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Parenting

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Original poster

Pacifier/ dummy

8 replies

mwanangu · 19/12/2011 19:37

Dear parents,
I'm working on a research on the use of pacifiers, and I'm very curious how parents and children experience the use of pacifiers for babies and young children. Why do you start giving your child a pacifier/dummy? What are the advantages and disadvantages? How do children react on it?
It would be very nice to hear from your experiences.

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scentednappyhag · 19/12/2011 19:41

DD has had a dummy for sleeping with since she was about 2 weeks old, DH's idea as I was staunchly anti-dummy. She's never had it during the day, and I hate to admit it it hasn't caused any problems as of yet. She's now 13 months old, and I'm hoping to start phasing it out in the next 6 months.

Timeoutofmind · 19/12/2011 20:14

I gave my DD a dummy from a few months old as she was always trying to suck her fingers and getting very frustrated that she couldn't find them. It helped comfort and calm her. She became more dependant on it at about 4 months, but from 6 months when she could put it in herself it wasn't really a problem. Now at 11mo she only has it for sleeps. I hope to phase it out before she is two!

AngelsfromtherealmsofgloryDog · 19/12/2011 23:24

I started at 6 weeks. He wasn't interested. I kept using it for the start of naps (not nighttime) till he was about 4 m.o. but I'd have to hold it in all the time while I rocked him. It helped me in that his crying was quieter with the dummy than without.

It took a while before he could sleep in the car or pram without a dummy (but again you had to hold it in for him.) After about 4 m.o. he started bf'ing to sleep in the daytime, so I ditched the dummy and bf'ed him to sleep, which I still do at nearly 2 y.o.

I've always bf'ed for comfort so never needed it for awake times.

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pizzatheaction · 19/12/2011 23:27

what is your research for?

it might be a tinternet forum and a piss easy way to get a few views, but if you are using it and quoting it even if just for a student paper, you need to look at your data collection methods.

informed consent. etc etc.

4madboys · 19/12/2011 23:33

i have 5 children, the first 3 would only accept the breast and nothing else, no 4 sucked his thumb from birth and still does at 3yrs.

dd is just one yr old and has had a dummy from 3/4mths old? she needed it as wouldnt comfort suck breast or bottle, she basically just uses it for sleeping, it soothes her and helps her to sleep, she will give it up when she is ready.

she is now crawling and very mobile and doesnt have it when playing, sometimes has it in the pushchair or carseat, but generally its just for sleep time. i figure she will give it up when she is ready just as my elder 3 did with using the breast for comfort, ditto ds4 and his thumb sucking (its just when he is tired/poorly now)

its great to help them to sleep and the advantage over the thumb is that you can take it away and the advantage over breast is you can put them down! it was a bit of a pita for a while as it would fall out and i would have to wake to replace it as she couldnt do it herself but once they get older this isnt a problem.

i have the avent ones for dd and they do ones wiht a glow int he dark handle, great for nighttime!

brettgirl2 · 20/12/2011 08:11

The research in relation to SIDs.

pizzatheaction · 21/12/2011 17:26

brettgirl, are you also mwanangu?

that wasn't really what i meant. why are you doing this research? for personal interest, or for a university dissertation?

personally, i have very varied experiences with dummies (are you in the us by the way?) including use in scbu for babies born with no suck reflex. but i don't intend to take part in 'research' until i know what it is, who you are, what it will be used for, etc etc.

and if it is for a uni thing, there's loads of internet research methodology material that will help you out.

Original poster

mwanangu · 27/12/2011 15:37

Thank you very much for all your insights and information. I'm doing my masters in sociology of childhood and children's rights at the institute of education, university of London. I'm interested in this topic because I still find it somehow unnatural to give children a dummy. I understand there are obviously also benefits on using a dummy, therefore I wanted to know more about the experience of parents and children on the use of dummies. I would like to write an essay on this topic out of the perspective of children's rights and their right to express themselves. I will not use any of your comments to quote it or whatever, I just like to use it for myself to create a stronger and realistic point of view while writing my essay.

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