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Pacifier Overuse Can Lead to Ear Infections

By Henry J. Fishman, M.D.
ConsumerAffairs.com

September 14, 2006

• Ear Infection Superbug Discovered • Pacifier Overuse Can Lead to Ear Infections

Using a pacifier too much can increase your newborn's chances of ear infections, according to an article published in the journal Pediatrics.

Doctors looked at the issue of pacifiers and infections. They compared about 200 infants, ages 7 to 18 months in seven clinics to a similar second group in some other clinics.

Nurses at the initial seven clinics warned the parents of the first group of kids about problems with pacifiers, like yeast infections and bad teeth. As a result, the parents cut their children's pacifier use by 21 percent and the ear infection rate followed suit, falling 29 percent.

Conclusion: Pacifiers can lead to ear infections by blocking the ear canal and the nose and being contaminated with germs. Parents should limit the use of pacifiers to about the first six months of life, just when the child is about to fall asleep.

Kids ten months and older should be weaned from their pacifiers.

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