Dummies 'reduce cot death risk'

Dummies 'reduce cot death risk'

A study in California has indicated that putting a baby to sleep in their cot with a dummy (or "pacifier" in US terms) may reduce the chance of cot death by up to 90%.

However, if you read past that headline it appears that the study was small and its conclusions are not being hailed by experts in the field as conclusive. The results of the study showed the greatest reduction was in families were there was already a high risk, principally where both parents smoke.

Experts in the media today have taken the opportunity to stress he existing advice rather than embrace this new research. The existing advice includes avoiding letting the baby overheat. As I seem to spend half the night awake keeping an eye on the temperature in Oliver's room and given that neither Hayley nor I smoke, we are going to let Oliver continue to sleep without a dummy. We did occasionally give him one but he always dropped it after a while anyway. Right now we are blessed to have a baby who goes to sleep with no trouble most of the time and who seems content. On balance I think I feel safer leaving things as they are, even though this kind of study will probably give me a sleepless night tonight that I otherwise wouldn't have suffered!