Pacifier Use
 

Shamelessly lifted from the Midwifery Today newsletter:

A Finnish study of 484 babies aged 7 to 18 months revealed a correlation between pacifier use and increased risk of ear infection (acute otitis media). The children were assigned to one of two groups: one group's pacifier use was restricted by 21 percent for several months; the other group's pacifier use was not restricted. The incidence of ear infection among the restricted group was reduced by 29 percent. Researchers recommend that pacifiers should only be used just before sleep and then discontinued com
pletely after 10 months of age.

~ Pediatrics, 5 Sep 2000

Pacifier Use
 

Pacifier Use
 

wrote in message ...
Shamelessly lifted from the Midwifery Today newsletter:

A Finnish study of 484 babies aged 7 to 18 months revealed a correlation
between pacifier use and increased risk of ear infection (acute otitis
media). The children were assigned to one of two groups: one group's
pacifier use was restricted by 21 percent for several months; the other
group's pacifier use was not restricted. The incidence of ear infection
among the restricted group was reduced by 29 percent. Researchers recommend
that pacifiers should only be used just before sleep and then discontinued
com
pletely after 10 months of age.

Didn't hold true for us. DD1 and DD2 didn't start using a pacifer until they
were over 2 yrs old and DD3 never even used one. No recurrent ear infections
for us. However, this is just one anecdote. I would be interested in the
study itself and how it was done, etc.... since I am very suspicious of
studies and how they are done to achieve their desired information.
--
Sue (mom to three girls)

Pacifier Use
 

wrote in message ...
Shamelessly lifted from the Midwifery Today newsletter:

A Finnish study of 484 babies aged 7 to 18 months revealed a correlation
between pacifier use and increased risk of ear infection (acute otitis
media). The children were assigned to one of two groups: one group's
pacifier use was restricted by 21 percent for several months; the other
group's pacifier use was not restricted. The incidence of ear infection
among the restricted group was reduced by 29 percent. Researchers
recommend that pacifiers should only be used just before sleep and then
discontinued com
pletely after 10 months of age.

Now if I could only relay this information to my 2.5 year old in terms she
could understand :o) I've told her Santa is coming soon and in order for her
to get her presents she has to give him all her pacifiers. My DH has
threatened to leave the house for 4 days when this happens : D She is only
allowed her soothers when she sleeps but man oh man is she attached to it!!!

Pacifier Use
 

Now if I could only relay this information to my 2.5 year old in terms she
could understand :o) I've told her Santa is coming soon and in order for
her to get her presents she has to give him all her pacifiers. My DH has
threatened to leave the house for 4 days when this happens : D She is only
allowed her soothers when she sleeps but man oh man is she attached to
it!!!

If she only uses them to go to sleep, I would be inclined not to fight this
battle, I hate to see toddlers wondering around with dummies in their
mouths, but I don't see a problem with giving them on when they are going
off to sleep, just stick to the rules, don't let her have it outside of the
room where she sleeps for example

Anne

Pacifier Use
 

In message , writes

Shamelessly lifted from the Midwifery Today newsletter:

A Finnish study of 484 babies aged 7 to 18 months revealed a
correlation between pacifier use and increased risk of ear infection
(acute otitis media). The children were assigned to one of two groups:
one group's pacifier use was restricted by 21 percent for several
months; the other group's pacifier use was not restricted. The
incidence of ear infection among the restricted group was reduced by 29
percent. Researchers recommend that pacifiers should only be used just
before sleep and then discontinued com
pletely after 10 months of age.

What were the actual numbers involved (I mean, rates of ear infections
in the restricted group and in the non-restricted group)?

I also can't see how that study could be used as the basis of a
recommendation to _stop_ pacifier use, since that wasn't an arm in the
study.


All the best,

Sarah

--
http://www.goodenoughmummy.blogspot.com

But how do we _know_ that nobody ever said on their deathbed that they wished
they’d spent more time at the office?

