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Parenting

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Original poster

Best dummies for babies who spit them back out but suck thumb

17 replies

Newtothis8008 · 03/09/2021 20:42

Hi, baby is 3 months old, tries to suck on a dummy but it pops straight back out of mouth. Started to suck on fingers and thumbs but I'd rather them take a dummy than suck there thumb. I feel like they are drinking 8 oz of Hipp organic milk every 3 hours to crave suckling on a dummy aswell. Has anyone got any good advice to help turn this situation around. I've tried lots of types of dummies that boots, superdrug etc are selling but none have helped.

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Dandy0911 · 03/09/2021 20:44

Tried and failed! My little girl had all the types of dummies. She found her thumb and 3 months and never took a dummy again. She's nearly 10 months now and I love it as she sucks her thumb and self soothes back to sleep.

Just out of curiosity how come you'd rather a dummy than a thumb? I loved it because I didn't have to keep settling her putting her dummy back in at night!

We did try for a couple of days to give her the MAM dummies but she rejected them and now is a sleepy thumb sucker

Original poster

Newtothis8008 · 03/09/2021 20:48

My uncle sucked his thumb, his nearly 30 years old and still he sucks his thumb, I agree babies do look cute sucking on there thumbs though

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Sally100100 · 03/09/2021 21:50

You have to try Smilo every single product I’ve had from them has been epic ! My DD loves the pacifiers and will not take any other but these

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LizzieBet14 · 03/09/2021 22:02

I'm not sure how you solve it but I'd rather they had a dummy rather than a thumb as you can eventually throw the dummy away (well the dummy fairy came for ours....). I used to suck my finger to the point it became infected 🤢

Maray1967 · 04/09/2021 08:51

Don’t worry - my DS 1 was a thumb sucker and rejected dummies at about 12 weeks. He still thumb sucked at night until about 9 or 10 as I did but like me he stopped himself before the Y 6 residential trip. I did the same - forced myself to stop before sharing a room on my junior school trip. Sucking thumb as an adult must be very unusual. I have seen one student do it in 30 years of lecturing.
I don’t think there is much you can do to switch him to dummies to be honest and not would I try to. My DS2 loved dummies and it was much easier dealing with DS1 thumb sucking.

Dandy0911 · 04/09/2021 11:24

@Maray1967

I agree! I wouldn't try to either and a thumb sucking adult especially in their 30s is very very unusual.

Soubriquet · 04/09/2021 11:26

My dd was dummy addict. Tried to get ds to take one and he refused. He would suck on his blanket though

Had to wash it every couple of days as it reeked. We would alternate between different blankets.

I would rather they an item than their thumb

Best dummies for babies who spit them back out but suck thumb

Redcrayons · 04/09/2021 11:30

I have twins. One loves the dummy, the other used to spit it out and suck his thumb. No amount of encouraging the dummy worked.

He stopped when he went to school.

GemmaRuby · 04/09/2021 13:21

Let him/her suck their thumb. Honestly you will not regret it. My 5 month old has a dummy and won’t suck his thumb…. This was great for getting him to sleep… unfortunately now he wakes up every 40 minutes in the night and we have to put his dummy back in for him to sleep again.
Thumb sucking is a great way for babies to self soothe without you intervening.

FuckingFlumps · 04/09/2021 13:28

@GemmaRuby

Let him/her suck their thumb. Honestly you will not regret it. My 5 month old has a dummy and won’t suck his thumb…. This was great for getting him to sleep… unfortunately now he wakes up every 40 minutes in the night and we have to put his dummy back in for him to sleep again. Thumb sucking is a great way for babies to self soothe without you intervening.

Try putting several dummies in his cot so he can reach one.

Honestly in a few months this won't be a problem as he will be able to move about the cot to get one and then later on you'll be able to remove the dummy but a thumb is always going to be there.

I agree with previous posters maybe try a muslin or comforter toy he can suck on if a dummy isn't working.

I've taught so many children who continue to suck their thumbs often doing damage to their adult teeth. I'd do anything to avoid a child relying on their thumb as a form of comfort.

Maray1967 · 04/09/2021 13:40

Interesting re the teeth. DS 2 the dummy user has far worse teeth than DS1 the thumb sucker. Dentist says it is down to the dummy.

ActonSquirrel · 04/09/2021 13:44

I've taught so many children who continue to suck their thumbs often doing damage to their adult teeth. I'd do anything to avoid a child relying on their thumb as a form of comfort.

I'm one of those. Mum did nothing to stop me and didn't like it when I stopped at about 10 as I looked so cute.

Permanent damage to my palate. Massive overbite. Painful braces.

I suppose parents get to sleep at night though 🤷🏼‍♀️

FuckingFlumps · 04/09/2021 13:46

@Maray1967

Interesting re the teeth. DS 2 the dummy user has far worse teeth than DS1 the thumb sucker. Dentist says it is down to the dummy.

The teeth thing is often cited for not using dummies but in reality a thumb can do just as much damage if not more.

With a dummy you can throw them away at the first sign of them affecting teeth, yes it will probably lead to a lot of tears and a few unsettled bedtimes but it's a definite end to their use.

With a thumb you can't take it away no matter how much damage it might be doing. Obviously you can try preventative thumb sucking measures such as wearing gloves or applying anti bite nail polish but if these strategies don't work then there is no concrete way of stopping them.

It's seen as a less terrible form of comfort than a dummy but often in the long term it can be a much harder habit to end.

PepsiHoover · 04/09/2021 13:51

Hideous brown cherry dummies. Tommee Tippee do them. They were the only dummies my kids would take. Also try the size bigger.

I definitely agree with dummies over thumbs. My teeth were fine, but I wrecked my thumb doing it. Still have a manky thumb nail 30 years on.

LakeShoreD · 04/09/2021 13:52

I have a thumb sucker and in my experience it’s very hard to persuade them otherwise. On the upside, they always have a way of self soothing and if they stir overnight they won’t be crying for you to replace their dummy as they can always find their thumb. I don’t even see teeth damage as a big problem- these days everyone wants perfect teeth so it seems to me that almost every teen gets braces now regardless of whether they sucked their thumb or had a dummy as babies. When they get older I discourage it except for at sleep time as it’s not great for speech development for kids to be wandering around with something stuck in their mouth but other than that I really don’t think it’s a problem.

FuckingFlumps · 04/09/2021 13:58

I'm one of those. Mum did nothing to stop me and didn't like it when I stopped at about 10 as I looked so cute.

Permanent damage to my palate. Massive overbite. Painful braces.

I suppose parents get to sleep at night though 🤷🏼‍♀️

Sorry to hear that, I do think there is definitely an element of parents thinking it's a positive they are not needed to replace the dummy.

Sadly I suspect the same will be true of many of the children I've taught who sucked their thumbs. Its often so much more problematic than just not having perfectly straight teeth.

Soubriquet · 04/09/2021 14:17

I know someone who is in their 30’s and still sucks their thumb

Their mouth is shaped funny and one of the thumbs (the one they suck) is noticeably shorter than the other

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