Are dummys necessary?

[daftscotslass]

I was totally dead set against them, hated them, wouldn't want my child to be seen with one etc before I had her. When she had colic I was literally climbing the walls and in tears thinking I was a crap mum. She would suck on the bottle for comfort and then barf it all back up again because she'd taken too much. SIL suggested trying a dummy which I was totally hesitant about but the second she could comfort suck on something that didn't fill her tum with food she settled. I wouldn't say it cured the colic by any means but it was superb for getting her settled when she was younger.

Somewhere around 5 months I think it was (maybe a bit earlier) she stopped using it to go to sleep and we never pushed it so she hasn't had it since. She never had it when she was awake, though, only when she was on the verge of sleep and it was always spat out not long after she drifted off anyway. Also when she was beyond the colicky stage at 3 months she didn't always need it to settle to sleep either. Not sure what I'd have done if she'd "needed" it longer though.

Personally I would wait and see because you can't know until LO arrives.

 

[Manda&Thomas]

My friends little girl has never had one or sucked her thumb.
Thomas dint have 1 for the first 3 days but he does now but doesnt use it (partly due to the fact he has hardly any suck reflex)
He has it to carry around as its on a cloth but never really has it in his mouth
xx

 

[poochielove]

i never had one as a baby, but i'm eighteen and still a thumbsucker!
while i was pregnant i bought a few dummies just in case, and on my last night in the hospital zach wouldn't be quiet unless he had my finger in his mouth, he wasn't hugry/tired/wet, so the midwife just advised giving him a dummy, which i did. he doesn't use it constantly, usually just to get himself to sleep.

IMO, you can take a dummy away when they're getting a bit big for it, but their thumbs are attatched to them!

I am 23 and still a thumbsucker! Glad to know i am not the only one! I agree with what you have said as although my thumbsucking doesnt bother me or OH (luckily) i'd rather Teddy didn't get in this habit cos its a tough one to break and i have given up trying. I try to stop but the minute i get tired it pops in without me even noticing!

 

[AliCat]

Tried a dummy with Isla but she'll only take it before a feed or at bedtime if I can't settle her. I try not to use it very much and she seems to prefer sucking her hands instead.

 

[angelcake89]

.

 

[charlotte_]

I try to stop but the minute i get tired it pops in without me even noticing!

me too! a little over a year ago i cut my hand really badly & was in a cast for three months, on my thumb sucking hand
because i couldn't get to my thumb, i didn't do it for all the time the cast was on, i thought i'd got out of the routine but as soon as the cast was off the thumb went straight back in. i'm now a thumb sucking mum, i'll probably be a thumb sucking nan too, i can't ever see myself quitting! haha.

 

[rachie29]

we have one for sleeping, I was fairly laid back about it although I would have preferred her not to have one, she started sucking her thumb and also using me as a dummy at night so I bought one!

tbh you dont see many teenage dummy users so am not to stressed about weaning her off it

 

[poochielove]

i'm now a thumb sucking mum, i'll probably be a thumb sucking nan too, i can't ever see myself quitting! haha.

I agree!!!

Though how you managed 3 months

 

[sarah113]

my 1st and 2nd had a dummy but my 1st only had a dummy because she had bad colic and my 2nd was a thumb sucker and was making her thumb really sore, none of the others have had a dummy though

 

[jills10uk]

Mills doesn't want a dummy. Tried to introduce it as she likes sucking fingers to settle, but she won't have it

same for mine - we agonised for about 2 weeks over whether to give him one or not and then when we tried he totally refused

 

[lea m]

In one word........ YES!!! Haha only joking! They arent necessary but I have found them a godsend for babies!
All mine have had them and help in all kinds of ways! I do try and get them off them around 12 months as I dont really like toddlers with them!

 

[Gem & Leland]

he had one to try and build his sucking action up but he gave it up himself at 3 months and never used it to go to sleep or anything and i certainly didnt push him to keep having it ! his not a thumb sucker either .

 

[dannii87]

I've never had a problem with dummies! I gave Miss Evie one and she takes it when she's going off to sleep but that's her choice, I have offered it to her when she's been a bit unsettled but she only really likes it when she's tired.

She started off wanting to suck her thumb and I personally would much prefer her to have a dummy than to suck her thumb because I can take a dummy away, I can't cut her thumb off

Sometimes she'll smile with the dummy in or make babbling noises etc and I don't let her have it while she's doing this because I don't want it to restrict her in anyway!

It's up to you though hun. A lot of women have managed perfectly well without them! You may find that you HAVE to give a dummy just to settle the baby though, so bear that in mind

x

 

[Laura_James&Amber]

In my case its no! Amber doesn't like her dummy, we've tried her with it so many times when shes been unsettled but she doesn't like it, she spits it out! Its always worth you having one ready though in case your baby wants/needs one

 

[Mik]

None of mine have had them and when they have had little pals around with them have shown no interest at al. I wouldn't 100% rule them out but I wouldn't use them as a matter of course either. I personally think it is wrong to use one just to stop baby crying unless it is something like colic where it can be a real help as I believe you need to develop an understanding of why your baby is crying. That said we are all different and it is each persons choice whether to use one or not.
My youngest sucked her thumb for a while but luckily grew out of it fairly quickly I think thumb sucking is something that will happen or it won't and you can't really take their thumbs away lol

 

[purplepants]

It depends on the baby tbh, i try not to give a dummy straight away but all my children have had one at some point, but ive never had any problems getting them to give dummies up either.
Thomas (my youngest) was so demanding with feeds but then only took a couple of sucks on me then fell asleep with my nipple in his mouth and when i put him down again i had about 5 mins before the screams for my nipple started again so i caved in and gave him a dummy when he was only about 2 days old, it was the best decision i made he was a little angel after that & i was more relaxed too.

 

[keli]

I tried one with Cooper in the early days but he never really took to one so didn't push it. I'm glad really as i'm not a lover of them TBH but if he would have wanted one then i would have let him. I think it all depends on the baby x

 

[Noor~ul~Usman]

I got a pack of dummies 'just in case' with all my other baby stuff before the labour....coz I basically got everything I'd ever seen a baby with

I nearly didn't pack one...but I slipped it in my bad in case any of the midwives asked for one etc coz I wasn't really sure what would happen 'afterwards'....

Thank goodness I did!

I was very hesitant at giving it to him but he's had one since he was 3 days old. As soon as he was born he was comfort sucking his hands and sleeves and because he was stressed and not feeding properly he needed constant comforting. I found that he'd only settle unless I was holding him or if he could chew on something - and I was worried about his hand fixed in his mouth 24/7 so I tried the dummy and ta-da!! like magic it worked

I'm in the process of trying to get him to have a comfort teddy - either as well as or instead of, the dummy. He has both to go to sleep at night. When he's a bit cranky in the day I either give him the teddy or the dummy (which ever is close to hand) and it definately helps to settle him down. He WILL spit it out though when he doesn't want it. It's not permanently in his mouth. Mostly it's when he's tired and sometimes when he's feeling insecure because he's just been crying about something and it settles him down.
He doesn't wake up though if it falls out of his mouth

I don't want him going around with it as an infant though
I fully intend to have it gone some time between 12 - 18months and replaced by the bear on a part time basis....just for bed time or really upset times.

Here's crossing my fingers it works!