At Horizon Education Centers, we provide a safe and nurturing environment for toddlers starting with those of 18 months of age in our Toddler Care program. We know that at that age some children still use a pacifier and Time.com reported on research published this year in Pediatrics [by researchers from Sweden found that "picking up a dropped pacifier and sucking it clean may help infants be better germ fighters."
If this has been your habit as a parent, then you will be gratified to know that it provides protection for your child in two ways: first you protect the baby from potentially harmful microbes from the floor and you also can pass on good bacteria that can lessen the chances of your child being affected by allergies.
If this has not been your habit or you have felt critical of parents that do this, perhaps it is time to rethink how you view this practice.
Researchers found that children whose parents used their own saliva to sanitize a pacifier rather than rinsing or boiling it in water were less likely to develop eczema ("which is considered the earliest sign of allergies") at 18 months.
Parent should note that this practice does not guarantee that no germs will bother a child since "all of the babies in the study developed an average of one and a half colds in their first six months of life."
Still, for those who make a regular practice of sanitizing pacifiers themselves or find the need to do so in pinch when they can't get to any water, this research confirms your instinct to clean off a pacifier on your own.
Photo Credit: darrowassoc
