Dear Andrea,

This was a topic of discussion at the Wolf and Glass conference I attended recently (they are OTs specializing in infant feeding and swallowing disorders).  They also talk about it in their book.  One of the problems they have with the NUK is that it doesn't facilitate central grooving and proper tongue movement very well.  Babies like it because it gives them something to grab onto and they can keep it in the mouth with less sucking.  Ultrasound studies done by Smith showed that sucking on a NUK nipple was the least like sucking on a human nipple - the babies tended to use a "squash-pump" action to get milk out of the nipple. (Other nipples evaluated were the Playtex, Evenflo and Ross with the Playtex most resembling the human nipple during breastfeeding, although most felt that the nipple was too short).

Smith, W.L. 1989.  Breast-feeding:  Beyond the Basics.  Presentation at Swedish Hospital and Medical Center.  Seattle, WA.

Hope this helps.
Warmly,
Sharon Knorr, BSMT, ASCP, IBCLC
Newark, NY (near Rochester on Lake Ontario)
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