when should i try giving a dummy to dd3?

[misdee]

she is now 6 weeks old, and has a tendancy to 'chew' on my nipple after feeding. she does this when she isnt hungry but wants comfort. would rather i was able to put my boob away and not have her comfort sucking on me.

tried giving one about 2 weeks ago but she just spat it out and wanted me. havnt tried since.

Keep trying! She might get the idea. My ds did the same for comfort, & after a few days took the dummy. If she keeps spitting it out, try a different kind that's a different shape as they can be so fussy!!

i just dont want to mess up breastfeeding by introducing a dummy. will that happen?

I read about not introducing it before BF is well established. Sounds like you haven't got problems with that, though, so maybe give it another try.

I've also read how chewing on dummies can help some children with gastric reflux (the saliva produced is healing for the stomach).

my ds had a dummy from birth, and was also bottle-fed for the first 10 days.. but he is now exclusively breast-fed.
So, IME using a dummy has had no effect on b/f at all... he gets very cross when he is hungry and I give it to him because he knows it isn't the one with the milk in it!

I think you'll be fine Misdee.. when ds first had his I used to put it in his mouth and just move it in and out a bit so that he would start sucking on it. Sometimes takes them a little while to get used to it.

Not sure if the teat makes a difference... ds uses one with a round cherry teat, which i figured was probably more like my nipple than a flat one!

Using a dummy whne you're breastfeeding may cause problems with nipple confusion. Its a different sucking action from breastfeeding.

sorry but you will all probably hinch me for this but why use a dummy at all.

why do you want to use a dummy? out of interest

I was reading something the other day (possibly on here in fact), which actually said that nipple confusion is a myth!

I know plenty of breastfed babies who have a dummy. And as cristina pointed out, if bf is well established it shouldn't cause a problem.

I think that your dd is unlikely to suddenly stop feeding properly just because she has a dummy...

can you try and show her her thumb?

i dont like thumb sucking

i'd prefer her to have a dummy over sucking her thumb. dd1 unfortuanatly was vert attached to her dummy, but dd2 (also a comfort sucker) gave it up at 6months old. isf dd3 doesnt like a dummy i wont push it. i only have 2 types here, small flat ones and tommee tippee nipple type ones, which look very odd.

misdee - dd1 had a dummy from about 2weeks (for the same reason that you want to give one to dd3). I breastfed her for 10 months so nipple confusion was never an issue . She always had the Avent ones but it is a good idea to try different shapes as nathanmum and starlover suggest - in fact, I think Gina Ford (who doesn't talk very much sense imho!) recommends the cherry teat ones. Also I've read somewhere else that once the dummy is in the mouth you should gently tug it as if trying to remove it as this will make b aby suck harder! Good luck

misdee.. i have those tommee tippee ones! if it's the nuby ones you mean? all one piece and you can see down the middle? they look odd, but ds likes his!

yeah the nuby ones. dd2 had the nuby bottles and prefer them over the avent so thought i'd give the dummies a go. they do look odd

yeah, they look like they have a hole in their face when they are sucking on them!
we also have the tommee tippee bottles!

I gave a dummy to all three of mine for the same reason, ie I was being used as a human dummy and it was tiring!! I think they were about 2 months old when I gave in...

dd1 had one early on, and refused to give it up till she was 4 .

So now is ok to introduce one then? will try tomorrow maybe.

and btw, thanks to the people who asked why? surely its my choice, tsk!!

It didn't cause any problems with bf for me - we went to 8 months, when he gave up both bf & the dummy for bottles!!!