A New Way to Pacify Allergies?

A new study recommends an intriguing way for parents to cut down on kids developing allergies. If mom and/or dad were to suck on the baby's pacifier, and then stick it into the baby's mouth, it could, the study suggests, transfer bacteria that may prove helpful in allergy prevention.

This info prompted me to hearken back to when my soon-to-be 15-year old was an infant. He didn't much care for the pacifier, and hardly used it. My golden retriever, however, loved it. Quite often, when I couldn't find the passy, I knew exactly where to look for it--stuck in my dog's mouth, as if he were the baby. It was a pretty funny sight--big goofy dog, pacifier front and center, wagging his tail like mad. Of course, as soon as I saw it there, I took it away and did my best to sterilize it. But since my son never went on to develop allergies, I have to wonder if perhaps canine bacteria may have played a role.

I don't have a picture of my golden (he's been in doggie heaven for many years now, and his successor, if you can believe it, is even goofier), but it looked a lot like this: