Dummies

[Valley Girl]

Hi everyone.

I thought I would write a post about dummies because I would like to know how you all feel about them.

I used one with my eldest and I am using one now with Toby. James had his until he was 2 1/2 when we collected them up and put them in a basket for the Easter Bunny, and she exchanged them for eggs
She also left James a lovely card saying that she was going to give them to her babies because they wouldn't sleep at night and she was having terrible trouble!

The thing is I loved him having a dummy. When we were out shopping, or driving and he started crying I just popped it in and be happy as larry. I felt it was brilliant to have the option for him to soothe himslef without needing me to sing, dance, rock, feed - in the middle of Sainsbury's or the M3!

I just can't understand why they get such a bad press. It seems to be the older genersations that hate them so much, probably because they picture a five year old walking around with a dummy in it's mouth. I hate that image too, but it doesn't mean we are going to let our babies have them until their at school!

All the things people say about them in a bad light didn't affect us at all. James was an early talker so it obviously didn't stop him talking - we didn't use it as a plug! He gave it up happily when the time came and is a very placid boy. Much more placid than my second son, who refused a dummy from the word go. His ability to self soothe is limited at the age of 5!

I just get so cross with the 'anti dummy' brigade thinking they can comment if I am out and Toby has his soother in. If you don't like them, just don't use them, don't comment on the fact that I do use one. One woman actually took my eldest son's out of his mouth when he was about six months in Homebase. She was behind the check out and reached over saying "You don't want that horrid thing" - I was FURIOUS!! I even call it a soother, because the word dummy has such a bad press.

How do you feel? If you hate them, or love them? Am I the only one who feels there is a negative feeling associated with them?

 

[newmum]

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[smile]

current advice about cot death (SIDS) suggests that using a dummy at night may actually be protective! I told my mum that and that baby smile was getting a dummy when he hit one month old (so he doesn't get confused before because I am breast feeding) and now she has stopped giving me grief

 

[Xena]

I'm not keen on dummies it has to be said, but they are a blessing sometimes!

Lydia never had one, she never wanted one.

Alex on the other hand, I think I'd have been mentally committed a long time ago if it weren't for giving him a dummy lol. It was a lifesaver with him.

 

[tuck]

I originally didnt want to use one but as others have said it's a god send. Matilda only really has it when she's 'unsure' of something or when she's tired. if I give it to her at any other times she just spits it out. she also like to play with it and will spend ages just looking at it, chewing the other side of it etc. I dont know when we'll try and 'wean' her off but not yet.

 

[Nic'n'Keeley]

I didn't want to use them but Keeley was a very suckly baby.. Keeley only has it for nap-times and at bedtime now.
I don't see anythin wrong with them tho as long as they are used in the correct way not just stuffed in the baby's mouth when it makes a noise

 

[OopsyDaisy]

Same here, I didn't think I would use them, but LO turned out to be a sucky baby and having a dummy is such a relief. She now only really needs it when she's sleepy, and as current SIDS research has shown that using a dummy to sleep can reduce the risk of cot death, I'm happy for her to continue using it.

 

[newmum]

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[valentine]

I don't use one, have never needed to as DD soothes herself to sleep by sucking muslin cloths.

I'm not keen on them, especially in photos. Not sure why though.

Valentine Xxx

 

[Rosieroo]

DD was never bothered by them, had one for a weekish when she was about 7 weeks and then never touched one again.

DS however has been very attached to his since last December, I think it helps with his teething pain and he's really soothed by it. I don't like the look of them and don't like to use it in public tbh as I think they look horrid, but if it's soothing him then I'm not going to take it away totally for that reason alone. Some days he's more attached to it than others, and nights. I don't like him having it at night because it falls out of his mouth, gets jammed under his neck and wakes him up

I had dummies til I was old enough that I can remember them! My stepdad burnt all the teats off of them and I was distraught. I wouldn't take them away from DS in such a cruel manner but I wouldn't allow him to keep them til he was that old.

 

[Gemma & Jake]

I wasn't going to give Jake a dummy but I gave in on week 5 and yes it was a godsend Jake still has a dummy now but only when he is tired and at night time.

