The Dummy Debate - how much is too much?

[Sparra22]

Hi, my twins are 8 weeks old and I seem to be resorting to dummies to calm / quiet them more and more during the day and am feeling guilty about it.

They're both able to get to sleep ok without dummies on the whole, on a night I only use them to if I really need to to get them back to sleep or if they have to wait for their feed. So it's mainly during the day when I'm on my own and they're both crying for whatever reason, usually bored or waiting for a feed etc - but then often they'll just end up falling asleep when I give them the dummy which is hard as I'd like to start cutting down their daytime naps a bit now.

As a mum of twins it feels like a necessity to me but isn't something I'd do half as much if I only had one baby, which is why I then end up feeling guilty.

Any thoughts or advice or just reassurance that I'm not being a bad / lazy mum? :(

Sparra-you have TWINS!!!!
They are eight weeks old.
You are knackered.
I am sure you are a brilliant mum.
Unless you dip the dummies in narcotics first, just use them if you feel the need.
:)

Dummies are great, and better (IMO) than them learning to suck their thumbs! My twins are also 8 weeks old, and i'm doing the same as you, giving them dummy's in the day to settle them, but trying not to at night (I find at night as soon as they fall out if their mouths they wake up, so I end up getting less sleep! I saw a great health visitor the other day, who actually recommend dummy's, she said babies naturally want to suck to give them comfort, so if you're breast feeding they'll want to feed constantly for comfort. I think the main thing is when you wean them off the dummy's. Our DD1 is 2, and still has one for comfort at night (our dentist said this is fine), but by 12 mths we'd stopped giving it to her in the day, and only used it at night. I hope you're managing to get some sleep! And don't worry too much, it sounds like you are doing great!

Thanks both :) :)

I was having a bit of a bad day yesterday due to lack of sleep (of course - you were right DrSeuss!!) Babies both slept from 11.45pm to 3am last night so I've had over 3 hours sleep in a row and feeling more human again today!

Yes I can worry about weaning them off the dummy later.

xxx

If it get's them to sleep then do it. My Dt's had them, my son spat his out after a few weeks my daugthter still wont relinquish it.

My older PFB never had such an item as a dummy. By about 3 weeks in the DT's did!

dummies actually help against cot death and are fine so long as you get rid of them by 6 months ish. Special care gave dtds dummies to encourage sucking when they were tube fed. I sucked my thumb until I was 11 and had a brace. in other words dummies are fine - only a problem if they have them at 3 while ruuning round the park happy imo. dd1 didn't have one either but twins is different