DH puts dummy in his mouth

[PinkyPudding]

Last month my DH decided that we needed to introduce a dummy to our 6 month old son. DS had been sucking his thumb and I thought that was fine and better than a dummy but I worry about being a "gatekeeper" mom so I didn't put up much resistance to the dummy. However I noticed immediately that DH kept putting the dummy in his mouth first before giving it to DS. Even when the dummy falls out of DS's mouth and lands on the bed or couch, DH puts it in his mouth first then gives it to DS.
This drives me absolutely crazy! I really hate it. I don't understand why he does that. I asked him to stop because it's gross and he said that it's a "normal thing" in this country (I'm American and my DH is British and we live in the UK) and basically told me to get over it.
AIBU? Is this a British parenting thing that I just don't understand?

altiara 1yos and puppies are very similar to be fair. They both piss and shit on the floor, eat everything they can get their paws on and want in your bed at night!

isn't there more bacteria in someone else's mouth than generally transfers itself onto a dummy from falling on floor or whatever?

Can't be doing with dummies at all! I have friends whose DS is nearly 3 & still uses one 🙄

But that's a parent fault not a dummy fault.

There are lots of bacteria in the human body, including the mouth. Most of them are beneficial- for you and your baby.

I did it a couple of times when DS was newborn, not consciously, just because it had dropped out and had fluff on or similar. I caught oral thrush, probably as a direct result. Put me off doing it again!

Speaking as one whose dd was still sucking her thumb after she'd passed her driving test, I'd prefer a dummy any day. How many even 5 year olds do you see with a dummy? But you'll see plenty still sucking their thumbs.

That is soooooo disgusting. Time to lay down the law OP. Probably easier to throw out the dummies.

It cleans the fluff off.

Eek! That's gross but you do see people doing it.

I'm not sure why you would introduce one at six months. If you've made it that far without one I'm not sure you need one.

Have you tried dipping it in a bit of Gin instead?

I don't do it. I made the mistake of doing it once after eating a Thai curry and my son inadvertently got his first taste of spice at about 5 months old. Since then and because I eat all manner of weird and wonderful things during the day (usually sugar related) I just give it a rinse under a tap if it's really yucky. TBH I usually have about four hundred of them littered around the house sterilised or about to be *
*
probably about 10, most of which my son has thrown over the side of his cot

Eh?! I am British but have never come across this.

As a microbiologist I can tell you I'd much rather rub my babies dummy on the floor before giving it to them than 'clean' it in a mouth...

I don't think sucking it first is the worst thing in the world. Might be a bit icky bit by 6 months mine was sucking the end of my slippers given the chance.

As for introducing a dummy at 6 months... I wish mine would have a dummy instead of thumb sucking. Dummies can be taken away, thumbs can't

Really? What sort of microbiologist are you?

How many people let their kids use there phones...phones have more bacteria than toilets....there is no harm in putting the child's dummy in your mouth unless you are ill with something contagious, which they'll probably catch anyway! But as I said before, it annoys OP, so he should stop for that reason

Why did you let him dictate this? I find dummies revolting and (will get flamed for this) I think they make the child look stupid. Why would you want to ruin that beautiful face by sticking a piece of plastic in the middle of it? How are they supposed to learn early speech skills?

Mother- I disagree. Thumb-sucking is preferable as they soon learn that they can't do things, or speak, with one hand in their mouth.

Ugh ny DH used to do this too and it made me squirm. Fair enough if it was outside and it was the only option. By he did it as a matter of routine even picking it up from the table at home

I always did this for DD, it cleaned any fluff (or dog hairs) off. Much easier to get them out of my mouth than hers...

Barbarian mum, I run a research lab in a university. We use viruses to study evolution.

If the floor is so gross why would anyone put the dummy in their own mouth? Don't you then spend ages picking fluff out etc?

Mother- I disagree. Thumb-sucking is preferable as they soon learn that they can't do things, or speak, with one hand in their mouth

Hmm, not really. We've got a number of 5/6/7 year olds at school who insist on talking with their thumbs or fingers in their mouths. It's infuriating.

There's plenty of bacteria in your mouth, it's not meant to disinfect the thing just get the chunky bits off

Oh that's so gross GinaFordCortina. Sort of made my night

Well I'm an ecologist whose avidly following the current research into human gut flora (because I've got Crohns) and i suspect transfering your biome to your child will be considered best practice within a few years.

Possibly... But not through your spit surely?