dummy or no dummy? That is the dilemma !!

[mrsdavies85]

I have a beautiful daughter who will be 8wks this coming Sunday. She has been as absoulute dream with her breastfeeding and is gaining weight beautifully.
My dilemma is whether to give her a dummy or not.At the moment if she has been fed ( refusing any more) , changed, winded but needs a little something else to comfort her I am giving her my finger to suck as I have been advised not to introduce a dummy.
This leads to two problems :-

• if i take finger out she will wake and cry until I give it back to her meaning I can be there for 2hrs + , which I wouldn't mind but I also have a seven year old boy, who I am unable to spend time with as I am stuck comforting her.
• I feel this is affecting my son as he has started to make excuses not to go to school ( This problem usually starts around the time my son comes home too)

I am worried if i introduce a dummy it will affect her feeding, which I don't want to do as she has been a star pupil so far lolbut I also want to spend quality time with my son too :%

Lastly if anyone else has breastfed and given their child a dummy which type did they find best.
Thank you

I introduced a dummy at 4 weeks, recently got rid of it at 5 months. No problems either way.

Why have you been advised not to use one?

I tried the fancy orthodontic silicone ones first but ds didn't like them - much prefered the ordinary tommee tippee cherry latex ones.

I really don't think it is as much of an issue as some people make out.

Just make sure you don't put it back in every time it comes out, let her have it in all the time when awake, and let her keep it when older, it will be fine and should give your boobs a little rest.

Also tried the ortho ones, and was quite precious about it, but the cherry ones worked much better IMO

It shouldn't affect her feeding, old wives tale, just like nipple confusion.

Thanks guys, I think I will give her try !!

DD had a dummy from five weeks until six months. We didn't have to take it away, around six months she just stopped seeming to want it and spat it out if offered. Obviously they are all different but you won't necessarily have problems reducing dummy use when the time comes.

Similar to moonunit, my DD would only accept the cherry dummies. Having a dummy meant I could put DD down sleepy and it would send her off to sleep.

She never has it during the day because she's feeding from me. Only when I go out do I use it incase she wakes up unhappy!

It's not interfered with BF. Helps me get more sleep! Now DD is 4 months she has found her thumb anyway and prefers that! Don't feel bad, you gotta to what you gotta do!

My DD has had a dummy since being in SCBU after birth and we don't see it as an issue. She doesn't have it much, usually just when she has wind and wants to comfort suck but will clamp down on my nipples if I offer her boob. If she's hungry, she spits it out if it gets offered.

My dd is 11 weeks old and my midwife and HV positively encouraged a dummy, they said guidelines had changed and now they advise using one as it helps prevent SIDS.

Unfortunately I tried from 3 weeks onwards and she just won't take it, so I'm watching with interest for any tips to get her to take one, it would be very useful sometimes as I know I'm often used as a dummy!

Our DS is 5 weeks and we've started to use a dummy for certain occasions despite our initial reservations.

He first wouldn't take it. He kept spitting it out and getting frustrated. He didn't know how to suck it as it's so different from the breast.

We've found that if we tilt the dummy up towards his palate and slowly put it in his mouth, he takes it. And it has saved my nipples from complete destruction as he did comfort suck alot!

I gave DD a dummy at 12 weeks (reluctantly) because she wanted to suck ALL the time. It didn't affect her breastfeeding at all. She is now nearly 11 months old, still uses her dummy (mostly just for sleeping) and I am still breastfeeding.

Don't try to hold it in her mouth with the hope she'll eventally start sucking. Instead, when you put it in, try and gently flick it out (fngernail between dummy and mouth) a few times. Almost losing it should make her reflexively try to retain it by sucking. Worked for me anyway!