 Pacifier Use May Lower Risk Of SIDS
Source: www.sciencedaily.com Date: 09/23/08
The risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), the third leading cause of infant death, may be lowered through the use of a pacifier. According to an
article
in Nursing for Women’s Health, neonatal health care practitioners
should counsel new parents on the potential benefits of using a
pacifier.
This
advice follows the release of updated recommendations from the American
Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Task Force on SIDS, suggesting that
pacifier use be encouraged for children less than one year of age.
“It’s important to note that the AAP’s pacifier recommendations are not
unique,” says author Elizabeth Damato, Ph.D., RN. “A variety of studies
have indicated that pacifier use lowers the risk of SIDS, and several
other countries have made similar recommendations.” She stresses,
however, that parents must be counseled on how to use pacifiers safely.
“Pacifiers
shouldn’t be used before the age of one month in breastfed infants to
avoid the disruption of regular feeding habits,” says Damato. “Also,
infants should not be forced to take a pacifier and parents should not
reinsert it once the infant falls asleep.” Parents should also avoid
using homemade pacifiers, avoid strings or cords to secure the pacifier
to the child, and regularly clean and replace pacifiers.
Even though
evidence is mounting that pacifiers help to prevent SIDS, no one knows
why. “Because SIDS happens so rarely, it is difficult to do large-scale
controlled studies to determine why pacifiers might help,” says Damato.
“However, because the risk for serious side effects is greatly reduced
if pacifiers are used properly, they are a safe and sensible option in
the battle against SIDS.”
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