Study shows dummies may cut risk of cot death by 90%

PARENTS who give their sleeping babies dummies during their first year of life cut the risk of cot death by more than 90%, a study has found.

Using a dummy also seemed to counteract other factors linked to increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) such as babies sleeping face-down or on their side, or parental smoking.

The findings suggest dummies have a much bigger protective effect than previously thought.

The research, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), found using a dummy was associated with a 92% lower risk of death, regardless of the baby’s sleeping position, or whether the infant co-slept with a mother who smoked. Thumb-sucking was also associated with a 57% lower risk.

Californian researchers compared the sleep habits of 185 babies thought to have died from SIDS with 312 randomly-selected infants.

While the authors of the study said the findings did not conclusively prove dummies caused the reduction, they believed the protective effect might stem from the bulky handle of dummies, which might help prevent suffocation by preventing the airway being blocked by soft bedding.

Soft bedding was defined as heavy blankets, comforters or sleeping bags used under the infant.

The report said: “Dummies usually have a bulky external handle, which could alter the infant’s sleep environment by changing the configuration of the airway passage surrounding the nose and mouth. For example, pacifiers may prevent accidental hypoxia as a result of the face being buried into soft bedding or overlaying by objects by providing an air passage created by the bulky handle.

“Sucking on a dummy may enhance the development of neural pathways that control the potency of the upper airway.”

However, dummies remain controversial. Experts warn that while they may reduce SIDS deaths, that benefit must be weighed against potential detrimental effects, including problems with breast-feeding and increased ear infections.

In Ireland, the incidence of SIDS has dropped by more than a third since the 1980s, except among Travellers, where a Department of Justice report found the rate of cot death is 12 times the national average. According to the National Sudden Infant Death Register, the SIDS rate is now 0.7 per 1,000 live births.

Irish Sudden Infant Death Association Helpline: 1850-391391.