Infant suffers blister like burns on face after falling asleep with pacifier
Check the products baby uses, and keep safety in mind, always.
Pacifiers are commonly accepted as routine baby items (along with bottles, breast-pumps and strollers). As such, we have an inherent trust in their safety. However, a mum recently discovered to her horror that her baby's innocent-looking (and popular-branded) pacifier was capable of unimaginable harm.
Mum Kristen Milhone documents in a Facebook post how her seven-month-old son Jack, woke up one morning with pacifier burns.
Not wanting another child to suffer the same fate, she decided to spread awareness by sharing their ordeal.
7-Month-Old Suffered Pacifier Burns
In her post on Facebook, she shared that when she had woken that day, she noticed a quarter-sized, red mark on the side of her baby's face. It was raised, blistered and looked very much like a burn.
Her immediate thought was a chemical burn, but what could have possibly burnt her son? She thought, "Well maybe it was something in his co-sleeper." But that thought was quickly disregarded because it was just him and his pacifier. What harm could a little pacifier do to her son?
Doctors Say It Was Suction Burn
So Kristen drove Jack to emergency and by then yellow blisters were beginning to form on his little face.
After further examination by two doctors, it was determined that the wound was not a chemical burn. Doctors say the blisters were caused by a suction burn from the baby's pacifier.
How could this happen?
At some point during the night, Jack's pacifier must have fallen out of his mouth, and he must have rolled on top of it and slept till morning. This created a suction effect between his left temple and the back of the pacifier. And it explains the pacifier burns on the side of his face. This was further confirmed when the diameter of the wound and the indent on the pacifier were a perfect match.
"(It is) None of the things countless safe-sleep books, ads, commercials or doctors warn you of," wrote Kristen in her post.
"My poor innocent baby is now injured due to a product that is trusted by millions and was used properly. I will no longer be using these products once we can find a suitable alternative for him and until then its use will be closely monitored."
She also mentioned how easily the pacifier converts into suction cups:
"If you press the back of it to your face, then press the nipple, it suctions so quickly! If you even leave it on there for one minute, it leaves a welt, let alone the hours my child slept [on it] that night."
Parents should remove pacifier from the crib as soon as they fall asleep
Although Jack was put on antibiotics to treat the pacifier burns, Kristen is still concerned the wound might leave scars. This could have easily happened to any child.
"You put your kids [to bed] thinking they are safe, and these things you really trust might turn out to be dangerous."
Responding to the mum's complaint, the multi-million company that manufactured this pacifier promised to investigate the matter. They assured customers that all their products meet or exceed applicable regulatory requirements.
However, Kristen remains sceptical. She thinks that parents still need to be careful with that brand of pacifier. If they want to avoid the risk of pacifier burns when letting their little ones fall asleep while using them, it is better to be safe.
She sends out a warning to all parents, saying:
“If you are going to use it, take it away from them as soon as they fall asleep, especially when they start rolling around," she said. "Don’t let them sleep with it in the crib."
Is it actually safe for baby to sleep with a pacifier?
Well, it does a great job at calming your bub and studies have also shown that using a pacifier at night and during your baby's nap can decrease your baby's risk of SIDS, or sudden infant death syndrome.
As long as parents wait at least one month after birth to establish a healthy breastfeeding relationship, there is no major danger in using a pacifier.
Of course, parents must always be mindful not to let their babies sleep with pacifiers that are still attached to a strap to avoid the risk of strangulation. Also always remember to check that your bub's pacifiers are intact with no rips, signs of wear, tears, or breaks in the plastic. This will increase the chances of it becoming a choking hazard.
As long as parents are aware of the risks and take steps to avoid them, pacifiers should be relatively safe for most babies.
Source: Inside Edition
Read also: Fun and crazy facts you never knew about pacifiers