Pacifier Use
 

Sarah Vaughan writes:
: In message , writes
:
:Shamelessly lifted from the Midwifery Today newsletter:
:
:A Finnish study of 484 babies aged 7 to 18 months revealed a
:correlation between pacifier use and increased risk of ear infection
:(acute otitis media). The children were assigned to one of two groups:
:one group's pacifier use was restricted by 21 percent for several
:months; the other group's pacifier use was not restricted. The
:incidence of ear infection among the restricted group was reduced by 29
:percent. Researchers recommend that pacifiers should only be used just
:before sleep and then discontinued com
:pletely after 10 months of age.

: What were the actual numbers involved (I mean, rates of ear infections
: in the restricted group and in the non-restricted group)?

: I also can't see how that study could be used as the basis of a
: recommendation to _stop_ pacifier use, since that wasn't an arm in the
: study.


: All the best,

: Sarah

If you want to see the original article, it is in the Sept 2000 issue
of Pediatrics.

Here is the abstract:

Pacifier as a Risk Factor for Acute Otitis Media: A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Parental Counseling

Received Mar 12, 1999; accepted Jan 19, 2000.

Marjo NiemelÌ*, Outi Pihakari*, Tytti Pokka*, Marja Uhari, and Matti Uhari*
From the * Department of Pediatrics and Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Division of Phoniatrics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.

Objectives. To evaluate the association between pacifier use and the increased occurrence of acute otitis media (AOM) in an intervention trial.

Methods. Fourteen well-baby clinics were selected to participate in an open, controlled cohort study. These clinics were paired according to the number of children and the social classes of the parents they served. One clinic in each pair was randomly allocated for an intervention, while the other served as a control. The nurses at the intervention clinics were trained to instruct the parents of children 18 months old to limit pacifier use during their prescheduled visits to the clinic. The intervention
consisted of a leaflet explaining the harmful effects of pacifier use and instructions to restrict its use. Two hundred seventy-two children were successfully recruited from the intervention clinics and 212 from the control clinics. The data about pacifier use and the occurrence of respiratory infections and AOM were collected similarly in both groups.

Results. After the intervention, a 21% decrease was achieved in continuous pacifier use at the age of 7 to 18 months (P = .0001), and the occurrence of AOM per person-months at risk was 29% lower among children at the intervention clinics. The children who did not use a pacifier continuously in either of the clinics had 33% fewer AOM episodes than the children who did.

Conclusion. Pacifier use appeared to be a preventable risk factor for AOM in children. Its restriction to the moments when the child was falling asleep effectively prevented episodes of AOM. Key words: area under curve, ear infection, intervention, sucking habits.

Larry

Pacifier Use
 

In message , writes
If you want to see the original article, it is in the Sept 2000 issue
of Pediatrics.

Here is the abstract:

Pacifier as a Risk Factor for Acute Otitis Media: A Randomized,
Controlled Trial of Parental Counseling

Received Mar 12, 1999; accepted Jan 19, 2000.

snip

Thanks!

Blimey - the way they've presented the data makes it almost impossible
to figure out exact figures. AFAICT, restricting pacifier use in the 10
- 12 month age group (the age group where it had the biggest impact)
resulted in a reduction of something like one ear infection (probably a
little less) per ten children having pacifier use restricted per month.
So, whether that's worthwhile probably depends on how much your baby
minds having the pacifier use restricted. ;-)


All the best,

Sarah
--
http://www.goodenoughmummy.blogspot.com

But how do we _know_ that nobody ever said on their deathbed that they wished
they’d spent more time at the office?

Pacifier Use
 

Sarah Vaughan wrote:

In message , writes
If you want to see the original article, it is in the Sept 2000 issue
of Pediatrics.

Here is the abstract:

Pacifier as a Risk Factor for Acute Otitis Media: A Randomized,
Controlled Trial of Parental Counseling

Received Mar 12, 1999; accepted Jan 19, 2000.

snip

Thanks!

Blimey - the way they've presented the data makes it almost impossible
to figure out exact figures.

There's something very very strange about the way the entire Results
section of the full-length paper is presented. Careful confidence
intervals and P values are reported for the decrease in pacifier use -
but no statistical analysis at all on the AOM outcomes, only "The
occurrence of AOM/PMR was 29% lower in the intervention group."

Lara