In the absence of clinical studies, all we can really do is speculate about the impact of pacifier use and share stories. For instance, my oldest daughter (who never had any experience with pacifiers) was one of the most vicious and persistent biters I've ever encountered. She bit me, and as a toddler, turned many kisses into bites. She was a sweet child, but whenever she put her mouth up to the round, chubby cheek of a toddler playmate, she bit as if taking a chunk out of a juicy apple. She is 24 now, and didn't progress to an eating disorder or become a serial killer. The truth is, some studies on pacifiers suggest that some dysfunction in the child predisposes the child to liking/wanting/needing more non-nutritive sucking than other babies. I've written about this before, and it would be worth checking the archives to read the refs I've previously provided about the association with subtle respiratory dysfunction and dependance on pacifiers (or thumb-sucking) to protect airways. Barbara Wilson-Clay, BS, IBCLC Austin Lactation Associates LactNews Press www.lactnews.com *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html