My DS 1 is 6and STILL sucks his thumb, thanfully only at night and his friend across the road is 5 (in the same class at school too) and she never has her thumb out of her mouth, her teeth seem fine but I can see my lo's teeth starting to stick out, now I had sticky out teeth and needed braces so it could be partly due to this as they came through 'gappy' but I deffo think the thumb sucking is making it far worse I;ve tried everything, nail polish repellent, gloves etc etc your thumb will fall off blah blah - if he had have had a dummy it would have been long gone, but short of cutting it off and getting carted away i'm hoping that he will stop it on his own
DIJ...If I see a baby 0 to 6 months with a dummy I go all gooey.. Ilove to see a dummy moving up and down as they suck it. Its soo cute..... non of mine really took a dummy ( beleive me I tried) IF they did I would have tried to get them off it before 2. My cousin who is only 10 had years of speech therapist as he spoke like a bad ventriloquist. Gottle of geer ..... ??? He learnt to speak through his dummy and therefore was not moving his tongue into the correct position (does that make sense??) also if he fell or was about to have a tantrum ( as kids do) my aunt would stuff the dummy in and therefore effectively 'shut' him up. She never let him vent his anger, hurt, frustration. She did it all out of love ofcourse but it has created bit of a monster...bless him tho as he is so cute.
Have to say I was always against dummies before I had my 2. My first lo wouldn't take dummy and vomited or retched if I tried. Which I did eventually to try and aid sleep/substitute for my boob. This time I tried again to stop lo using me as a dummy but he refused to take one as well. So never used them and still don't agree with them, for most of the reasons on here. Esp oral health. My first lo sucked two fingers to go to sleep but stopped this voluntarily at 2 years. x
if i see a baby of 0-6 months out with a dummy in their mouth i dont really think anything...its not something im bothered about its more older children i dont like seeing with dummies - i think dummies and bottles should go at 1 (when my dd will be weaned off of the bottles) however, since having dd and now that she is a bit older (13 weeks) i *might* look at the baby with the dummy in their mouth (say awake not asleep) then look at my DD smiling away and think im glad she isnt reliant on one (not that im saying all babies who have one are) but i wouldnt judge the parent in anyway ....
when i see 2 year olds out with one in their mouth thats a differnt story as i really hate to see that (and bottles) again im not judging anyone on here and its not my place to judge anyone (i see alot of this through my job)
the subject of dummies is controversial as people often misuse them and while they are now being recommened in the cot death leaflets as *potentially* helping there is still a bit of a stigma with them...its like everything though...take weaning - guidelines are 6 months but many people wean younger. Im adamant my dd wont be weaned until 6 months or there abouts but if i felt she needed it before then then of course i would give her it sooner as i think as long as its done sensilbly (eg pureed fruit and veg and not mcdonalds etc all the time - again things i see through work) then theres not really any harm done...as i said as parents we all have to make the decisions which we feel are the best for our children despite what other people say or think...
Tis thread isnt really giving me advice like i originally planned it seems to be a pro/con dummy debate now which wasnt what it was intended to do...
Hi, I don't mean to be arguementative but your original post said "just wondered what everyone elses opinions are really - if your lo takes a dummy or not, how often etc?" and I think this is what you got. People's opinions are different but that doesn't make it a debate and even if it is that's no big deal. Your mind seems very firmly made up that you don't want your lo to have a dummy which is totally your choice but what was the point of the original post then? Your tine at times has sounded quite judgemental towards your cllients and it does make me wonder what my hv really thinks of me and my parenting which is bound to make anyone feel defensive.
My dd still has a bottle in the morning and before bed too
Does anyone think that babys are forced to grow up too quickly nower days??? I do!!! 20 years ago most of us all had dummys and bottles at 2/3 years old. Yes my dd is a toddler at almost 2 but lets be fair she is still a baby really.
