Hello Sam and all, My kids also have perfect teeth, thank goodness and I really do believe it was lack of pacifiers and breastfeeding that played a crucial part. Also anecdotal. Wondering how many of our bf kids needed braces. Hmmm. That could be an interesting study along with paci use. Babies unlucky enough to receive only bottles, really would need a replacement for the breast in order to answer their sucking needs. As we all know, bf babies get this need met, but more bottles of liquids or more formula will not answer these needs for a non bf baby and could cause extreme over feeding. So by virtue of the fact that the breast does answer this need, then it stands to reason that bf babies would be more alert and wake in the event of an episode of apnea or some system malfunction while sleeping. My impression was not that the recommendation was in order to induce more sleep but to make the baby more active - AS IF HE WERE BFG during the night, just like his breastfeeding counterparts. I would say, that the recommendation would NOT be required for bf babies at all, because they are already doin what nature intended. Thus the reduction in SIDS incidents.. Ellen shein, LLLI IBCLC Tel Aviv -----Original Message----- From: Lactation Information and Discussion [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of LACTNET automatic digest system Sent: Thursday, December 03, 2009 10:52 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: LACTNET Digest - 3 Dec 2009 - Special issue (#2009-1116) There are 8 messages totaling 367 lines in this issue. T ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 3 Dec 2009 09:09:42 -0500 From: [log in to unmask] Subject: Pacifiers and SIDS In looking at the studies cited for the recommendation of pacifier use, I am struck by the description that the SIDS incident occurred on a night where the infant lost the pacifier out of his mouth. This suggests to me that these infants were already pacifier-dependent for the regulation of their breathing during sleep. We know that exclusively breastfed infants, especially if they sleep in the same room as the parents have a lower incidence of SIDS. My question regarding the advice to give all babies pacifiers is why would we want to make them pacifier-dependent in the first place and actually raise the risk of SIDS? We already have RestFull infant formula that is supposed to make babies sleep longer and deeper, sleep-through-the-night baby training programs to make babies sleep deeper and longer, and research being done on putting tryptophan into formula to make babies sleep deeper and longer! Pacifier use during the day for a few minutes to calm a fussy baby or in a NICU for sucking experience is different in my mind than addicting a baby to a pacifier to the point where he is dependent on it to breathe at night. Is there a subset of infants who need a pacifier to regulate breathing during sleep or do we create this subset by accustoming them to pacifier use as a newborn? Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC Weston, MA *********************************************** *********************************************** Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html To reach list owners: [log in to unmask] Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask] COMMANDS: 1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail 2. To start it again: set lactnet mail 3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet 4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome