Why are babies pacified? A review of mothers' choices to offer pacifiers and hospital pacifier policies.

In the United States, the use of pacifiers appears to be a common practice, potentially as a result of lowering Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or as a way to soothe a baby. However, information detailing how often, when, and why mothers from the United States offer and ultimately use pacifiers for their babies is lacking. The current thesis contains two studies: the first explores reasons behind mothers' experiences using pacifiers with their young children, while the second seeks to better understand how hospitals' practices that may support or hinder pacifier use among newborns. Ten mothers of children between the ages of 18-and-36 months were interviewed to determine the factors involved in their decisions to use or not to use pacifiers with their babies. In addition, nurses or supervisors from six hospitals in the greater Los Angeles area were interviewed about their practices regarding pacifiers for newborns. Results indicate that all the mothers attempted to offer pacifiers to their children, but for a variety of reasons, many stopped early on. New hospital practices also emerged in the second study, which may have an impact on encouraging pacifier use. Practices and policies related to pacifiers are also discussed.