What You Should Know About Thumb-Sucking, Pacifiers, and Other Non-Nutritive Oral Habits

Babies have the innate need to suck. It’s a reflex they are born with. Non-nutritive sucking (NNS) refers to a sucking behavior that does not provide any nutritional benefit. So nursing and bottle-feeding are nutritive, while thumb-sucking, finger-sucking, and pacifiers are non-nutritive. Surprisingly, NNS can actually be beneficial for babies. Benefits for Babies NNS is the first step in helping babies learn to self-regulate emotions and feelings and to self-soothe. Babies actually begin finger-sucking in utero as early as 20 to 29 weeks gestation. Read in browser »