Need some advice please. First time mum here with a very high maintenance lively but lovely baby boy. He is 3 months old. He sleeps brilliantly at night, self settling and with generally just one night wake/feed, bit is an appalling napper! He usually cries when I put him in his crib at nap time, and though he has self settled a few times (I don't leave him to cry, I mean on occasion he doesn't cry and then might self-settle- rare though!) So I give him a dummy to calm him, while shushing and patting. Then, when his eyes are just closing, I take the dummy out and he will usually drop off and sleep for 45 mins before he wakes (often crying). When awake he's generally happy enough but gets a bit grizzly out in public, especially at baby classes or when I take him to my mother baby exercise classes. I use a dummy there too if he's grizzly and thst cheers him up. Sometimes in the car too, as he often cries in the car if it's stop start. I think he'd be a model baby in fact if I let him have one all the time! But I'm scared he'll become addicted so I don't let him...
I have read advice thst says they should stop using the dummy by 3 months otherwise it's hard to wean them off it. Other advice I've read says use it as it's a useful tool. I've also read it stops them sucking their thumb. Now, he has NEVER had a dummy in while he has slept and I'm not keen to start that. But is it okay to keep giving him a dummy in the same way as I am now? Should I be letting him use it more (my NCT friends' babies have dummies in ALL THE TIME - I don't think I've ever seen them without! And they NEVER cry, and nap really easily!!) Or should I wean him off it now? I don't know what to do! Some advice would be wonderful xx thanks xx