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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

or is this really common practice?

55 replies

turtle23 · 08/08/2010 09:28

On two seperate occasions I have said in passing to people I know that DS2 would not take a dummy. These two people both said "Oh, I had the same problem so I forced DC to have one." When asked what that entailed they both said they'd kept it in by tying a muslin round their heads. I was Shock but apparently this is what a lot of people do. Strikes me as horribly cruel and dangerous. AIBU?

OP posts:
wukter · 08/08/2010 09:29

Never heard of anyone doing that.
Sounds horrible.

luciemule · 08/08/2010 09:29

sounds horrific to me!

yama · 08/08/2010 09:29

Jesus Christ!

I've never heard of that - thankfully.

lal123 · 08/08/2010 09:29

No - it's not common practice - is this a wind up?

Original poster
turtle23 · 08/08/2010 09:31

lal123- I soooo wish it was a windup. If it had been going on currently I would have reported both of them. One of these women also kept her DS in his playpen for hours while she cleaned the house and slept. I found it too difficult to remain friendly.

OP posts:
Original poster
turtle23 · 08/08/2010 09:33

And the other, when she saw my face said "I only tied it round lightly..." To which of course I had to reply "Great, so it can slip and strangle him?"
This happened a while ago but it goes round my head every time I see a dummy. Had to get it out.

OP posts:
xkaylax · 08/08/2010 09:33

Thats horrible Shock

Ineedsomesleep · 08/08/2010 09:34

I've never heard of it either Shock

YunoYurbubson · 08/08/2010 09:34

I have heard of people doing this. Idiots.

Alicetheinvisible · 08/08/2010 09:36

There was a thread about some product ages ago that did the same job. Surely if your child doesn't want a dummy then it doesn't want one. Idiots.

QueenSconetta · 08/08/2010 09:36

Good gracious, I would say not common place at all. My DD wouldn't take a dummy either although the daft baby would have been much happier if she did because she would suck anything else that came near her. She just couldn't get to grips with it and would scream if you tried to put it in so I didn't try in the end. God I didn't even hold it in her mouth let alone tie it to her face.

Also baby in a playpen while she SLEPT? Shock how could a person do that?

snugglejunkie · 08/08/2010 09:45

Shock Shock

Couldn't get my DS to take a dummy until my mum babysat for a few hours when he was 5wks old... will have to quiz her fully how she managed it now!!

To be fair I'm pretty confident that she didn't do the muslin thing...

Ineedmorechocolatenow · 08/08/2010 09:45

Had the same thing with DD QueenSconetta - Hours of colic screaming, but refused to take a dummy. DS took to one straight away, and it was a lifesaver (also a colic-sufferer).

I would NEVER have forced her to have one. That's vile!

thumbwitch · 08/08/2010 09:46

outrageous! if the child doesn't want a dummy why in God's name would you force it to take one??

ShrimpOnTheBarbie · 08/08/2010 09:47

Really? Surely the baby would scream? Or is that just my unruly monsters?

ccpccp · 08/08/2010 11:05

Used to be common back in the day, but I suppose todays mum is well versed on baby rights and its no longer the done thing.

Probably why we all had behavioural issues back then, and todays kids are such little darlings.

DetectivePotato · 08/08/2010 12:32

I've never heard of it! Shock

YANBU, appalling behaviour. If a baby doesn't want a dummy then why bloody force it on them! Pisses me off when people do that, especially when baby is sitting quite happily and parent (usually mother) forces bloody dummy in their mouth for no reason.

scrab806ble · 08/08/2010 12:36

Neither of my two had any interest in dummies. MIL said I should 'persevere' Why? Are dummies inherently good, and not having one a deprivation? Neh...

slouchingtowardswaitrose · 08/08/2010 12:44

Horrifying.

admylin · 08/08/2010 12:47

I've heard of that before too.

The mum as a very young east German with 2 dc almost 10 months apart in age and she tied their dummy on with a thin scarf Sad she also locked them in their room for the afternon nap.

cravingcroissants · 08/08/2010 12:47

Ive never hears of this but one of DP's 'friends' used to tape their babies dummy in Shock
Absolutely disgusting....what if the child vomited ffs!

megapixels · 08/08/2010 12:48

I'm finding this very hard to believe.

If it's true I'm sure such idiocy is very rare.

Firawla · 08/08/2010 12:51

never heard of it
i thought most babies just take them by freewill & if not then people wouldnt bother

slimmingworldmum · 08/08/2010 13:02

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BuzzingNoise · 08/08/2010 13:06

never heard of anyone tying or taping a dummy to a baby.