Ear Infections and Pacifier Use

We’ve known now for several years that discontinuing the use of a pacifier can reduce ear infections in children. A study published in the September 2000 issue of Pediatrics looked at the effect of simply having nurses give a leaflet to parents about the side effects of pacifier use and also instructing them to limit pacifier use to moments when the child was falling asleep (and stopping it entirely at about 10 months of age). The results?

Continuous pacifier use decreased by more than 20% and ear infections dropped by almost 30% at the clinics where this education took place. I hope you will consider Daily Dose a leaflet:^) How much better to prevent ear infections than to treat them with round after round of antibiotics!