Which statement best describes non-nutritive sucking in infants?

Which statement best describes non-nutritive sucking in infants?

• A. It involves more swallowing than sucking.
• B. It uses pacifiers and results in sustained sucking with frequent swallows.
• C. It involves more sucking and less swallowing.
• D. It is identical to nutritive sucking.

Answer: (C)

Non-nutritive sucking is sucking without milk flow. Because there’s no liquid to swallow, infants tend to suck in longer bursts with few or no swallows, so you see more sucking actions and less swallowing overall. Pacifiers are commonly used for this pattern, but the key feature is the lack of liquid intake and the low swallowing rate. That’s why the description of more sucking with less swallowing best fits non-nutritive sucking, whereas patterns that emphasize frequent swallows or equate it with nutritive sucking don’t align with the absence of milk flow.

Non-nutritive sucking is sucking without milk flow. Because there’s no liquid to swallow, infants tend to suck in longer bursts with few or no swallows, so you see more sucking actions and less swallowing overall. Pacifiers are commonly used for this pattern, but the key feature is the lack of liquid intake and the low swallowing rate. That’s why the description of more sucking with less swallowing best fits non-nutritive sucking, whereas patterns that emphasize frequent swallows or equate it with nutritive sucking don’t align with the absence of milk flow.