It upsets me a bit when people say they think there disgusting and unsightly etc, its a personal choice that we shouldn't judge, toddlers are hard work, believe me (well not all of them but my dd certainly is) so if she needs her dummy to wind down at the end of the day then thats what she gets. If you hate them hun just don't give her one, she might end up sucking her thumb or she might just not feel the need to suck at all! Hope your both well xxx
I think it;s down to personal preference and the individual child - and Lauz41 did say it's her preference not to use a dummy. Before I had children, I will admit to judging (silently) parents who I thought were using dummies to keep their child quiet instead of playing with them etc instead - but now I am a parent I've learnt not to be so judgemental as we don't know the full story with someone else's children. I have always been reasonably open minded about little babies with dummies, they serve a purpose and you have to do whatever works, it's toddler's and older kids playing happily with dummies in I don't like to see - MrsNN if your dd only has her dummy for bed I think that's totally different, and she's still quite little yet. I didn't want my son to have a dummy, and when he started suckinghis thumb at 8 weeks I was quite happy - and when I heard stories of parents getting up several times a night to re-plug dropped dummies, I was pleased he could find his thumb himself if he needed it. But now he's 26 months, and still sucks his thumb, and I think at least I could've taken his dummy off him! I'm working on persuading him that it's just for bedtime, and he does seem to be getting it, plus it obviously takes up a hand, so he can't do things properly, and this stops him having it in all day - I can't stop him doing it entirely at this age. My dentist saw him sucking his thumb and commented - but then shrugged and said there's nothing I can really do about it! My dd is 11 weeks, and has a dummy! We had a couple of difficult weeks when she was tiny of wanting to feed constantly in the evenings, and I mean constantly, but she was bringing most of the milk back up - this made me try a dummy to see if she was comfort sucking, and she was, the dummy has really helped to settle her and helped me know whether she was hungry or just wanted to suck. She doesn't have it a lot, and never overnight (this isn't deliberate, it's just happened, but I'm pleased not to have. nights full of dummy runs!) I'll tackle getting it off her later, like I said at the beginning, for now it serves a purpose.
I sucked my thumb until quite old, maybe 6/7? by then only at night. In the end I was bribed to stop for every week I didn't use my thumb I got an enid blyton book, by the time i had the full set of famous fives I was well and truly weaned!!!
the original post was wanting opinions to see if anyone felt the same as me - everyone kept saying LO needed a dummy and i disagreed so asked on here to see if there were any people thinking the same as me and there were some...
then if you notice there is about 8 weeks between the initial and my next post (of you read the whole thread?) asking about teething and then asking about the finger/thumb sucking again just to get an idea of peoples experiences or opinions in relation to this - from people whos little ones dont have one either...
as i have said repeatedly (again if you would have read my posts properly) i dont judge anyone its just my personal opinion...as the thread has gone on different posts have been made and different opinions passed and also questions asked (which i answered and also said once again i dont judge)
i dont criticise anyones parents whether on here or in real life - i agree to an extent with Mrsnoname that kids grow up but its my opinion (personal and professional) that babies dont need bottles after one (thats deffo from an oral health point of view) but i think theres a difference between using them at bedtime and using them 'just to keep a baby quiet' i just dont believe they need them and yes i have made my mind up about the dummies (firmly) as my DD doesnt need one in my opinion nor want one but like i said its just a progression of the thread....
as for being judgemental thats silly but if you worked in the area i worked you would be too.....unless you think pieces and sugar is acceptable to give an 8 week old baby (surely im not the only one that can be 'judgemental' about that?!)
As for the teething thansk tink-a-belle i've had to use dentinox gel this week as really struggled to get ashton & parsons but i know lots of people use them with effect and they are what i want to use - i think i'll get some amber beads too and as for sophie giraffe havent seen them but have heard about them a few times so will see....
have they got a website as i havent heard of them before so wouldnt know where a store was?
So many people recommend them that i want to get them for when teething properly kicks in...im a bit dubious about the amber teething beads but again lots of people seem to recommend them so maybe there is something in them after all?
