Children who hold a pacifier are three times more likely to be delayed

Toddlers who use a pacifier for a long time are three times more likely to speak slowly than children who don't use it. Children who suck fingers also have the same risk, a study has just revealed.

Photo: DailyMail. At the beginning of the project, it was still at a preliminary level, but the scientific group confirmed that there is more and more evidence that parents who put nipples on their babies actually "bought" peace and quietness at the price of the development of their children.

The US and Chilean scientific groups investigated the history of finger sucking, breast-feeding and use of pacifiers in 128 babies aged 3 to 5. They also used a language test to check whether the ability to speak. Are they normal at that age or not?

Dr. Clarita Barbosa, the lead researcher from the University of Washington, found that children who sucked their fingers or used a pacifier for at least 3 years had a three-fold risk of language malfunction.

But those who are breastfed until at least 9 months old - and therefore without a bottle - have a much lower rate of delay.

"Research shows that prolonged sucking or sucking on a pacifier can have a negative effect on language development in young children," Dr Barbosa said. However, she also said that more large-scale research is needed on this issue.