Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Dummy while breast feeding?

24 replies

Kimmyrich · 17/03/2013 13:58

My lo will be 4 weeks on Tuesday and I feel he is at my breast sometimes now for comfort.

Do you think it would be safe to use a dummy just at night?

OP posts:
rubyjuice · 17/03/2013 14:14

It would be fine. Both mine have been ebf and have had dummy's on and off. Dd1 had hers for all naps and at night, we got rid of it without too much drama when she was 2. Dd2 is nearly 1 and she has occasionally had a dummy, but she much prefers her thumb.
Try not to over think it, if its just comfort the baby is after a dummy is fine.

Welovegrapes · 17/03/2013 15:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

redandwhitesprinkles · 17/03/2013 17:05

Both mine had dummies and ebf. No problems and both perfect for weight. However, you can only decide what us best for you. Also don't be surprised if it takes work - they will prefer a milky tasting nipple to the dummy at first!

Loislane78 · 17/03/2013 17:08

My DD had a dummy from ~7 weeks I think and is BF, still now at 7 mo. It really helped with naps and nighttime. Didn't affect latch, BF frequency or weight gain. No problem with nipple confusion and on the v rare occasion she's had a bottle of expressed milk, she's taken it apart from once when she waited an extra hr for me.

Just my experience :)

BuntyCollocks · 17/03/2013 17:51

My dd has had a dummy since her first week and is exclusively breastfed. The last three weeks she's put on over a pound and a half. ;)

BuntyCollocks · 17/03/2013 17:51

Oh, and she only has it for naps and to settle her down at night.

meepsmum · 17/03/2013 18:04

My DS has a dummy,from 4weeks old and is ebf still at 6months. He piles on the pounds and is now above the 50th centile despite being born at the 10th.
I felt guilty about it at first but looking back now i would give one to my next baby too.
I waited til he waa 4weeks old to avoid confusion but it really gelps him soothe himself in car seat etc. Sucking is such a natural reflex why deny your baby that soothing effect?
He now only really has it for naps and nighttime but generally spits it out after a while.
Go for it...absolutely nothing wrong with it.

meepsmum · 17/03/2013 18:05

Rather that than him scream in car seat....!!

NippyDrips · 17/03/2013 18:09

Ds had one from 11 weeks, everytime we went out in the car or pram hopjpe would scream! He loves the dummy but still feeds well. Tracked the 50th line and is still bf at 8 months

Weissdorn · 17/03/2013 20:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

thompson369 · 17/03/2013 20:27

DD is 11 weeks old and has a dummy, she's not overly bothered for it tbh but it does help to settle her in the car seat. Try it and see how you go, it may really help to settle baby or they may decide they don't like it.

abi2790 · 17/03/2013 20:43

I tried to give my ds a dummy but he refuses it!

piggyboo · 17/03/2013 20:55

ds has his in carseat and for naps/ bedtime. it helps to settle him and he spits it out once he is asleep. research has also found that going to sleep with a dummy reduces sids risk.

Ladyhawke127 · 19/03/2013 14:26

I ebf my little boy and he would have fed round the clock if I had let him, so the health visitor suggested a dummy. I was initially reluctant to do it, but gave in eventually (sleep deprivation is awful!) he chucked weight on hand over fist at least a pound and a half every two weeks. He was none the worst for it, I was distinctly better for it, and all was well. His latch did change, and I had to make sure he was on properly as he would get lazy with his latch and hurt me. Interestingly, when he started to teethe, he rejected the dummy completely and would resist any effort to give him it. He is almost 9 months old, still breastfed and dummyless. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Ladyhawke127 · 19/03/2013 14:27

I ebf my little boy and he would have fed round the clock if I had let him, so the health visitor suggested a dummy. I was initially reluctant to do it, but gave in eventually (sleep deprivation is awful!) he chucked weight on hand over fist at least a pound and a half every two weeks. He was none the worst for it, I was distinctly better for it, and all was well. His latch did change, and I had to make sure he was on properly as he would get lazy with his latch and hurt me. Interestingly, when he started to teethe, he rejected the dummy completely and would resist any effort to give him it. He is almost 9 months old, still breastfed and dummyless. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

VisualiseAHorse · 19/03/2013 14:32

We introduced one for LO when he was 6 weeks old - he was EBF between 12 and 26 weeks. Didn't effect BF for us at all, we only tended to use it for sleeping, and I made sure to offer him a feed first most times.

Congrats on the new baby - new broody over here :)

Original poster
Kimmyrich · 19/03/2013 21:24

Thank you all for the advice. I have tried to give him the dummy but he refuses it so it must be hunger. It looks like when I express I don't have much milk (he has out on weight though). Will just have to carry on with the long feeds.

OP posts:
steppemum · 19/03/2013 22:26

I bf all 3 for a long time. ds had a dummy from quite early on, because he sucked for comfort so much. It really suited him, he used it to go to sleep, but wouldn't take it if actually hungry.

dd1 and 2 wouldn't take dummy at all, but weren't so sucky and didn't need to suck to go to sleep.

Twattybollocks · 20/03/2013 06:31

Try some different types of dummy before giving up on it, my dd will only have the flat mam dummies and at first would only take it if it was warm (used to pour a little boiling water over it to warm it) which was a faff, but worth it to me because dd1 would never take a dummy and is still finger sucking 6 years later!
There are the cherry shaped ones, the orthodontic ones and the flat shaped ones, also, latex can make a difference over silicone for the teat as its softer like skin

ilovecolinfirth · 20/03/2013 09:54

I was set against introducing a dummy, but at 5 weeks my ebf baby had traumatised my nipple to such a point that I'd developed mastitis 3 times and had even been hospitalised. The dummy helped him settle and he only used it for a couple of weeks when he was struggling to go to sleep. He's now 4 months and doesn't need it.
Good luck

ilovecolinfirth · 20/03/2013 09:56

Kimmy, he may just need encouraging to use it. When I express milk I produce very little, but DS is putting plenty of weight on.

willitbe · 20/03/2013 10:05

Do try different shaped dummies, my children would only take the cherry shape type.

My second child given dummy 2 days old due to sucking for comfort, was EBF for 6 months and only stopped bf at a year old, stopped using dummies around 9 months old.

ThreeWheelsGood · 20/03/2013 10:05

Kimmy - the amount you express is no reflection on how much milk you produce.

BuntyCollocks · 20/03/2013 10:34

Agree with others - try other types and encourage him to use it. Dc have a tongue thrust reflex where they'll spit out anything in their mouths - could this be it? If so, I found very gently applying pressure to hold it in until mine realised what it was made them take it. Also, tapping the end of the dummy helped for some bizarre reason.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page