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dummies!!!

hi everyone!



my lo is 2months and is apparently liking the dummy very much.

i have tried to use it to settle him rather than to use it every sleep time or everytime his is wingey or upset i use everything else before the dummy.



Recently i have started putting him in his crib at night drowsy and nearly asleep rather than dead asleep to help aid him get used to putting himself to sleep rather than being rocked for an hour!



he just cries and cries unless i rock him till hes dead asleep or until he gets a dummy then hes alseep within minutes.



I dont want him dependant on the dummy, so is it cruel to rather let him cry...or let him have it but if it falls out after a couple minutes and he starts crying then let him cry cause i cant keep putting it back in his mouth or holding it there for 10-15minutes till he's fallen asleep.



i would prefer him to find his thumb but when are they able to do that 3 months? maybe i could wean him off the dummy round that time?



i just dont want him to get into the habit of crying everytime his dummy falls out and prolonging him falling asleep or waking up more times at night cause his dummy has fallen out or (in later life) cant find his dummy in the cot.



any advice welcome!

thanx ladies x

Replies

  • My LO has a dummy for some naps and to fall asleep with at night, she gets put down drowsy and with a dummy but she spits it out as she falls into a real sleep and I would rather her have a dum than her thumb but thats just me... She does sometimes wake in the night at which point I give her the dum too and she goes straight back off. She doesn't have it when she is awake though and will sleep without it sometimes.



    Personally I can't bear to hear her cry and never really let her if I can do something to stop it whether its for the dummy or anything else but if you are so against him having it for sleep then you could try CC or PU/PD (can't really advise on either) or introduce another comforter, a little blankie or something, with teething making her unsettled my LO likes to hold my finger so I hold it for 2 mins then switch to a comforter that she was given as a newborn so that she is still holding on to something. x
  • ive read that its better for them to have a dummy then a thumb becouse its a lot harder to break the habbit of thumb sucking then it is to wean thewm off the dummy
  • Our dentist (a member of our family) says a dummy is better than a finger or thumb in terms of mouth and tooth development...he advised us to try to get her to use a dummy rather than her fingers, unfortunately our little girl doesn't seem to like her dummy I try a few times every day but she rejects it all the time. :roll:
  • I was dead against a dummy too and ended up using one but I took it away when she fell asleep. She is 6 months now and doesn't use it at all, hasn't for a good couple of months, I only ever let her have it in her cot. She is an occasional thumb sucker though and I wish she wasn't!! I am never happy image Anyway I happened to mention it to the HV one day and she said that as long as you take it away by 6 months they won't remember having it anyway and they don't form that sort of attachment before then anyway. Could be a load of rubbish but it made me feel better xx
  • hi



    i have 3 children, 6yrs, almost 3yrs and 5 wks old.



    my first didnt have a dummy but I used a bottle of milk to settle her, this was very hard work as she came to needing a bottle to get back to sleep.



    second had a dummy, much easier, but he still had it til he was 2yrs...



    third, i give him a dummy, but plan to take it away somehow before he is 1yr.



    as for thumb sucking, it is easier to stop a dummy as you can take this away, much harder to break thumb sucking habit.



    his dummy falls out alot when he is falling asleep, i just keep putting it back in...and it falls out once he is totally asleep and id leave it out.



    my midwife said sucking action releases something in baby's brain which relaxes them, so i am a strong believer that a dummy is good for them. my first wouldnt take a dummy and was much harderto settle overall.



    xx
  • i don't think it is fair to let a 2 month old baby cry. He isn't old enough to learn why he is crying and to know that you will come back eventually.

    the WHO suggests that dummies can be useful from 8 weeks to 6 months in preventing cot death as the sucking action stops them sleeping too deeply and also it prevents anything from blocking the airways.
  • Thank you all for your advice ....

    I am using the dummy successfully and giving him it whenever he needs calming or when he cries. Your feedback has been valued and he's sleeping great. And once he's asleep dummy falls out and he doesn't cry for it back in. He doesn't always need it to sleep so I feel its going well....



    Thanx u my baby expert friends image
  • I just wanted to add some extra info image



    There are a lot of 'Dummy Police' out there who do my head in!!! :evil:



    My eldest daughter was BF until 7 months, she had a dummy and LOVED it probably too much :lol: She was 4 before I finally managed to get it off her. We put the dummies on the christmas tree like decorations and Father Christmas took them away, leaving a special big girl present for giving up dummies. BTW: she did have an orthodontic brace for sligtly wonky teeth but it now 14 and has a perfect smile.



    My youngest daughter was BF until 18 months and never had a dummy at all she just never took to it? She also has slightly wonky teeth so this can't be anything to do with the use of dummies. She is now 10 and is getting her orthodontic brace fitted in October.



    My newest arivial is a scrummy boy and nearly 3 months. He wouldn't take to a dummy at first but we tried the 'cherry' shape classic ball teat and he has now taken well. He suffers with reflux so its been a god send.



    At the end of the day, they won't want them forever?? they will stop eventually, so don't worry.



    Dummies are now reccomended for cot death prevention too



    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4509240.stm



    As I already mentioned; I have quite a sickie baby and have found that a dummy also helps with reflux, as well as colic pain. Just 'google' it and you'll see image



    Here is some info I copied and pasted:



    Dummies:

    Sucking relaxes the digestive tract and increases saliva which can help digest feeds more quickly. Many babies need to be ???????taught??????? to take a dummy and you may need to experiment with different dummy teats and textures.



    Try putting it in your baby's mouth and then very gently pulling it out. A baby's normal response is to try to keep it in there. Whilst you have the problems associated with removing the dummy in later years, finding a soother for your distressed child right now, will really help.



    Good luck xxx
  • Go with the dummy - if it helps relax an soothe,it can't be the wrong thing.



    xxx
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