Breastfed baby & Dummy

[Mangotea]

Ive been trying to introduce my EBF baby to a dummy, I've tried caries times since he was six weeks but seems to refuse it. He's now 11 weeks and has only taken it twice for a few mins.

I've tried MAM and Tommee Tippee brand ones, anyone have any tips or recommend different brands?

I think the ship has sailed for dummies. As a general rule breastfed babies don’t tend to take to them as it’s a different way of sucking.
owehaos you may have had some success in the very early days but even then they likely would have rejected them after a while anyway.

Dummies are an excellent way of self soothing for both FF and BF babies. They're also really helpful for babies with reflux.

Try putting the dummy in your baby's mouth every 15 minutes while awake and tapping it to encourage him to suck. Don't try and hold it in or force it or give it when he's upset. Just keep popping it in over and over.

It's not so much as the brand or type as just giving the baby the practice at it.

DS finally took it on day 2 of doing the above and it's been a great comfort tool since. He only uses it for sleep and flights.

At one we attached it to a comforter toy so that when it's time to drop the dummy he still has the attachment to the toy he cuddles.

I agree you just need to have a few days being consistent. Keep putting it in, encouraging sucking and put it back when it falls out, eventually it will click for baby.

I didn’t introduce a dummy properly until a similar age to you and was BFing. I’m very happy I did introduce it as it was the key to self soothing for sleep.

@Mangotea Try NUK! My EBF baby wouldn't take anything else!

Nuk here too with BF baby 1, but BF baby 2 just wouldn't take any brand. I tried 7 or 8 I think.

I thought it may have been too late but he used me as a dummy after feeding/to go sleep/comfort and recent has been eating his hand but isn't hungry. Although it's cute to watch him suck on his hand he gets drool everywhere!

@addler Thank you so much! Those are some incredibly helpful tips. I'm going to try putting it in every 15 mins and tap now. I assume I should only do this when he's awake. I also love the idea of attaching it to his comforter, he hasn't become attached to them yet but I assume will grow into it.

@luxxlisbon it's very reassuring to know you introduced it at a similar age. I mainly want to do it for sleep reasons too, recently he's started to become difficult to put to sleep, he fights sleep so much and then is so tired starts crying. I think a dummy will help with his bedtime routine.

@winterbabyrose @Lavendersparkles22 Thank you, I will definitely try Nuk!

Hi OP, my DS was EBF and has only taken a dummy in the last week and he's now 18 weeks, so don't lose hope! Again I tried a few, but Nuby were the ones he now takes.

I don't think the ship has sailed at all. My DS was EBF and never liked a dummy until he was 5/6 months old, when he started teething. He loved his dummies from then on! I think the ones we used were BIBS, with the round natural latex teat.

DS wouldnt take a dummy, then did take a dummy, then stopped, then found his fingers around 4/5 months and have been sucking them non stop for about 6 months. He had a round bibs/frigg one that he used and then I tried a bibs orthodontic one and he wouldn't take it

I just used to swap at that moment in breastfeeding when it turned from feeding to comfort (you can tell it’s a different suck). If you do replace it for boob, try pre-warming it in your mouth first, my DS was very particular about that!

If he doesn't want the dummy why push it? I hate them. The hand thing might be teething (especially if drooling).

Is there a reason you’re so keen for him to have a dummy OP? Some babies just don’t take to them, and TBH it’s a lot easier when you don’t have to navigate getting rid of them later on (I say this as someone who’s DS had one til he was 3!) You mention he’s using you ‘for comfort’ when feeding, this is totally normal and not necessarily something a dummy will help with - you might just find you start missing his feeding cues and your milk supply can be affected. At 11 weeks old he’s still tiny, and it’s normal for his sleep to be up and down still - think of feeding to sleep as your super power rather than a bad habit! Lyndsey Hookway’s page has some great stuff on both dummies and feeding/sleeping
Lyndsey Hookway

I tried to get my EBF baby to get a dummy for the first couple months but he was never interested. I'm glad now that he doesn't have one though especially when I hear friends saying they have to get up twice during the night to reinsert the dummy. It would have been a good tool in the first few months when he slept badly but he sleeps great without one now and self settles himself back down if he wakes during the night.

My EBF will only take cherry teat dummies so maybe try them? It did take a couple of weeks of offering and then if he was too upset and wouldn't settle at all I'd give boob instead. He also took a while to work out how to keep them in his mouth but we got there in the end