Dummies?

Smithya85 · Sep 29, 2007 3:39PM

Hi all!

I was wondering what your experiences of dummies are? Has your lo used one? For how long? What were your reasons for starting using one? Did you use one day as well as night etc? Ive been thinking about using one for my lo but wanted to hear others experiences before making up my mind. Would you say its best to avoid them if you possibly can? There doesnt seem to be a lot of info on them in any baby books or mags.

Amy $:\$ )

cloclo · Sep 26, 2007 5:34PM

Hi the mw gave my lo a dummy when we were in hospital cos they said she was a sucky baby & she would have just sucked on me if i'd let her (i was bf at the time) i really don't have a problem with them Grace has hers just when she's going to sleep she dosn't seem to want it any other time,i would say if you think your lo needs one give him/her one you can always take it off them later.

saskia87 · Sep 26, 2007 5:34PM

My opinion is that dummies are better than thumbs, and if you have a naturally "sucky" baby like some are, then I'd say giving them a dummy is better than letting them suck their thumbs as dummies can be taken away eventually.

I don't agree with people who stick dummies in to shut their baby up, or those who let their kids have them til they are 5 years old and let them walk around with them and talk with them in their mouths though.

Smithya85 · Sep 26, 2007 5:46PM

Im a bit confused as to whether my baby needs one or not. Shes 3 weeks old and is quite unsettled during night sometimes and the only thing that seems to settle her is her bottle but shes been putting on a lot of weight despite being sick alot so I think Im probably feeding her too much! I dont think its wind thats upsetting her either coz we spend hours patting and rubbing her back trying to get her to stop crying and have been using infacol. She does plenty burps and farts! If she doesnt need another feed, shes not windy and has a clean nappy maybe we should try a dummy? Sometimes she just wants cuddled which and will sleep happily on our chests but at 4am when I've had little sleep it wold be nice if she could sleep in her moses basket for a bit and let me get some sleep but as soon as I lie her down she cries!

SugarnSpicebump · Sep 26, 2007 5:46PM

I would say that every child is different and there is'nt really a wrong or right answer. My first daughter sucks her thumb and has done since she was 2 months old. This is good because you don't have to put a thumb back in at night when it falls out but can be bad in other ways as you can't take a thumb away when they get older. Shes 2 1/2 now and only sucks it when she very tired or asleep so I'm not worried about it. However my second daughter would'nt suck her thumb! We kept putting it in but she did'nt like it. She was breast fed for 4 months and was a very 'sucky' baby and liked the comfort so when I gave up breast feeding her she had a dummy. Shes now 7 months and won't fall sleep without it as she was so used to falling asleep on the breast. She only has it when shes tired tho and not all the time as I think it will be alot harder to wean her off of it if shes used to having it all the time. I think theres good and bad points to thumbs and dummies and only your child and you can decide together what works best for you. Good luck and hope this is of some help, Sarah x x x

cloclo · Sep 26, 2007 5:59PM

Smithya85 why don't you try a dummy? if your lo wants it she'll take it if not she won't i don't think there's any harm with trying & you never know you might get a more settled night,try not to worry to much you know your baby best (although at times we all doubt ourselves) Grace today has just started to suck her thumb which she has never done before but still has her dummy tonight,i just think if she finds comfort in sucking a dummy or a thumb i don't mind as long as she's happy,hope this has helped abit,if you decide to get a dummy then your fun will start deciding which one to buy!!! good luck xo

SugarnSpicebump · Sep 26, 2007 6:01PM

Just read your last post Smithya. Both mine were like that as newborns. Sometimes they just cry for no reason and it's so hard as you just want to get some sleep!! You could try a dummy to see if it works? but it did'nt with either of mine at that age as they just wanted to be cuddled. It's def worth a try!! Good luck and hope you get some sleep soon x x x

