July 10, 2006 – Here’s what’s sure to help give parents a better night’s sleep: Babies who sleep with a pacifier significantly reduce their risk of dying from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. This is what an expert confirms in a commentary published in the Pediatrics1.
According to the author, a University of Virginia researcher, one case of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome would be avoided for every 2,733 babies given a pacifier at bedtime.
These data are in line with the results obtained by recent studies: a meta-analysis has just established the risk reduction at 61%, and an epidemiological study at 92%. These results have also prompted the American Academy of Pediatrics to add the use of a pacifier to the means recommended to prevent sudden infant death syndrome.
Researchers do not know what to attribute this protective effect of the pacifier against Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, mainly because they do not know precisely what can cause the sudden death of otherwise healthy babies.
According to one of the hypotheses put forward, the pacifier would prevent the baby from suffocating if he finds himself with his face flat against the mattress. Another hypothesis argues that babies who have a pacifier may sleep less deeply than others.
Most experts now believe that the pacifier reduces the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. To mothers who choose to breastfeed, they simply recommend waiting until the infant is one month old before introducing the pacifier. It’s about giving the baby time to develop good breast-sucking habits.
Jean-Benoit Legault – PasseportSanté.net
According to HealthDay News.
1. Hauck FR. Pacifiers and sudden infant death syndrome: what should we recommend?Pediatrics, 2006 May; 117 (5): 1811-2.
