Not too long ago the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a recommendation for parents to use a pacifier during naps and night sleep until the child is one as a preventative to SIDS. There was an uproar among lactation professionals as to the effects of pacifier use on breastfeeding. AAP did clarify that breastfed babies should not be given a pacifier until breastfeeding is well established. However, there is another “side effect” that has not been addressed by the AAP–dependency on a pacifier to sleep and crying out frequently at night to have the pacifier put back in. The AAP states that pacifiers only need to be in the child’s mouth while falling asleep; parents do not need to keep reinserting the pacifier. The problem lies in the fact that babies are using the pacifier to fall asleep. If they are not developmentally able to put the pacifier back in by themselves then they wake and cry out for a parent to come and help put the pacifiers back in order to fall back asleep. This drastically reduces the quality of sleep for the baby and leaves parents exhausted. We recommend our clients discuss this issue with their pediatrician before deciding to introduce or discontinue a pacifier. To read the full article go to: “Do Pacifiers Reduce the Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome?”

Please share what your pediatrician had to say on the subject!