I'm interested to know how many people gave their babies a.....

[my2centsis]

pacifier / dummy?? I did with dd and never regreted it, she was only ever aloud it in bed.

Pregnant with DS I was determine not to have one, but got given some as baby gifts, DS is 4weeks old and not and sleeps an hour and a half, wake an hour at night and he bealy sleeps during the day. He feeds soo much and like to comfort suck on my boob to go to sleep, but will wake when I take him off it. Between lack of sleep, earthquakes and dd I'm lucky to get 4hours a sleep anight.... Am feeling I may give him a dummy but feel like uv failed as this is not what u wanted to do.

Did u give ur baby a dummy? Or not? What are your reasons for and against?

I'm very interested in peoples opinions

I offered DD a dummy at a few weeks old as she was reluctant to sleep without my nipple in her mouth (which did nothing for my ability to get any sleep) and it was pretty helpful in that respect for several months.

But it was a mixed blessing as DD would wake when she lost it in the night and I would be up loads replacing the damn thing. A combination of encouragement from me and her own preference meant DD mostly self-weaned of the dummy, first for night time sleep then naps by about 8 months.

I think I would offer the dummy again for another "sucky" baby, but it's not always an ideal solution to sleeping problems.

I doubt it would cause speech impediments if the dummy was restricted to sleep times only.

i offered dummies to both dds
dd1 loved hers
dd2 would not take one at all, despite me trying every brand in Boots.

i would rather dd2 had taken one, because you can get rid at a point of your choosing. she sucks her fingers, which are rather more tricky to get rid of. and oddly, dd1 was talking clearly and fluently very early, and dd2, well, isn't.

Dd1 had no dummy - I hated the look of them and thought we'd manage. But she never slept well and I wish I'd given her one.
Dd2 started having a dummy at 4 months at nursery and still has one for sleep time only. Never when out of the cot. It works, she sleeps, we are happy.

No, never needed to.

Plus i don't like them anyway and think they look ugly. I prefer to see a baby's features rather than a saucer covering half their face. I would also have concerns about understanding a child's speech.

That said, had it been the only option and i was at my wits' end i may have conceded and tried. Fortunately i never had to.

Didn't want to use a dummy with dd - bf to 12 months. never bought one so wouldn't know whether having a dummy was easier - dd didn't cry much anyway.

imvho i think you should get shot of dummies before they start talking

Both of mine had them, I was keen that they did'nt take up the thumb sucking habit, as I've yet to crack that one myself aged 40 .

I stopped them at about 18 months/2 years, no problems.

They only ever had avent ones-like someone up thread I cannot stand those brown cherry ones bleugh.

Dd really seemed to need hers when she was tiny. We forgot to give it her one night when she was 2 and she didn't notice for a week so it was gone then. Ds1 was more ambivalent. We took it away when he was 20 months. He didn't seem to notice. Ds2 doesn't seem too fussed either. With the first 2 it was limited to bed and long journeys from 6m. Ds2 is nearly 6m so I guess I'll do the same.

I don't like seeing toddlers walking or talking with them in their mouths but if it gives comfort in bed or for a small baby then it's all good.

one of my four did
He didnt go around with it as a toddler though. Once no longer a real baby he was only allowed it at sleep time

My LO first had hers at about 4 days old, as all she wanted to do was suckle...on me, her hands, her top lip. DUmmy was offered, and she was very content. Now, she has it when she's restless (after food, bum, burps) or when she stirs in the night and grizzles for no reason.

DD had one, DS wouldn't take one and sucked his fingers instead. DD only used the dummy while she was napping/sleeping and we got rid of it completely when she was 2 without much hassle. DS sucked his fingers all the time and we had to use a fingerguard when he was 3 for nearly two months after the dentist gave us doom and gloom about how misshapen his mouth was becoming because of the constant sucking...

would definitely try a dummy and see if it helps!

My DS didn't have one and was EBF, however he was hospitalised at 3 weeks and was nil by mouth and screaming so the doctors recommended we give him one. I couldn't hear him screaming for hours and relented and gave him one, it took a few days for him to get used to it but he had it as a comforter until he was 5 months old. At that stage I tried to change him to the next stage one and as it was a different shape he didn't want it so went cold turkey.

Personal choice I think and if you have a baby who has a strong suck reflex then it will help settle him.

I did but only at night (occasionally) and never, ever in public - in case any mumsnetters one judged me. Have to say that DS was never hugely attached to it and I 'lost' it when he was about 8 months (actually I still have it in my baby treasure box 11 years later ).

Dd wouldnt take to a dummy at all
Ds1 had one but then gave it up only to replace it with his 2 middle fingers which went really funny from him sucking them all the time, plus i couldnt take them off him
Ds2 loves his dummy, hes 2.2 and we now only let him have it if hes ill or st bedtime, if he could he would have it in all day long

Both of mine had one.

As soon as they could walk/talk (whichever came first) I made it for bedtime only. When I took DD dummy off her she began thumb sucking all day!

My son is 2.7 and I won't be taking his night time only dummy off him in a hurry.

I think they look terrible on 5 year olds who are trying to talk round them other than that I think they serve a bloody good purpose.

DD had one from being around a week old. She wouldn't tolerate the pretty orthodontic ones though. She insisted on the cherry teats.

DD had one from a couple of days old, just to get her to sleep and then she always popped it out. She rejected it from about three months when she found her thumb and nothing would get her to take it again.

DS had some digestive problems and sucking helped to relieve them so he had it from birth until about a year. By that point he had got into a pattern of sucking for a few minutes and then lobbing it as far as he could and we lost so many I just removed the few he had left.

Used one with DS1 after 5 days, took it away at about 2 years, he didn't ask for it until about 3 weeks later, accepted it was gone and never asked again.

DS2 (3 months) has one and if doesn't have it when he's tired ramms his whole fist in his mouth and makes himself sick (strange boy!)

Yes, with both. It was the dummy or me.

I didn't but wish I had with dd: would have been a lot easier to take a dummy away than to get her to stop sucking her fingers.

Ds was fine without one and contracted no annoying habits.

Ds1 had one. He was about 8 weeks old when I was sat up in bed at 3am crying because I couldn't take the comfort sucking any longer. Dp went to a 24hr supermarket and bought a couple.

He gave it up easily at 15months old.

Ds2 never had one although I tried so hard to get him to take one as he was another 24/7 comfort sucker.

He's 15/16months now and BF so I managed to get through it without dying from exhaustion. Just

My DD had one from birth. She decided, at three months, that she didn't want one any more... She never used one again.

I did, don't regret it at all. She loved it, settled her instantly most times. Had it until she was 1.5yo I think, then one day I decided to distract her when she wanted it rather than give her it, she went to bed without one that night, and it was gone from then on. She asked for it a couple of times that first day, and never again after that. She found one in a drawer a couple of months ago, and secretly gave it a little suck and I saw her and she burst out laughing

My baby is 4.5 weeks - does exactly the same as yours. Although i didnt want to give a dummy, at my wits end and just tried one today. He sucked it so vigoursly that it fell out. I then kept putting it back in and the same kept happening. There goes that idea! He can't keep it in. Don't know what is the answer - formula milk maybe? Would that make him sleep? So tired and my house looks like a s* tip.

hostelgirl my first was formula fed and it made no difference to his sleep, sorry. have you tried a different shape teat? I've heard the cheaper cherry one's are successful? but to be honest some babies are just more needy than others. ds1 i couldn't do a thing, ds2 is a very calm contented baby, barely know i have him!