 

[lauramumof2]

I liked them with Jes as she was sucky. She was very attached to hers.
Joe, not so much so and last month I managed to get the two of them to give them up. Joe went first as he wasnt that bothered so it was no great shakes to him but what triggered Jess to give up hers was the big present that Joe got for giving up his.

Her present was wrapped up in the kitchen and she hadnt got hers because she wouldnt give hers up but Joe was playing with his as he had done what was asked.

So that night she gave me the dummy (she only got it at night anyway) and that was the end of it.

Joe tends so nibble his kaloo rabbit now. (i think the dummy might have been more hygennic than this thing )

 

[Redshoes]

I wasn't fussed either way about dummies when Isaac was born but chose to not give him one as I heard it can interfere with breastfeeding. As it turned out, Isaac had breast and bottle from a few days old and then decided he wouldn't have a dummy until 5months old anyway I must say though that if he had taken a dummy sooner I feel that a lot of upset would be spared, they do soothe him Dummys have recently been associated with possibly preventing cot death too, so that's one great advantage

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/baby/dailyc ... cifiers/#8

 

[jenni32]

Jude has had a dummy since a few days old for going to sleep at night, and the occasions when I can get him to nap during the day. I wasn't keen at first but now have no problem with im havng a dummy. He spits it out once he's asleep anyway but if it settled him during the day I would give him one regardless of where I was or what others thought, that aspect would never influence me.

 

[kellie80]

Jess and Aimee both had a dummy from being about a week old. It helped me keep sane. We took Jessicas off her when she turned 2 but she still had it for bed till she was 3 when it went to father Christmas. We took Aimees off her in the day when she was 18 months cos she was getting really attached and wanted it in ALL the time. She still has one for bed though but it doesn't come out of he bedroom. We tried Nathan on one and he never liked it. He'd rather suck his thumb but he only did that till he was about 3 months then nothing. I think it was harder in some ways cos when he woke in the night we didn't know what to do with him and it was hard to get him back to sleep with no dummy. Hes fine now though.

 

[NIE]

I was one of those people that said "my child will not have a dummy". I still beleive that they can be dirty unhygienic things that can cause dental probs but have always supported the idea of them for some children needing them to help develop their sucking.

After our first night at home with Adam, I told DH to get out of bed at 6am and go to Asda for a selection of dummies. Just goes to show how you change your mind on things.

I must admit though that Adam usually only gets his when I am trying to wait a bit between his feeds or when he is fussing. xxx

 

[x-kirsty-x]

Josh had one from when he was born and he ended up having it til he was 3 Saying that, he's had no speech problems or anything like that.

So the second time round we didn't buy any and didn't plan on using them but when Ryan was born he went into SCBU and wasn't taking bottles. They gave him a dummy to help him learn to suck and since then he's always had one.

He doesn't use it so much now, usually only when he's going to sleep. I don't think there's anything wrong with using them at all

 

[Krystal]

I don't see a problem with them, I tried Jack with one, he didn't like it. prefers sucking his hands I keep buying new ones in just 'in case' but still he doesn't want them.

I think it's a personal choice depending on your own child and if anyone is snobby about it thats their problem haha. i'd of killed that woman for pulling the dummy out of his mouth though

 

[Squiglet]

Tia had one until she was 3.. but only at night from around a year old... because she was afraid of the dark and we had a whole routine and ritual about night time... she had speech problems but until she had her grommets fitted at 2 years old she was almost completely deaf which is why she was delayed. The dummy was a godsend in many ways because it stopped her using me as her dummy...

Lil miss is far cleverer....She out and out right refuses to use the dummy because nothing comes out of it... she will take a bottle of milk (formula or otherwise) but the dummy produces nothing interesting... She sucks on it for a few moments, then spits it out and starts screaming... !!!! In a way I really wish she would take one.. I hate being a dummy... but then at least I don't need to worry about them too much. DH keeps trying to give her one... apparently he has the "knack" but really she just gets cross and spits it out..

 

[Valley Girl]

Thanks for all your replies. It's really interesting seeing how different people manage with the young baby crying times. We were in the car last week and Toby had dropped the dummy out of his car seat and I didn't bring a clean spare, stupidly. We hit traffic and the screaming started. Oh my god! It reminded me what life is like without dummies. Give me a dummy to soothe my baby any day, over screaming histerics. It really does make a huge difference to life with a baby. I'm really glad he takes one x