Test: Pacifiers, Latex

“Test: Pacifiers, Latex
Not a Modern Phenomenon” published in
Ratgeber Kleinkinder 5, May 2003 issue

Test: Pacifiers, Latex

Not a Modern Phenomenon

Pacifiers make parents’ lives easier. When the baby is otherwise hard to calm, the crying soon stops with a pacifier in its mouth. Even the ancient Egyptians knew this.

It can be seen on some ultrasound images: the unborn child sucks its thumb. Even in the womb, babies have the need to suck. And this need doesn’t go away when the child is born. A contentedly sucking baby is calmer, more relaxed, and falls asleep more easily. This has even been scientifically studied: when the baby sucks, its body produces more hormones. These regulate digestion on the one hand and have a calming and sleep-promoting effect on the other.

Parents who don’t want to constantly breastfeed and don’t approve of thumb-sucking turn to pacifiers sooner rather than later. The colorful rubber plugs as we know them have only existed since the last century. But the predecessors of the pacifier go far back into antiquity. As early as over 4,500 years ago, there were sucking vessels in Egypt, which later became small clay figures filled with honey that were hung around children’s necks. Such sucking animals existed in Europe until the Middle Ages.

Pediatricians and dentists today would throw up their hands in dismay at this and also at the further development. Sucking bags filled with a mush of flour, bread, and honey replaced the clay animals. When the little ones were supposed to sleep because the adults had to go to the harvest, for example, and couldn’t take care of them, a drop of alcohol was sometimes added.

Compared to that, today’s pacifiers are harmless companions. They are made of either silicone or latex. The transparent silicone is less elastic than latex and tears very quickly once a tear has formed. Then pieces can also break off and be swallowed by the child. If the child already has teeth and chews on the pacifier with them, latex pacifiers are better. The brown material is much more tear-resistant. However, exposure to sunlight and frequent boiling makes the natural material porous.

not drop-shaped, but flattened on both sides. Usually there are different sizes – small pacifiers for newborns, larger ones for crawling babies and toddlers. The pacifier shouldn’t be used for too long: as early as around one year of age, children can get used to only having the pacifier in the evening and for sleeping. By about three years of age, the beloved companion should be given up at the latest.

Latex pacifiers

When ÖKO-TEST found a chemical called 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT) in almost all latex pacifiers and nipples a few years ago—a substance that triggers allergies and is suspected of being carcinogenic—the uproar among parents was understandably enormous. The bad news spread like wildfire. Many parents complained vehemently to the manufacturers. Others simply threw the old pacifiers in the trash and imposed a rigorous pacifier-weaning regimen on their children. The few recommendable latex pacifiers and nipples were sold out within days.

Manufacturers responded quickly to this massive storm of outrage and converted their production. We had nine latex pacifiers tested for this and other harmful substances.

The test results

All nine latex pacifiers receive a “very good” rating.

The very good products do not contain any health-concerning ingredients such as 2-mercaptobenzothiazole or organotin compounds. Unnecessary ingredients such as PVC/PVDC/chlorinated plastics were also not found in the nipples. None of the pacifiers came in environmentally harmful packaging.

Time for the pacifier fairy

For Viktor, it happened on a hike: He threw his once-indispensable pacifier into a raging mountain stream that carried it away, never to be seen again. “I’m already a big boy,” the three-year-old says confidently. Laura needed a bit more spectacle. With Dad’s help, she shot her pacifier stash into the air with New Year’s Eve rockets. Up and away. Most children cope well with a clear farewell to their pacifiers—provided they agree to it. Simply letting the pacifiers disappear usually doesn’t work. Even two-year-olds today know that the shelves at the nearest drugstore are full of them.

Two- to three-year-olds can usually be convinced, however, if you appeal to their social conscience. The story of the pacifier fairy, who collects pacifiers from “big” children and brings them to poor little human or animal babies who urgently need them, works with most children and makes them feel grown up. If you also add that the pacifier fairy leaves a small gift at the door in exchange when she finds a bag of pacifiers there, you’ve already won.

After the first night without a pacifier, the hardest part is over. The child feels big and is proud. After a few days, it’s finally accomplished. If the child asks for the old pacifier in the meantime, suggesting they trade the gift back for the pacifier helps. Very few children agree to that.

