Pacifier

Pacifiers normally have three parts: an elongated teat, a handle, and a mouth shield that prevents the child from swallowing or choking on it.

Pacifiers were a development of hard teething rings, but they were also a substitute for the softer sugar tits, sugar-teats, or sugar-rags[4] 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 center of it", "gathered ... up into a little ball" with a thread tied tightly around it.

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" by Manhattan pharmacist Christian W.

[7] Rubber had been used in flexible teethers sold as "elastic gum rings" for British babies in the mid-19th century,[8] and also used for feeding-bottle teats.

A Cochrane Review of the evidence found that orthodontic braces or psychological intervention (such as positive or negative reinforcement) were effective in helping children stop sucking habits where that was necessary.

[clarification needed] There appears to be no strong evidence that using a pacifier delays speech development by preventing babies from practicing their speaking skills.

[14] The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry's (AAPD) policy on pacifier use in the first months of life is to support the parental decision.

[24][25] Researchers in Brazil have shown that neither "orthodontic" nor standard pacifiers prevent dental problems if children continue sucking past the age of three years.

[26] It is commonly reported anecdotally that pacifier use among stimulant users helps reduce bruxism and thus prevents tooth damage.

[28] The British Oral Health Foundation recommends: "If you can, avoid using a dummy, soother or pacifier and discourage thumb sucking.

Richard H. Passman and Jane S. Halonen at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee traced the developmental course of attachments to pacifiers and provided norms.

Passman and Halonen[30] contended that the widespread occurrence of attachments to pacifiers as well as their importance as security objects should reassure parents that they are a normal part of development for a majority of infants and toddlers.