My DS (9months) has a dummy, more when he is tired in the evening or at the moment he has a horrid cold and has wanted it more than normal, he normally spits it out if he sees something more appealling! (a shoe, the dog, a bit of fluff etc!!!) i havent let him have it at night since he was about 12 weeks as it kept falling out and was waking him up, it all seemed to be going to smoothly as he didnt even cry for it the first night without the dummy, when i went in to check on him the little monkey was sucking his thumb! so he seems to suck his thumb all night but not in the day!
i havent got a problem with the dummy and it has been invaluable for settling him, when he is tired, poorly etc. I would not hesitate to introduce a dummy to my next child.
Lauz I used Boots own teething powders with ds and liked them - I've just bought some more to keep in for dd.
Btw, ds had his last bottle at 11 months and probably would've swithched sooner (but I thought he seemed too little!) - so it's definitely do-able. He still has plenty of milk, a full beaker in the morning and before bed every day and he's 26 months now.
i had a look yesterday and still couldnt get a&p and the only ones in boots was the nelsons teetha ones so i jhave bought them but the dentinox gel although i dont really like using it seems to be making a bit of a differnce...
Thats good - im hoping Megan will gradually come off of the bottles herself and take to a cup to make it easier...
my daughter is 2 yrs old and had a dummy from about 6/7 weeks old, mainly for comfort between feeds. she would fall asleep with a dummy but then the dummy would fall out of her mouth and i would remove it from the moses basket and then cot x she as i said is 2 now and still has a dummy but she only has it at night and as soon as she wakes up buts her dummy in the sink to be washed, its a comfort thing for her. it will be going in a couple of weeks as belle moves in to her "big girl bed" and big girls dont have dummies! and she is aware of this. we will pop the dummies into a special bag and leave it on a fairy tree in the garden so the fairy can come and collect it for all the little babies that need dummies x i personally think dummies can help and for a selfish reason it ment that when anabel was a baby i might have got a extra 10 mins in bed ( we all need sleep ) but anabel will never leave the house with a dummy and only asks for a dummy when she has had a shower before night nights x
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D x
when i see 2 year olds out with one in their mouth thats a differnt story as i really hate to see that (and bottles) again im not judging anyone on here and its not my place to judge anyone (i see alot of this through my job)
the subject of dummies is controversial as people often misuse them and while they are now being recommened in the cot death leaflets as *potentially* helping there is still a bit of a stigma with them...its like everything though...take weaning - guidelines are 6 months but many people wean younger. Im adamant my dd wont be weaned until 6 months or there abouts but if i felt she needed it before then then of course i would give her it sooner as i think as long as its done sensilbly (eg pureed fruit and veg and not mcdonalds etc all the time - again things i see through work) then theres not really any harm done...as i said as parents we all have to make the decisions which we feel are the best for our children despite what other people say or think...
Tis thread isnt really giving me advice like i originally planned it seems to be a pro/con dummy debate now which wasnt what it was intended to do...
Lx
Does anyone think that babys are forced to grow up too quickly nower days??? I do!!! 20 years ago most of us all had dummys and bottles at 2/3 years old. Yes my dd is a toddler at almost 2 but lets be fair she is still a baby really.
It upsets me a bit when people say they think there disgusting and unsightly etc, its a personal choice that we shouldn't judge, toddlers are hard work, believe me (well not all of them but my dd certainly is) so if she needs her dummy to wind down at the end of the day then thats what she gets. If you hate them hun just don't give her one, she might end up sucking her thumb or she might just not feel the need to suck at all! Hope your both well xxx
Before I had children, I will admit to judging (silently) parents who I thought were using dummies to keep their child quiet instead of playing with them etc instead - but now I am a parent I've learnt not to be so judgemental as we don't know the full story with someone else's children. I have always been reasonably open minded about little babies with dummies, they serve a purpose and you have to do whatever works, it's toddler's and older kids playing happily with dummies in I don't like to see - MrsNN if your dd only has her dummy for bed I think that's totally different, and she's still quite little yet.
