Unlocking the Root Cause of Prolonged Non-nutritive Sucking Habits

A common practice for new parents is to offer infants pacifiers (also referred to as ordinary soothers or dummies) to provide emotional comfort during times of stress. An infant may seek out comfort from a pacifier, thumb or other items they can use for sucking, and this is referred to as a non-nutritive sucking habit (NNSH). Butler et al (2016) found over half of all children aged 15 months old were still engaging in a NNSH.