A pacifier

A pacifier or binky or piece (North American English), dummy or comforter (British, New Zealand, and Australian English) or soother (Canadian and Irish English), is a rubber, plastic, or silicone nipple given to an infant or other young child to suck upon. In its standard appearance it has a teat, mouth shield, and handle. The mouth shield and/or the handle is large enough to avoid the danger that the child chokes on it or swallows it. Pacifier can refer to several things: A pacifier is a babys toy. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Schnuller. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Schnuller. ... North American English is a collective term used for the varieties of the English language that are spoken in the United States and Canada. ... Australian English (AuE, AusE, en-AU) is the form of the English language used in Australia. ... Hiberno-English is the form of the English language used in Ireland. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Plastic (disambiguation). ... Not to be confused with the element silicon. ... This article is about the anatomical structure. ... “Baby” redirects here. ... A goat kid feeding on its mothers milk Teat is an alternative word for the nipple of a mammary gland, in humans referred to as a breast, from which milk is discharged. ... For choking meaning compression of the neck, see Strangling. ... For the Bush song, see Swallowed (song). ...

History

Baby Comforter design - 1900

There is a long history of parents giving their children items to suck on in order to comfort them. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 229 × 598 pixel Image in higher resolution (462 × 1207 pixel, file size: 173 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) A US patent drawing from 1900 (cropped) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 229 × 598 pixel Image in higher resolution (462 × 1207 pixel, file size: 173 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) A US patent drawing from 1900 (cropped) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert...

Pacifiers were settling into their modern form around 1900 when the first teat, shield and handle design was patented in the US as a "baby comforter".^[1] Rubber had been used in flexible teethers sold as "elastic gum rings" for British babies in the mid-1800s,^[2] and also used for feeding-bottle teats. In 1902 Sears Roebuck advertised a "new style rubber teething ring, with one hard and one soft nipple",^[3] and in 1909 someone calling herself "Auntie Pacifier" wrote to the New York Times to warn of the "menace to health" (she meant dental health) of "the persistent, and, among poorer classes, the universal sucking of a rubber nipple sold as a 'pacifier'."^[4] In England too, dummies were seen as something the "poorer classes" would use, and associated with poor hygiene. In 1914 a London doctor complained about "the dummy teat": "If it falls on the floor it is rubbed momentarily on the mother's blouse or apron, lipped by the mother and replaced in the baby's mouth."^[5] Sears, Roebuck and Company (NYSE: S) was founded in Chicago, Illinois as a catalog merchandiser in 1886 by Richard Sears and Alvah Roebuck. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

Early pacifiers were manufactured with a choice of black, maroon or white rubber, though the white rubber of the day contained a certain amount of lead. One of the best-known brands was the Binki, which became a general name for pacifier in the US. Binky (with a y) was first used as a brand name for pacifiers and other baby products in about 1935.^[6]

Tied-cloth "pacifier" - 1506

Pacifiers were a development of hard teething rings, but they were also a substitute for the softer sugar tits, sugar-teats or sugar-rags ^[7]which had been in use in 19th century America. A writer in 1873 described a "sugar-teat" made from "a small piece of old linen" with a "spoonful of rather sandy sugar in the centre of it", "gathered ... up into a little ball" with a thread tied tightly around it. ^[8] Rags with foodstuffs tied inside were also given to babies in many parts of Northern Europe and elsewhere. In some places a lump of meat or fat was tied in cloth, and sometimes the rag was moistened with brandy. German-speaking areas might use Lutschbeutel: cloth wrapped round sweetened bread, or maybe poppy-seeds. A Madonna and child painted by Dürer in 1506^[9] shows one of these tied-cloth "pacifiers" in the baby's hand.^[10] Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Thirteenth century Madonna with Child in the Italo-Byzantine style. ... Self-Portrait, 1493, Oil on Canvas Albrecht Dürer (May 21, 1471 - April 6, 1528) was a German painter, wood carver, engraver, and mathematician. ...

In the 1800s, the expression "born with a silver spoon in his mouth" could be taken almost literally – silver soothers/teethers were often given to babies born to wealth. Other expensive materials were also used, with mother-of-pearl or coral being thought to ward off sickness. Coral was believed to guard against all kinds of evil,^[11] and in England in the 17th-19th centuries, a coral meant a teething toy made of coral, ivory or bone, often mounted in silver as the handle of a rattle.^[12] A museum curator has suggested that these substances were used as "sympathetic magic"^[13] and that the animal bone could symbolise animal strength to help the child cope with pain.

Problems caused by their use

If a pacifier is dipped in a sugary substance like syrup or honey (a practice employed by some, and perhaps related to the outdated sugar tit) it may cause dental caries in emerging teeth. Feeding honey to infants is also dangerous due to the risk of botulism. In cooking, a syrup (from Arabic شراب sharab, beverage, via Latin siropus) is a thick, viscous liquid, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars, but showing little tendency to deposit crystals. ... For other uses, see Honey (disambiguation). ... Botulism (Latin, botulus, sausage) is a rare, but serious paralytic illness caused by a nerve toxin, botulin, that is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. ...

Infants may use pacifier or thumb or fingers to soothe themselves

Pacifiers have been shown to interfere with breastfeeding, especially if introduced within the first 6 weeks of life.^[14][15] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 741 KB) Summary Author Florence Devouard (http://fr. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 741 KB) Summary Author Florence Devouard (http://fr. ... Suckling redirects here. ...

Children who suck pacifiers may be more prone to ear infections (otitis media); the relationship was demonstrated in the journal Pediatrics in September 2000.^{[citation needed]} See also thumb sucking. Otitis media is inflammation of the middle ear: the small space between the ear drum and the inner ear. ... Pediatrics is an official peer-reviewed journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. ... Thumb sucking is the act of putting your thumb in your mouth for a prolonged duration. ...