Smithya85 · Sep 26, 2007 6:08PM

Thank you both for your advice!! Sometimes it just helps to talk things over with someone else I think. I'll see how she is tonight, got a couple of tomee tipee orthodontic dummies in sterilising just now just in case. lol

hayley_l · Sep 27, 2007 7:09AM

hi, when i had my eldest (now 11) the mw gave him a dummy coz he was a sucky baby, he had it till he was about 2 the same with my second my 3rd wouldnt take a dummy and sucked her thumb, she is 3 next month and still sucks her thumb, the dentist has already told me that her top teeth are out of alignment, i did try her with a dummy she just wouldnt have it, i would say go with the dummy if your lo wants to suck as although babies do look cute when they suck their thumbs it is an impossible habit to break as you cant get rid of a thumb.

CathyG · Sep 27, 2007 10:39AM

hi Freddie was a very sucky baby & was constantly suckling on me every hour or so. my MW suggested trying a dummy & it worked instantly he was a week old. He's 18 months in a couple of weeks & still uses it. we have weaned him off it during the day, but he can;t sleep or nap without it. It has been a godsend, but in hindsight, i wish really i had never had to use it in the first place as its going to be very hard to remove it all together now. they are supposed to help prevent cot death, but can impact on speech & mouth development. hope this helpsx

CathyG · Sep 27, 2007 10:39AM

hi Freddie was a very sucky baby & was constantly suckling on me every hour or so. my MW suggested trying a dummy & it worked instantly he was a week old. He's 18 months in a couple of weeks & still uses it. we have weaned him off it during the day, but he can;t sleep or nap without it. It has been a godsend, but in hindsight, i wish really i had never had to use it in the first place as its going to be very hard to remove it all together now. they are supposed to help prevent cot death, but can impact on speech & mouth development. hope this helpsx

tricky-13537 · Sep 27, 2007 12:02PM

mines only 4 days old and already loves her dummy, just at night tho coz it shuts her up a bit

scabbers-45473 · Sep 27, 2007 3:37PM

lo has a dummy when he is tired or after a bottle when he wants a bit more sucking time. He also has it at night, though to begin with he kept dropping it and it drove me nuts rooting around in the crib. Avent do glow in the dark ones and they are a godsend!!

MelBee · Sep 27, 2007 4:04PM

My lo has a dummy for daytime naps but not for bedtime as she was forever dropping it and it absolutely drove me round the bend getting up 15+ times a night to put it back in!! She doesn't miss it at all during the night and now settles herself back to sleep without it. I think they are a good thing when you have a sucky baby as they just need the comfort. My eldest daughter is nearly 11 yr old and still sucks her thumb. Her teeth are horrendously out of line and she'll be getting her brace fitted in a couple of years. x

joannemarie · Sep 28, 2007 9:25AM

I didnt want Reece to have dummy (mainly because I have a friend who has a five year old who still has one). However I was desparate one night and did try him with one (am breastfeeding and he was sucking on me all night long) but the little monkey wouldnt take it - spat it out as soon as he realised no milk came out of it. He sucks his thumb or finger in the day but cant seem to find them at night. At least with a dummy you can steralise it and take it off them , you cant do that with a hand!! Jo xx

anydots · Sep 28, 2007 9:48AM

My lo is 3 now and only had a dummy at night and at nap times, I didn't really want him to have one but it was a godsend and now i have got rid of it, last xmas told him that he had to give it to father christmas, and he did, has had one since or asked for one.
hope this helps,

Smithya85 · Sep 29, 2007 3:39PM

Thank you all for your advice! I tried Caitlin with dummy that night and got a much better nights sleep! I was going to try and use it only at night but hv suggested we use it during the day to try and make caitlin go a bit longer between feeds as she is very gutsy and is getting to be a bit of a chunky monkey! lol! Its funny though, sometimes the dummy works great and it settles her to sleep but sometimes she just wont take it! Usually when I need her to settle so I can get a shower or eat my lunch or something!

Dummies?

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