Dummy - Good or Bad?

[EthanDC]

My OH is due in July we are having a boy!

What are the benefits & drawbacks with offering a dummy?

Why do you guys offer or not offer dummies?

I'm asking for your opinions & experiences. I will use them to help form my own opinion. Thank you in advance :)

[ijustwannadance]

Every baby is different. Mine flat out refused a dummy so never had one.

[dontpokethebear]

Ds1 and ds2 weren't interested in a dummy, but dd would have hers in her mouth 24/7 if I let her.

I believe a lot of health professionals say it can prevent SIDS, although I'm not sure how.
The main draw back could be delay in speech development if it's use is not limited.

For me dummies are useful in the dead of night when your baby is screaming and you've run out of options!

[steppemum]

some babies like to suck on something to go to sleep. If that is the case, dummy is very useful. And it really helps them to go off to sleep with out needing you the whole time.

One of mine was a dummy user. The other 2 weren't bothered.

But we kept it just for sleep, and not for wandering around with. We also ditched it quite early as ds worked out that if he chucked it out of the cot we would come in. He was about 1 at the time.

[BertieBotts]

Neutral!

I wouldn't have introduced one just for the sake of it I don't think because it's just more stuff to buy/lose/wash etc.

But DS wanted to suck my finger all the time. My finger got sore, so we bought a few dummies. He was happy, I was happy. He stopped wanting one at about 6 months.

SIDS link has been shown to be insubstantial so it's not part of the recommendations any more.

[Quietlygoingmad67]

DD1 - dummy. Dd2 - thumb sucker

Dd1 spoke early Dd2 - didn't

dd1 - no dummy after ages 2
Dd2 - still sucking thumb when started school and through ks1

I think it depends on the baby - my first DD needed to suck constantly whereas dd2 sucked thumb when sleepy

[SueDunome]

A dummy or a thumb ducked for too long will lead to orthodontics being required in teenage years. Best to avoid both and try to just use a comforter toy instead. ds had dummy until nearly 3 years old and needed braces; dd did not have a dummy or suck her thumb and has perfect, naturally straight teeth.

[SueDunome]

*sucked

[Teddy1970]

Congratulations! We had a dummy and it was a life saver, she was a "sucky" baby, constantly needing to suck on something, but I didn't just automatically offer her a dummy the minute she was born, after a two weeks of hell I sent DH out to Sainsbury's in the middle of the night to go and buy one, like the others said, some babies just don't take to them.

[Quietlygoingmad67]

sue this isn't necessarily the case - dd1 with a dummy has to had braces but not because she had damage caused by sucking - her teeth decided to grow out of her palette before her baby teeth had fallen out. And my thumb sucker has perfectly straight teeth and no braces needed

[FuzzyOwl]

My DD had silent reflux and my GP advised trying her with a dummy at around six weeks. She was much more content to sleep with it. She is now 9.5 months and has it to go to sleep but it falls out as she nods off and it then stays out unless she wakes for it and puts it back in. I know a speech therapist whose babies had them and she said using them as a sleep aid is fine; it is when toddlers have them in all the time that it becomes an issue.

Apparently dummies do lower the risk of SIDS and they can be taken away whereas it seems quite cruel to chop off a thumb if a baby sucks that!

If you are just looking at using a dummy to establish a good sleeping pattern, your baby might not have any or many teeth to worry about. But bear in mind that some children cause dental problems by sucking comforters or thumbs as well.

[EthanDC]

This is great so many replies...

I was a thumb sucker into my twenties & I'm scared my son will have orthodontic issues if I give him a dummy & he struggles to shake the habit, as I did.

I would rather him not have one at all... However a number of sleepless nights may change my outlook.

Thank you for your help!

[mrsjskelton]

I personally don't like them - mainly because I see toddlers with them and it drives me bananas so they're just a crutch/vice. But my main con is that they require constant sterilising so that for me was far too much effort! My MIL tried DD with a dummy at 6 days old and I was too polite to say I didn't want her to have one - happily she didn't accept it and never has since.

I know there are plenty of pros (more pros than cons I believe!) but admittedly I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to them!

Also, with breastfeeding I didn't want to miss feeding cues as I'd already had a really difficult start with it.

[brimfullofasha]

With Ds1 we felt quite negative about dummies but ended up giving him one as he wanted to suck constantly. I am so glad we did because it soothed him when nothing else would. He got a lot of comfort from sucking. He only had it for sleep and we're trying to get rid of it now he's 3. With DS2 we have a much more positive opinion of dummies and he just won't take one. He won't sleep either and I'm sure a dummy would help settle him but he's not having any of it. Babies are so different but I wouldn't rule dummies out before your baby is born.

[Wolfiefan]

One of mine sucked their fingers. The other sucks her thumb!
I hate seeing older kids constantly sucking a dummy and hearing how it can affect speech.
I would use one like the poster above who said just for sleeping and wean them off it before they get too old. You can take a dummy away. Less easy to remove a thumb!!!!

[Quietlygoingmad67]

I wouldn't worry about the delayed speech - my daughter who had a dummy spoke early yet my thumb sucker had to remove her thumb to talk and couldn't be bothered!!

[DrAmandaBentley]

It's personal preference. None of my 3 used a dummy. I tried it with no. 2 but found he wouldn't wake up to feed if he had a dummy during the night, and would wake with urate crystals in his nappy (a reddish stain and sign of dehydration). I've copes perfectly fine in the last decade without ever using one.

That said I'm now expecting a child with my new partner, and his child from a previous relationship DID use one up to around a year I think. He sees them as an essentially item for a baby, and I know other people who feel the same way.

[NickyEds]

I'm a big dummy fan and both of my dc have them. They're a great comfort tool that help babies sleep. They're portable (unlike a ewanthe sheep for example), cheap, easily replaced (unlike a special blanket/teddy), readily available, in your control so can be removed (unlike a thumb) and do less damage to teeth than thumb. I knew a couple of girls at my secondary school who still suck their thumb in their late teens, this would never have happened with a dummy!

[EthanDC]

I really don't want to use one, but whatever works I will do.

Any tips for soothing a baby other than a dummy. I have bought a comfort you hopefully cuddling this will provide the security he needs. Or maybe that's wishful thinking!

[GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER]

Elder sucked her thumb until she was over 20. It did affect her teeth slightly.

Younger had a dummy from about 3 weeks, when she had colic and it was the only thing that seemed to help. Didn't give it up entirely until after she'd started school. Teeth perfect. I really don't think it's true that dummies affect teeth - they don't put pressure on like thumbs do. And you will never see a 10 year old with a dummy, which is more than you can say for thumbs.

Personally I found the dummy a godsend - dd would fall asleep easily anywhere if she had dummy and her bit of blanket. Wish my baby granddaughter would have taken to one - I am sure it would have made getting her to sleep easier in the early months.

[Effiethemonster]

I don't constantly sterilise dummies.., a quick wash and rinse with hot water is fine.

[Effiethemonster]

Oh and OP not all babies need or like dummies but if your baby does get comfort from one I really wouldn't deprive her of one! It'll help her sleep which helps you sleep!

My dd's generally falls out once she's in a deep sleep and she rarely needs it to be reinserted by us.

[HSMMaCM]

I was completely against dummies, but DD had a different opinion. She had a dummy which she just used when sleeping and it was fine.