Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Parenting

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

Flip

Original poster

to dummy or not to dummy?

15 replies

bumpertobumper · 23/04/2015 21:23

DD is 10 weeks. she generally sleeps well and is an easy baby. In the last week she has started sucking her fist, sometimes her thumb, and is doing it more and more.
Does this mean she is a sucky baby and needs a dummy?

Any advice on whether it's better to let her suck her thumb?
pros and cons as far as I can see are that thumb can be early found by herself in the night, but can't be taken away to stop the habit...

She is my third child, but dc1 never showed any inclination; dc2 - I tried to get him to use a dummy (anything to make him sleep) but he just took it out and chewed the hard bit...

So thumb or dummy? what does the wisdom of mumsnet say...

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

girliefriend · 23/04/2015 21:27

If she sleeps well and is an easy baby I wouldn't bother with a dummy personally!!

My dd had one but she was not easy and it was either a dummy or my sanity

ragged · 23/04/2015 21:29

She can't lose the thumb in middle of the night & howl to you about it.

Micah · 23/04/2015 21:31

Dummy. It's possible I loved the dummy more than the child!

You can remove dummies before they're 3-ish. Thumb sucking is far harder to break as you can't take it off them. I've never seen an 8 year old with a dummy, but seen a few stick a thumb in when they think no-ones watching!

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

0-3 months old Babies & sleep Families General parenting

JustAStormInADCup · 23/04/2015 21:32

We've gone with thumbs.

I think the vast majority of babies wean themselves off thumbs before the sucking becomes a problem.

Orangeisthenewbanana · 23/04/2015 21:33

DD was a bit of a fist sucker to start with but it didn't continue for long at all. She never had a dummy but she was always a good sleeper at night, so we never really considered it.

If your DD is happy enough, I wouldn't bother. It will might save you the pain of trying to get rid of it later!

ReluctantCamper · 23/04/2015 21:34

If she sleeps without it I wouldn't bother as you'll only be agonising about getting rid of it in 6 months. Neither of mine are thumb suckers though, so I don't know if the downsides of that are serious....

CointreauVersial · 23/04/2015 21:42

Forget the dummy.

All of mine sucked fingers or thumbs as babies, but this stopped by itself.

Dummies are a pain.

Shakey1500 · 23/04/2015 21:45

If it's needed, I'd say dummy for the taking away reason. We got rid of DS's fairly easily when he had a cold and couldn't breath easily through his nose, and needed a "free" mouth.

6LittleOnes · 23/04/2015 21:49

My sister sucked her thumb until she was 8. She is now 31 and one thumb is longer than the other, she is convinced it is because she sucked it for so long. So I used dummies. I never had a problem getting rid of them though (they were restricted to bedtime at 12 months and gone completely at 18 months) and if I had I may have a different opinion

idtwinplustoddlermum · 23/04/2015 21:51

My daughter is 4 and has been a thumb-sucker since (nearly) birth. As she's due at school thus September we decided to put some yukky stuff on her thumb to discourage her, it has worked miracles, 3 weeks and no thumb! Dummies are horrid I never let my subsequent twin boys near them (can't stand seeing any child over 12 months with a dummy, it's wrong! Ask your dentist, they will help x

Radish9 · 24/04/2015 04:38

We gave Dd a dummy, and removed it (later than I had hoped) when she turned 2. She immediately started thumb sucking and still does it now (aged 4). So don't necessarily be swayed by the fact that you can remove a dummy but not a thumb, it certainly didn't work for us.

Original poster

bumpertobumper · 24/04/2015 09:41

thanks for the replies, very helpful.
I am going to wait a little but to see if she is just having a phase of it, and if not then will probably try a dummy.
Asking the dentist is a good idea - I am sure a check up anyway...

OP posts:

Micah · 24/04/2015 10:21

Radish- that happened to me too. I just gave the dummy back, and removed it later at 3, when she no longer shoved her thumb in when you took away the dummy..

Radish9 · 24/04/2015 10:32

Micah, wish we'd tried that, I'm gonna crack open the yukky nail polish stuff I think to stop her now! I remember my parents using it on me, hateful but probably necessary.

PannaDoll · 24/04/2015 10:38

Mine sucked her middle fingers once she stopped trying to choke herself by ramming her fist down her throat. She stopped after a few months.

I had to bat strangers hands away from my baby who would loom in saying 'get that out of your mouth' etc. I would respond on her behalf with a very tense 'it's my hand and my mouth and my mummy says it's FINE'.

I often wondered if the same people felt like I do about dummies, would they have walked up and ripped one out of the mouth of a stranger's baby saying 'get that out of your mouth' in a jokey way.

Anyway, do what feels right for you, thumb or dummy, they are highly likely to give either up when they tire of it. That may be in a few years or when they are 35.

Flip