Pacifier choking scare spurs warning from Winnipeg mother

Winnipeg mom Monique Dupuis and her two-year-old son Zakari.

A Winnipeg mother is sounding the alarm after her toddler began choking on a pacifier, even though the company that sold the soother says it was not defective.

Monique Dupuis says she experienced the scare of her life when her two-year-old son Zakari began gasping for air in an incident this past summer.

“He had it wedged there, and you could see him struggling,” Dupuis said. “It wasn’t until I saw on the floor, the top of piece of the soother, that I realized, oh my god, where is the other end?”

Dupuis performed the Heimlich manoeuvre on her son, managing to dislodge a piece of silicone.

Dupuis says she routinely checks his pacifiers for tears, and feels lucky she was there when he started choking.

“I may have woken up to a dead baby, essentially, it’s just terrifying,” she said.

Dupuis said the soother, made for babies six months and older, was new.

She asked Loblaw, the parent company of the Real Canadian Superstore where the soother was purchased, to pull them from store shelves. Dupuis said her request was dismissed.

“They said that they were going to keep an eye out on it, and that they were going to send me a $25 gift card,” Dupuis said.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Loblaw says it takes product safety seriously, and that pacifiers are manufactured under strict regulations.

“All styles of pacifier are subjected to extensive testing including a 10-pound stress test,” said Kevin Groh, Loblaw’s vice-president of corporate affairs. “Neither we nor the manufacturer have received similar complaints regarding the pacifiers previously.

“We have no reason to believe this was the result of a manufacturing defect.”

Pediatrician Dr. Grant MacDougall said Dupuis’ story is not common. He recommends parents only give their babies a one-piece pacifier, rather than the commonly available two-piece types.

MacDougall also said chewing part of the silicone is possible, especially if the child has teeth and is older than a year.

“A two- or three-year-old with a pacifier, they absolutely can rip those little pacifiers apart, so take the two-piece pacifiers and throw them out,” MacDougall said.

After the incident, Dupuis said she only gives Zakari a heavy-duty, one-piece pacifier.

Still, she doesn’t believe her son is to blame, and puts the onus on the product itself.

When the broken pacifier was sent back to Loblaw, the company conducted a test and determined the silicone piece was chewed off, Dupuis said.

Since CTV News contacted Loblaw about the incident, Dupuis said the company called her and apologized for blaming the child and they are investigating further.

Dupuis said she just wants to warn other parents so they don’t have a similar scare.

Are pacifiers safe?

According to the Canadian Pediatric Society, children should not chew on a pacifier, because it could break down and could result in choking or death.

The guidelines also suggest transitioning a child away from pacifier use at 12 months.

The use of pacifiers to soothe babies is the subject of controversy, with some arguing they provide comfort and are easier to stop using compared with thumb-sucking. There is also research that suggests using a pacifier may decrease the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), or crib death.

However, others point out that incorrect or prolonged use of a soother can lead to breastfeeding and dental problems.

With a report by CTV Winnipeg’s Beth MacDonell