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Parenting

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Original poster

Dummies for Dummies

6 replies

Again · 27/08/2007 18:17

My ds is 9 weeks old and we have been using a dummy with him for the last few. It now seems that he's becoming more and more dependent and seems to want to suck everything! So I thought I'd ask the experts a few questions!

Do you regret starting yours on a dummy?
How long every day did yours use it?
Did you find that it made them want to suck more?
Did you find that they couldn't concentrate on other things?
Was it difficult to wean them off?
Did you feel inadequate because you had to use one??

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

juuule · 27/08/2007 18:34

Some of mine have had dummies, others haven't.
Do you regret starting yours on a dummy?
No

How long every day did yours use it?
Whenever they wanted.

Did you find that it made them want to suck more?
No. Babies at 9weeks will suck anything anyway. Even the ones who didn't have a dummy sucked their fists, your nose, your cheek, their arm....in fact anything anywhere in the vicinity of their mouth

Did you find that they couldn't concentrate on other things?
At 9weeks what are you wanting him to concentrate on?

Was it difficult to wean them off?
Not really. But then I let them do it in there own time. I suppose if you have a particular time you want them to finish with it you might have a bit of trouble. But not always.

Did you feel inadequate because you had to use one??
Lol. No. Why would I?

JoanCrawford · 27/08/2007 18:55

both of mine had dummies. 1st, until she was almost 3 and second until she was 16weeks.

they mostly used it when tired and getting off to sleep. My first dd was a sucky baby and so wanted her dummy almost round the clock in the early weeks of her life.

don't necessarily think it made them suck more. dd1 would suck forever, she was that way. dd2 not that bothered so taking away at 16 weeks was easy...ish!

dd1 had it for too long. Yes, it prevented her from doing other things.

difficult to wean - no, not really. dd1 took 3 days of mild upset. dd1 took one night.

Felt incredibly inadequate as a first time mum. Knew it was frowned upon by many and had a few negative comments. Second time round I couldn't have cared less. I knew my child and what worked for her. I also had the confidence to trust myself as to when the right time to take it away was.

WideWebWitch · 27/08/2007 18:57

Do you regret starting yours on a dummy? NO, BOTH HAD THEM
How long every day did yours use it? WHENEVER WHEN V LITTLE, LESS AS THEY GOT OLDER/STARTED TALKING. NOW 3.5yo JUST HAS IT AT NIGHT
Did you find that it made them want to suck more? DON'T KNOW BUT SUCKING REFLEX IS NORMAL AND FINE IMO
Did you find that they couldn't concentrate on other things?NO
Was it difficult to wean them off? NO WITH DS, HE's 9 NOW! GAVE UP FOR GOOD AT ABOUT 4. DD STILL HAS AT NIGHT ONLY
Did you feel inadequate because you had to use one?? NOPE, I THINK THEY'RE GREAT, AM ENTIRELY UNAPOLOGETIC ABOUT IT

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PutThatInYourPipeandSmokeIt · 27/08/2007 19:22

Do you regret starting yours on a dummy? No - they need to suck and I'd rather it was a dummy rather than me.
How long every day did yours use it? When she was new - practically all the time and as time wore on she 'asked for it' less and less. At 7 months it was just for day time naps and going to bed and then weaned off at 8 months.
Did you find that it made them want to suck more? No - she was just happier.
Did you find that they couldn't concentrate on other things? No - if anything, the dummy would fall out if she got distracted and excited by something.
Was it difficult to wean them off? Not in the slightest - she became less reliant on it as she got older and then we just removed it 3 days ago completely and she's been absolutely fine.
Did you feel inadequate because you had to use one?? No - sucking is normal for a baby and so if anything I felt that i was providing something that she needed. I am immune to other people's opinions on how I should parent!

notnowbernard · 27/08/2007 20:25

Hello

To answer your questions:

Don't regret it at all, it made life easier!
Let them have it whenever they seemed tired/grumpy/in need of comfort for the first few months... then kept it mainly for sleep times, or if they were poorly or particularly miserable. By about 15 months, for sleep only.
Don't think it made them want to suck more.
Didn't affect concentration.
Didn't wean... waited for dd1 to announce she wanted to give it up (at nearly 3yr)
No inadequacy whatsoever!!!

glucose · 27/08/2007 20:38

No
After about a year at nap & bed times only
Now (3yo) at bedtime only, at nursery all day so never has it there, sometmes sneaks it in at wends.
Not sure about the sucking more business
She can concentrate if she wants with or without dummy
She will give it up when she is ready
Feel totally inadequate about most parenting issues so no change there!

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