Some older infants may have delayed speech development due to the pacifier's constant presence in their mouths preventing them from practising their speaking skills.^{[citation needed]}

Problems remedied by their use

Researchers have found that "Use of a pacifier is associated with a substantial reduction in the risk of SIDS". (Sudden infant death syndrome) ^[16]. A meta-analytic study published by American Pediatric Association in Pediatrics in October 2005 supports this benefit to 1 year of age.^[17][18]. However other experts while acknowledging the correlation between SIDS risk reduction and the pacifier use, questioned the causality of the findings.^[19][20] Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is a syndrome marked by the symptoms of sudden and unexplained death of an apparently healthy infant aged one month to one year. ... Positive linear correlations between 1000 pairs of numbers. ... Causality or causation denotes the relationship between one event (called cause) and another event (called effect) which is the consequence (result) of the first. ...

Additionally some parents prefer the use of pacifiers to the child sucking their thumbs, and they are used to treat colic^{[citation needed]}. Suction is the creation of a partial vacuum, or region of low pressure. ... Missing image Thumbs up In human anatomy, the thumb is the first digit on a hand. ... Colic may refer to: Baby colic – a condition, usually in infants, characterized by incessant crying. ...

Summary of best practice recommendations

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry's 'Policy on Thumb, Finger and Pacifier Habits' says: "For most children there is no reason to worry about a sucking habit until the permanent front teeth are ready to come in."

A study of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) published in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) states that "It seems appropriate to stop discouraging the use of pacifiers." The authors recommend the use of pacifiers at nap time and bedtime throughout the first year of life. For breastfeeding mothers, the authors suggest waiting until breastfeeding is well established, typically for several weeks, before introducing the pacifier.^[21]

The British Dental Health Foundation's FAQ page recommends: "If you can, avoid using a dummy and discourage thumb sucking. These can both eventually cause problems with how the teeth grow and develop. And this may need treatment with a brace when the child gets older."

In popular culture

Maggie Simpson from the animated television show The Simpsons is rarely separated from her pacifier, and her constant "suck, suck" sound has been one of the few sounds made by the baby. In the episode, Last Exit to Springfield, a dentist mentions that Maggie's teeth are crooked, and asks Marge if Maggie uses a pacifier, and Marge lies, only for the dentist to exclaim "Liar!"; this is a reference to the consequences of pacifier use. For the singer-songwriter, see Maggie Simpson (musician). ... Simpsons redirects here. ... Last Exit to Springfield is the 17th episode of The Simpsons fourth season. ...

Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, it became a teen fashion trend to wear pacifiers as accessories. This was associated with techno music and the use of the drug MDMA (used due to oral dystonia and the urge to grind or nash teeth while on the drug), leading to a ban on this trend in many places. Such styles may change quickly, and fashion in the more colloquial sense refers to the latest version of these styles. ... For the comic book character previously known as Techno, see Fixer (comics). ... ecstasy and religious ecstasy MDMA, most commonly known today by the street name ecstasy, is a synthetic entactogen of the phenethylamine family whose primary effect is to stimulate the brain to rapidly secrete large amounts of serotonin, causing a general sense of openness, empathy, energy, euphoria, and well-being. ... Dystonia is a neurological movement disorder in which sustained muscle contractions cause twisting and repetitive movements or abnormal postures. ...

In Australian English, "spit the dummy" is a colloquial expression meaning to get angry or obstinate, since a baby that spits its dummy is beyond pacification. Australian English (AuE, AusE, en-AU) is the form of the English language used in Australia. ...

Note

1. ^ Design Patent number D33,212 C.W.Meinecke Sep 18 1900
2. ^ S. Levin, MB(RAND) VLR.C.P.(EDNN.) DCH, in South African Medical Journal 1971
3. ^ Sears Roebuck catalog 1902
4. ^ New York Times June 30 1909
5. ^ British Journal of Nursing: The Midwife Aug 7 1915
6. ^ According to trademark registration documents 1948
7. ^ Oxford English Dictionary
8. ^ Cecilia Viets Jamieson Ropes of Sand Chapter 2: Top's baby (1873)
9. ^ Madonna and Siskin
10. ^ S. Levin
11. ^ Norfolk Museums
12. '^ OED; Examples from the Metropolitan
13. ^ Victoria & Albert Museum of Childhood
14. ^ Sanches MTC (2004). "Clinical management of oral disorders in breastfeeding". J Pediatr (Rio J) 80 (5 Suppl): S155-62. doi:10.1590/S0021-75572004000700007. PMID 15583766. Retrieved on 2007-02-10. 
15. ^ Marmet C; Shell E, Aldana S (2000). "Assessing infant suck dysfunction: case management". Journal of Human Lactation 16 (4): pp. 332–336. PMID 11188682. 
16. ^ Report in Science Daily
17. ^ [Do Pacifiers Reduce the Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome? A Meta-analysis]
18. ^ The Changing Concept of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
19. ^ "Pacifiers and SIDS ?", Dr. Alan Green
20. ^ "Dr. Jim Sprott On US Cot Death Research"
21. ^ Mitchell, E.A., Blair P.S., L'Hoir M.P. (2005). "Should Pacifiers Be Recommended to Prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome?". Pediatrics 117 (5): 1755-1758. doi:10.1542/peds.2005-1625. Retrieved on 2007-08-20. 

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See also

The Glot-Up, a combination mouth guard and adult-sized pacifier.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Pacifiers

• Dummies, Pacifiers, Soothers - history