SIDS prevention

Children who are not breastfed have double the chance to die of SIDS in comparison to their breastfed counterparts, according to Vonnegut & Mitchell in a German Ministry of Education and Science and the New Zealand Child Health Research Foundation funded study. The researchers thus advise that breastfeeding gets a prominent place in anti SIDS campaigns. The Edmund et al Oxford University research team added the knowledge that it is important to start breastfeeding as soon as possible following birth, for their research showed that 16%, respectively 22% of SIDS cases could be prevented if all children would start breastfeeding within the first 24 hours, respectively the first hour of life.  Other researcher found that the use of a dummy/pacifier just before sleeping is a strong preventive measure as well. The Cochrane group review several studies on this subject and they found that for every 2733 children that are put to sleep with a pacifier one cot death would be prevented. This study however did not take breastfeeding into account. Are breast and dummy evening out each other? Do they increase each other’s merits? Do they work against each other? For me, breastfeeding still is the strongest protection. Dummies only protect against SIDS, but they do increase the risk for less breastfeeding, incorrect oral and dental development, apnea, and ear infections, while breastfeeding lowers those risks and lowers the risk of SIDS as well significantly. Read more avbut breastfeeding and other oral obkects and their effects on child health: http://www.brianpalmerdds.com/articles.htm
M.M. Vennemann, T. Bajanowski, B. Brinkmann, G. Jorch, K. Yücesan, C. Sauerland, E.A. Mitchell,  and the GeSID Study Group: Does Breastfeeding Reduce the Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome?
PEDIATRICS Vol. 123 No. 3 March 2009, pp. e406-e410
Hauck FR, Omojokun OO, Siadaty MS.: Do pacifiers reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome? A meta-analysis. Pediatrics. 2005 Nov;116(5):e716-23.
Vennemann MM,  Mitchell EA: Breast-Feeding May Reduce Risk for SIDS by Half Throughout Infancy. Pediatrics. 2009;123:e406-e410
Edmond KM, Zandoh C, Quigley MA, Amenga-Etego S, Owusu-Agyei S, Kirkwood BR: Delayed Breastfeeding Initiation Increases Risk of Neonatal Mortality. PEDIATRICS Vol. 117 No. 3 March 2006, pp. e380-e386