I didn't want my son to have a dummy, and when he started suckinghis thumb at 8 weeks I was quite happy - and when I heard stories of parents getting up several times a night to re-plug dropped dummies, I was pleased he could find his thumb himself if he needed it. But now he's 26 months, and still sucks his thumb, and I think at least I could've taken his dummy off him! I'm working on persuading him that it's just for bedtime, and he does seem to be getting it, plus it obviously takes up a hand, so he can't do things properly, and this stops him having it in all day - I can't stop him doing it entirely at this age. My dentist saw him sucking his thumb and commented - but then shrugged and said there's nothing I can really do about it!
My dd is 11 weeks, and has a dummy! We had a couple of difficult weeks when she was tiny of wanting to feed constantly in the evenings, and I mean constantly, but she was bringing most of the milk back up - this made me try a dummy to see if she was comfort sucking, and she was, the dummy has really helped to settle her and helped me know whether she was hungry or just wanted to suck. She doesn't have it a lot, and never overnight (this isn't deliberate, it's just happened, but I'm pleased not to have. nights full of dummy runs!) I'll tackle getting it off her later, like I said at the beginning, for now it serves a purpose.
the original post was wanting opinions to see if anyone felt the same as me - everyone kept saying LO needed a dummy and i disagreed so asked on here to see if there were any people thinking the same as me and there were some...
then if you notice there is about 8 weeks between the initial and my next post (of you read the whole thread?) asking about teething and then asking about the finger/thumb sucking again just to get an idea of peoples experiences or opinions in relation to this - from people whos little ones dont have one either...
as i have said repeatedly (again if you would have read my posts properly) i dont judge anyone its just my personal opinion...as the thread has gone on different posts have been made and different opinions passed and also questions asked (which i answered and also said once again i dont judge)
i dont criticise anyones parents whether on here or in real life - i agree to an extent with Mrsnoname that kids grow up but its my opinion (personal and professional) that babies dont need bottles after one (thats deffo from an oral health point of view) but i think theres a difference between using them at bedtime and using them 'just to keep a baby quiet' i just dont believe they need them and yes i have made my mind up about the dummies (firmly) as my DD doesnt need one in my opinion nor want one but like i said its just a progression of the thread....
as for being judgemental thats silly but if you worked in the area i worked you would be too.....unless you think pieces and sugar is acceptable to give an 8 week old baby (surely im not the only one that can be 'judgemental' about that?!)
As for the teething thansk tink-a-belle i've had to use dentinox gel this week as really struggled to get ashton & parsons but i know lots of people use them with effect and they are what i want to use - i think i'll get some amber beads too and as for sophie giraffe havent seen them but have heard about them a few times so will see....
Lx
have they got a website as i havent heard of them before so wouldnt know where a store was?
So many people recommend them that i want to get them for when teething properly kicks in...im a bit dubious about the amber teething beads but again lots of people seem to recommend them so maybe there is something in them after all?
Lx
so he seems to suck his thumb all night but not in the day!
i havent got a problem with the dummy and it has been invaluable for settling him, when he is tired, poorly etc. I would not hesitate to introduce a dummy to my next child.
Btw, ds had his last bottle at 11 months and probably would've swithched sooner (but I thought he seemed too little!) - so it's definitely do-able. He still has plenty of milk, a full beaker in the morning and before bed every day and he's 26 months now.
Thats good - im hoping Megan will gradually come off of the bottles herself and take to a cup to make it easier...
Lx
my daughter is 2 yrs old and had a dummy from about 6/7 weeks old, mainly for comfort between feeds.
she would fall asleep with a dummy but then the dummy would fall out of her mouth and i would remove it from the moses basket and then cot x
she as i said is 2 now and still has a dummy but she only has it at night and as soon as she wakes up buts her dummy in the sink to be washed, its a comfort thing for her.
it will be going in a couple of weeks as belle moves in to her "big girl bed" and big girls dont have dummies! and she is aware of this.
we will pop the dummies into a special bag and leave it on a fairy tree in the garden so the fairy can come and collect it for all the little babies that need dummies x
i personally think dummies can help and for a selfish reason it ment that when anabel was a baby i might have got a extra 10 mins in bed ( we all need sleep ) but anabel will never leave the house with a dummy and only asks for a dummy when she has had a shower before night nights x