If children are younger than two years old, they don’t yet understand the story of the pacifier fairy. Parents who want to get rid of the pacifier this early need to make it deliberately unappealing. For example, if you poke a hole in the nipple, air escapes and sucking is no longer satisfying. Scissors are also a popular tool: every two days, the pacifier is cut a little shorter. However, this should only be done with latex nipples due to material properties. The broken pacifier then often ends up in the trash voluntarily.

Tips:

In the second year of life, you can get children used to not having the pacifier during the day anymore. In the evening at bedtime, the pacifier can still be used.

Gradually reduce the pacifier supply so that the child doesn’t feel like there are always backups available.

Interview

Pacifier is better than thumb

The only advantage of thumb sucking is that the finger never gets lost. However, thumb sucking is much harder to break.

ÖKO-TEST: Which is worse, sucking on a pacifier or thumb sucking?
Definitely thumb sucking, because it’s much harder to break. The longer thumb sucking continues, the bigger the problems become: First, the upper jaw doesn’t develop properly in width and remains too narrow. Second, the lower jaw is pushed back by the thumb and lags in growth. Additionally, what’s called an open bite develops, meaning the upper front teeth protrude too far and don’t overlap with the lower ones.
ÖKO-TEST: Can that be corrected later?
Yes, but I strongly recommend taking children to a specialist in orthodontics as early as possible, at age four or five. Then small measures can already be initiated. Jaw correction only works during the growth phase, and that’s completed by age twelve to fourteen.
ÖKO-TEST: Can you simply give thumb suckers a pacifier?
That usually doesn’t work. Real thumb suckers typically don’t like the pacifier. In that case, it’s better to try to break the sucking habit directly.
ÖKO-TEST: But how?
Never with force, like tying the hand or applying bad-tasting ointments. It’s better to motivate the children. For younger children, a sucking calendar works well: on days when they don’t suck their thumb, the child can draw a sun. If it didn’t work out, they draw a cloud. Parents can also create incentives with small rewards. Or you can draw a face on the thumb and tell the story of how the little thumb king feels when he disappears into the dark and wet mouth and how happy he is when he comes out again.

Don’t lick the pacifier clean

A pacifier can quickly end up on the floor. Before putting it back in the baby’s mouth, many parents lick the pacifier themselves to remove possible germs or dirt. However, saliva can transfer cavity-causing bacteria to the child. Therefore, it’s better to rinse the pacifier under running water or provide a replacement pacifier.

True or false?

Claim: Pacifier use promotes misaligned teeth and speech disorders.
True! In children who suck on a pacifier for a long time and frequently, misaligned teeth such as overbite, open bite, or protruding canines occur more often. This can also lead to incorrect pronunciation, especially of S and Z sounds. However, it takes years for such changes to develop. Parents who use orthodontic pacifiers and wean their child from pacifier use by their third birthday need not worry about severe misaligned teeth.

Claim: If a pacifier is given in the first weeks of life, it impairs breastfeeding success and duration.
False! An American study did not confirm this theory. Whether children received a pacifier before six weeks of age or not had no effect on breastfeeding duration. 45 percent of pacifier-using children were still breastfed at six months, compared to 40 percent of babies without pacifiers. Only after a total of nine months did the balance shift in favor of non-pacifier children.

Claim: Pacifier-using children have ear infections more often.
True! A Finnish study found this connection. Children between six and 18 months of age who only needed a pacifier to fall asleep or not at all developed ear infections significantly less often than their peers who used the pacifier frequently during the day.

Claim: Pacifier-using children don’t die as often from sudden infant death syndrome.
Probably true! Scientists are not entirely in agreement. However, Dutch and Scandinavian studies show a significantly lower risk when the child uses a pacifier. But: Never lick the pacifier! The Helicobacter bacteria in adult saliva may also be a risk.

Our advice for parents: If a sucking habit – whether pacifier or thumb – persists beyond the third year of life, dental development should be monitored early. More on this on our page about orthodontics for children and adolescents.

Copyright ©2003 ÖKO-TEST Verlag GmbH, Frankfurt

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