time, pediatricians say pacifiers should not be overused. They can interfere with breast-feeding, cause orthodontia problems and create a dependency.
“Other issues include ear infections,” says Dr. Dewling. “We see a higher rate of ear infections among babies who use pacifiers.”
She says parents should try to limit pacifier use to bedtime, and they should begin to wean the child off of it after he/she is 6 months old, the age at which the risk of SIDS diminishes.
William is 10 months old and his days on the pacifier are numbered.
“I’d like to get him off of it so that every time he screams he doesn’t think he’s getting a pacifier,” says his mother. “I want him to be able to sooth himself, you know, … calm himself down.”
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