Very interesting, Alison - I hadn't realised the term non-nutritive sucking
came originally  from bottle feeding/pacifier research, in fact I had only
ever come across the term in US-based info, and I always translated it into
our UK term 'comfort sucking' . However, I have always been slightly
uncomfortable,  knowing it  can't be an exact translation - here, we think
of comfort sucking as delivering 'less' nutrition, but not 'none'.

I have written before about how mad I get  - internally , as you'd never
know it from my calm face and relaxed body language : )  - when I hear the
term 'just sucking for comfort'  - what do you mean,  'just' I want to ask!

Your post reminded me of how (in the UK at any rate) mothers were told to
feed '10 minutes a side every four hours' based on what bottle feeding
babies had been observed to do...


Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc Newcastle upon Tyne UK