So here we are again with another debate but you know how I am and I do like to use both sides of an arguement whilst justifying my own professional opinion.
Parents have used dummies/soothers/pacifiers/comforters (whatever you want to call them) for centuries, so why has it blew up in our faces the last few years?
We often hear things like:
- a dummy will make their teeth go crooked
- a dummy will cause nipple confusion
- dummies can cause speech problems
- using a dummy will cause ear infections
- weaning off a dummy is hard
- children who use a dummy sleep less because they wake up trying to find their dummy and then cry when they don’t know where it is
I will go through these points now one by one:
A dummy will make their teeth go crooked
No, not really. False. Lets remember that a dummy isn’t for a 5 year old, it is for a baby but then how old is a child when they aren’t a baby anymore (because they are always our babies right?), well I was willing to give my boys the time they needed and let them give it up on their own. We just gave gentle nudges in conversation and explained to Leo why Mylo had a dummy etc. Leo came to the conclusion on his own and one night he just went to sleep without it so I didn’t push it or say anything about it and that was the end of Leo’s dummy. I guess what I am trying to say is that is if you use a dummy for it’s intended purpose then your baby’s teeth will be perfect.
A dummy will cause nipple confusion
Not if used correctly, no it wont. My boys have both had dummies from quite early on and we have never had a problem. You do need to be careful though when using a dummy with a baby and you should always offer boob first to make sure that they aren’t hungry (that is what I have always done and it worked fine for us, this is the advice that I always give to parents). Don’t be fooled, most babies do know the difference between rubber and a boobie; my two used to spit their dummies out if they were hungry and wouldn’t take a dummy if they were hungry anyway.
Dummies can cause speech problems
Another no. Dummies aren’t the cause of speech problems in children, the overuse of dummies can lead to the child trying to talk whilst still having their dummy in their mouth. We always told Leo that if he wants to talk to us then he had to take out his dummy; this really works, we didn’t listen to anything that he said if he tried to talk to us with his dummy in and it actually helped with him not wanting to have it during the day (you all know how much children talk, so he basically never had it in).
Leo has got a slight lisp though but that is down to me (I have a lisp and children learn to talk through imitating the way that we move our mouths.. So the lisp is down to me). In regards to speech itself you wouldn’t know Leo ever had a dummy; his vocabulary is varied and has a wide range and it hasn’t hindered his speech in the slightest.
Using a dummy will cause ear infections
Nope, nope and nope. I have read into this a bit because I have never heard that using a dummy will cause ear infections because my two have never had any. By looking into it I can see how a child ‘could’possiblyget an ear infection but again, if used properly then this isn’t a problem to worry about.
Weaning off a dummy is hard
Hmm, I wouldn’t say that it is. Weaning off a dummy is super easy, especially if you compare it to a thumb! I was a big thumb sucker when I was younger and I can tell you that you can never successfully wean a child off of their thumb because they will do it when you aren’t looking. There are lots of different ideas on how to wean from a dummy and if you would like I could write a post that is specific to that.
Children who use a dummy sleep less because they wake up trying to find their dummy and then cry when they don’t know where it is
*buzzer noise* another nope here, well not for us anyway. I have only ever bought my boys a pack of 2 dummies each and that’s it. People often ask me how they don’t lose them and why I don’t just buy more.. well, I don’t need to. They don’t lose them because they know that I won’t buy any more. Leo and Mylo have always been good sleepers overall and a dummy (if anything) helped rather than hindered their sleep. I know a lot of parents who put about 10 dummies in their child’s bed so that they can easily find them but we never needed to, they just felt around if they woke up at all, found it then went back to sleep. Don’t get me wrong, your experience could be way different to mine and you could well have a child that will wake up crying when they can’t find it in their bed.,
On Emma’s Diary it says that:
“Whatever the reason, the use of dummies on a daily basis has been linked to giving up breastfeeding before a baby is three months old.”
Nope. I know plenty of breastfeeding mummies, 1000’s even.. that successfully practice extended breastfeeding (this is usually breastfeeding after 1 year) and also use a dummy. I have breastfed both of my boys; Leo until he self-weaned at 18 months and Mylo is still going at nearly 17 months.. they both use/have used dummies.
Leo completely gave his dummy up not long after Mylo was born as he said “baby needs dummy now, I’m big boy” but was using it only for naps from about 1 year old. We couldn’t find his dummy one night and he didn’t bother after that – I found it the next day but I just left it on the side and he went bed again and didn’t ask so I just went with the flow. Mylo still uses his and I am not worried, I know he will give it up when he is ready.
I’ve spoken about the negatives that people associate with using a dummy so let’s look at some positives to dummy use.
Positives to using a dummy:
- The NHS stipulate in their guidelines that it can help to prevent SIDS. Children can’t lie face down because it isn’t comfortable with a dummy in; the bulky handle of the dummy helps to keep covers/sheets from covering your baby’s nose and mouth; and the sucking helps your baby to learn how to control their upper airway..
- It can help your baby get to sleep after a feed (I say after a feed because you should always offer boob first as the sucking, if nothing else, it helps to keep your supply up)
- It is thought that using a dummy can help to relieve some pains e.g. colic. I don’t know how true this is but personally I feel that it is more of a comfort for them rather than relieving the actual pain itself
Dummy tips- tried and tested
- Use an orthodontic dummy – most are orthodontic nowadays but if it is, it will have it written on the packaging
- Keep it clean – we all know how dirty those dummies can get so before 6 months you should sterilise, sterilise, sterilise.. After 6 months we still threw it in the steriliser every now and again but just gave it a good clean most of the time. We don’t sterilise Mylo’s anymore but I do rotate the dummies and give them a good soak in hot water
- Always check them for holes or cracks – throw them out there and then because a cracked dummy is dangerous. If your baby continues to suck a cracked dummy then it opens a load of problems with the most serious being that the teat could come away from the dummy and your child could choke on it. Throw it out
- Don’t dip the dummy in sweet stuff and give it to your baby – that is how tooth decay happens, just the same as if you gave juice in a bottle – no, no, no
- Try and limit the dummy for just when your baby needs comfort instead of letting them have it in all day
- No matter what people say, a dummy is a comfort and you can’t just whip it away when they are 1 year old. That dummy is providing a comfort to your child so that isn’t the best way as it will just make them stressed and anxious. Obviously I’m not saying let them have it until they are in school but there is a common ground between baby and toddler that seems right
Most of the issues surrounding dummies comes from prolonged overuse. If using a dummy correctly there is no reason that your child will develop any of the negative facts that I mentioned in this blog post.
Use a dummy for its intended purpose and remember to always feed first!
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