THURSDAY, Sept. 23, 2004 (HealthDayNews) -- A high-tech pacifier that trains premature babies to suck properly may help them leave intensive care units sooner.
The Actifier pacifier, developed at the University of Kansas, is meant to train premature babies to suck at the right time and in the right way. This may help them learn to feed properly and also encourage their brain development.
"A baby's ability to suck is about more than getting nourishment," co-inventor Steven Barlow, a professor of speech-language-hearing, said in a prepared statement.
"This motor behavior generates sensory flow that nurtures the brain to form and strengthen nerve connections and pathways," Barlow said.
Sucking -- a sensorimotor skill that normally begins in the womb -- is an important stimulus for the developing brains of babies.
"When babies come too early, we have to figure out ways to augment and supplement those stimulation patterns," Barlow explained.
The Actifier is a silicone nipple linked to computer-controlled sensors that stimulate and record neuromuscular responses of babies while they suck on the pacifier. The device will be tested on 390 infants during a three-year study.
More information
The Nemours Foundation has more about premature infants.
