Dummy for 3 month old

[SueH17]

Hi, I'm breast feeding my DS and he has started to chew and suck his fingers and hands when not feeding. Would a dummy be any good for him? There is so much conflicting advice out there! The midwives say steer clear.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Sue xx

If breastfeeding is well established then it's unlikely to do much harm ime. Just keep an eye on his latch and if the dummy has a negative effect get rid of it.

Hi Sue. I was very conflicted over this one too. I would say that if he's getting comfort from sucking his own fingers, then that's a great self-soothing skill. It will be really useful for him to be able to do this in the middle of the night, for example. If he can soothe himself like this then he may not need a dummy.

I think that in general dummies can be helpful. For my DS (now 4.5mo) we use a dummy when we've tried everything else and nothing will settle him. It is also rather good pain relief when he's got a farty tummy. I am guilty of using sometimes when he needs to go to sleep, though aware that I may be making a rod for my own back later on.

When I did a bit of reading around, I learned that dummies can be really useful if used wisely e.g. check there's nothing else bothering them first; don't give it to them if they're bored; you can get into a rut if they start to need it and can't sleep without it.

That's my advice. I think you have to gather some info and then go with what feels comfortable to you. Good luck :)

PS my DS is ebf. Dummy introduced at 2 months and had no effect on latching. lily makes a good point though- keep an eye on it, just in case. but i think if bf is well established then it shouldn't be a problem.

I would much rather use a dummy than have a child suck their fingers. I don't know any adults with dummies but I do know a couple of adult thumb suckers

Hi,
Thanks for all the good advice. I'm impressed how quickly I get a response from the lovely ladies on mumsnet!
I will try a dummy and see how he gets on. I think as long as you don't use it all the time, it shouldn't be a problem.
Sue
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