dummy or thumb

10 replies

spugs · 13/07/2006 20:30

my 11 week old daughter is bottle fed and uses a dummy. recently shes begun sucking her thumb, which i dont mind especially as i dont have to get up in the middle of the night when she spits it out. the problem is both my parents think its terrible, my dad went as far as taking it out her mouth. And my mam says im going to ruin her teeth! So what do you think?

OP posts:

hairymclary · 13/07/2006 20:33

I think that you don't have much choice in the matter. If she wants to suck it she will, and short of tying her arms to her sides there is absolutely no way you can stop her.

I think it's kind of cute

CaptainFlameSparrow · 13/07/2006 20:36

I just love the look of a baby with a thumb in. Yes, it will still be in there when she is 30. No, it didn't mess up my teeth (I did have a brace, but that was for weird other teeth).

Original poster

spugs · 13/07/2006 20:38

i think its cute as well, shes asleep in her crib at the min, thumb in mouth and pulling her hair with the other hand! why do they do that? She ll wake herself up in a min

OP posts:

CADS · 13/07/2006 20:41

I would let her do whatever she finds soothing. DS used a dummy for sleep and I had to get up every night until he learnt to find it himself at 13mnths!

However, dd (8mnths) uses it till she settles then sucks her tongue in her sleep, so it hasn't been a problem with her.

hairymclary · 13/07/2006 20:44

Also wanted to say that even if you do keep giving a dummy she'll probably still end up with her thumb because she'll put it in when the dummy falls out

CaptainFlameSparrow · 13/07/2006 20:50

The advantage of DS having sod all hair

Nonyummymummy · 13/07/2006 22:10

DD never had a dummy to sleep because I was far too worried about having to get up in the night and keep putting it back in! She sucked her hand from a very early age and graduated to her thumb, but she stopped that a long time ago (she's now 21 months). I did use a dummy a bit when she was in the pram or carseat and was distressed until she was about 4 months and then we dropped it. She also used me as a human dummy quite a bit! I had a SIL who kept on at me that I should give her a dummy for bed otherwise she would be sucking her thumb when she was 30! I don't know if SIL has changed her mind since she had dn as she hasn't had a nights sleep yet. DN is 11 months and wakes several times every night and just lies there and screams until the dummy is plugged back in. Have to say on the other side that I have a cousin in her thirties who did exceptionally well at school and financially, she has two young ds's and she still sucks her thumb so I guess it can go either way but sucking her thumb for so long has certainly not held her back!

2plus2plus1 · 15/07/2006 17:06

I would say Dummy is much better, but if she dosen't want it & prefers her thumb there is probably nothing much you can do. My DTDs sucked their thumbs from a very early age, even though they started with a dummy. Once they had learnt to suck their thumbs putting a dummy in their mouth this signalled the urge to suck, at which point they spat out dummy to suck their thumb. My problem with this issue is that they are still sucking at 5yrs.

As I understand it (via HV) the damage to teeth isn't really done until adult set starts to come through so a dummy at this age wouldn't be too much of a problem. Dummy can be controlled & taken away well before adult teeth come through (although doesn't guarantee she won't take her thumb at this point) but thumb is much harder.

As it happens DD3 (also 11wks) has learnt to suck her thumb. I was reluctant to introduce a dummy in this case because she was BF & DP was reluctant anyway. She has been developing this skill for a couple of weeks & now she has started on bottles we are trying to get her to take a dummy - but it doesn't look like she is going to have it.

(but I do agree thumb is easier in teh middle of the night...)

maisiemog · 15/07/2006 23:31

I agree the thumb is a harder habit to break, I know people (my brother) who continued to thumbsuck into their early teens. My brother did need orthodontic work done because of a gap in his front teeth and a slight protusion. The general consensus was it was due to thumbsucking - he had bad thumb habit.
I would keep trying with the dummy, but I don't know if it would make much difference now your dd has started sucking her thumb?

psychomum5 · 16/07/2006 00:45

My DD1 had her thumb, and still does now at 12.

DD2 we were determined for her not to thumb suck as it is something that you can't take away, and so gave her a dummy. Took it away at 3, 2 wks later thumb went in and there it stayed (she is now 10!!) [confused and given up emoticon!!]

with the others we let them take their own way, figuring that if they are gonna suck, then they will regardless of what you try and encourage otherwise.
DD3 sucked me[grrr]
DS1 a dummy then his blankie label
DS2 a dummy till last december (so 3 1/2yrs), and then nothing. altho he does looooooove his elant (john lennon soft elephant)

I have to say.....baby sucking thumbs are sooooooo cute. I much prefered to see Megs and thumb than Holly and dummy. it was the teath issue than concerned us. Ironically it is going to be Holly needing a brace. Megs teeth are not out of place at all, yet Holly still has a gap that grew round having her dummy in. Jacob (DS2) also has the same dummy gap (teeth don't bite at the front), so in our case the dummy did more damage!!

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