Breastfeeding is an important part of newborn health. It is recommended that babies be breastfed at least in their first 6 months of life. There has been debate over whether pacifier, or non-nutritive device use negatively impacts a newborns breastfeeding habits, by confusing the baby (Goldman, 2013, p. 499). This confusion has been termed “nipple confusion.” Most individuals define nipple confusion as when an infant struggles to determine the difference between a nipple and a pacifier. This confusion can influence the baby, causing them develop poor breastfeeding skills. Due to the differences in a pacifier and a nipple, the baby can become irritable when trying to breastfeed, because they have been exposed to sucking on a pacifier …show more content…
Overall, looking at the comparison of the studies shows that the use of a pacifier does not have a negative impact on the breastfeeding habits of a newborn. Based on the studies conducted by C. Harding et al. (2014, p. 461), the use of a pacifier does not have a significant negative impact on breastfeeding of a newborn, and does not help infants develop better nutritive sucking skills (C Harding et al., 2014, p. 461). According to a study conducted by Richard Reading (2011, p. 606), the use of a pacifier “did not significantly affect the prevalence or duration of exclusive and partial breastfeeding up to four months of age.” Even though this study showed breastfeeding was not significantly impacted by pacifier use, further research needs to be done to see the long-term effects of pacifier use related to breastfeeding, as well as the impact pacifier use has on breastfeeding in preterm infants (Reading, 2011, p. 606). It is still recommended that parents restrict the use of pacifiers in a breastfeeding baby’s first month of life (Goldman, 2013, p.