This *Health Watch* article appeared in the Elmira Star-Gazette, my
local newspaper, this morning.
I am debating about whether to answer it point by point, or simply
send them the United States Breastfeeding Committee's reply to the
original AAPreport.  What do you think?

norma, dismayed but not surprised.


http://www.stargazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051019/LIFE06/510190319/1138
>health watch
October 19, 2005

Should you give your baby a binky at bedtime?

The American Academy of Pediatrics says yes: In new guidelines on
preventing sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), the group urges
parents to offer pacifiers at nap and bedtimes. The academy cites
research showing babies who nod off with pacifiers are 61 percent less
likely to die of SIDS than otherwise similar babies who don't. The
doctors speculate that pacifiers may help keep airways clear or may
keep babies from sleeping too deeply or rolling onto tummies.

Contrary to popular belief, the academy says, pacifiers don't ruin
teeth and don't cause enough infant ear infections to negate their
benefits. And, the doctors say there isn't compelling evidence that
pacifiers inhibit breast-feeding.

The recommendations - which expand on those urging parents to put
babies to sleep on their backs and to keep fluffy bedding out of cribs
- come as SIDS case counts have plateaued, after a dramatic
decade-long decline. SIDS affects about one in 2,000 babies.

Studies strongly suggest pacifiers don't interfere with nursing -
unless they are introduced in the first week of life. That's why the
academy's policy says parents should wait to use pacifiers until
breast-feeding is established, after about a month. The academy also
says pacifiers should never be used as substitutes for nursing or
bottle-feeding.

The American Academy of Pediatrics advises:

# Offer a pacifier at bedtime and naptime, but don't force it.
# Don't put the pacifier back in after the baby falls asleep.
# Never coat a pacifier with sweet liquids or anything else.
# Clean pacifiers regularly and replace them often.

The academy's complete statement is at www.aap.org.

Source: Gannett News Service

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