Study Warns Of Prolonged Use Of Pacifiers And Baby Bottles

October 21, 2009 6:19 a.m. EST

Miami, FL (AHN) - Health researchers in Chile and the United States warn that the use of pacifiers, baby bottles and thumb and finger sucking can be detrimental to speech development as children age.

The Chilean researchers, who worked with peers from the University of Washington, said if the habits go on too long, speech disorders can appear when the children move on to preschool. These children tend to have difficulties forming certain words and to simplify their pronunciation.

The researchers said in a statement that delaying giving a baby a bottle until he or she is 9 months old reduced the risk of later developing speech disorders. They also said that children who used pacifiers for more than three years were three times more likely to have speech impediments.

The researchers said that their findings provide further support of the benefits of breast feeding longer, but they cautioned that their data are "observational."

The study appears in the journal BMC Pediatrics.