Feeling guilty about the dummy

[LauM93]

My boy is 16 weeks and only uses the dummy for sleeping in his crib or cot.
He had terrible wind in the early days and the dummy really helped to ease the discomfort and send him off to sleep. He doesn't suck the dummy all night long, and can sometimes get back to sleep without.

Now at 16 weeks I'm starting to panic that it's wrong for him to have the dummy as all I keep reading is how it will affect their sleep later down the line.
I think I'm after some reassurance and for once someone to say no girl your doing the right thing and it will all be ok, dummies are ok to use!
Thanks.

You're doing fine, dummies are absolutely okay. My DD is almost 3 and still likes to occasionally have a dummy at bedtime, she doesn't struggle to settle if she doesn't have it and it hasn't caused any problems with her teeth. She's gradually abandoning it on her own

I really don't understand the MN hatred for dummies. My little one is 19mo and still has his to sleep and he can keep having it until it's no longer needed. Why take away the one comfort they get when sleeping 🤔 I'm sure your little one will be absolutely fine and if it really does help him please don't take it away

Dummies are great for getting babies to sleep and far easier to wean off than thumbing sucking. They can be problematic for speech if you’re letting a toddler suck one outside of sleep time so keeping it in the cot as you’re doing is a good idea. Otherwise they’re great.

It’s not recommend to remove dummies before 6 months as they reduce the risk of SIDS.

My DS was a thumb sucker. In hindsight, despite worrying endlessly about him stopping, he dropped it himself

Stop fretting, you've got this

I judge people who leave their babies to cry and cry- if they give their babes a bit of comfort with a dummy.

My DM hated dummies so when I had my 1st baby I didn't use one, but DD1 was the most miserable baby who cried and grizzled constantly but by the time I bought a dummy she wouldn't accept it and would gag. For 2nd baby I had dummies ready, she only had it to sleep and when I carried her into the kitchen from a fairly young age she knew to throw it in the sink for washing and sterilisation. When she was about 2 told her she didn't need it any more as it was for babies and she soon gave it up without any problem. Definitely recommend them, but hate seeing older children walking around with one.

The dummy hand waving I picked up on when I had my pfb fucking ruined the first 2 years of his life for me. He was perpetually miserable and never slept except attached to me. DS2 had a dummy almost from day 1 and there was never a more content baby. Removed the dummy without the slightest issue at 2.5 years. His teeth and speech are fine.

Really don't know what you're worrying about. It brings him comfort. My son is 2 and a half and still uses a dummy for bedtime only. It falls out at night. I don't see the harm in that.

We'll likely do the dummy fairy or some such when he's a little older. Maybe around age 3 or so. Nothing bad will happen to your child because he uses a dummy for sleep.

I, on the other hand, sucked my thumb til age 8 and ended up with crooked teeth.

I hated dummies as thought they looked squalid - Especially when they inevitably get dropped and the parent picks it up, sucks it, and plugs it back in to the baby's mouth.

But my son was a thumb sucker right from day one- Dummies are not needed in those cases.. Some people hate thumb sucking 👍

Do what is right for you!

Edit: Son has even, level teeth despite being a thumb sucker at night for at least 6 years.

Squalid? Why is it inevitable that someone will drop the dummy and then stick it in their own mouth. My son has a dummy and I've never once thought about sticking it in my mouth 🤷🏻‍♀️

Hopefully your son won't carry on sucking his thumb for much longer. My cousin didn't stop until about ten years old and ended up with a very big overbite and crooked teeth because of it.