Dummies for babies - yes or no?

I was always against them but since having a baby ... OMG these things really work when nothing else will! I have made huge efforts to restrict dummy usage mind and am being careful not to make it too habit forming but, seriously, it's like a dog with a chew bone - there are some times when absolutely nothing else does the trick! If she doesn't have the dummy she tries to suck on any available piece of material. Then gets frustated as it doesn't quite cut it.

All mine had dummies but I think I would be very careful to restrict the use of one if I had another baby (as if thats EVER going to happen ) As long as you try and restrict the use when her teeth start coming through then it should be okay - Rhianna especially had trouble giving hers up and it stopped her top teeth from coming through properly - she still had it at 4 years old though which she really shouldn't have done but she just went crazy when we tried to take it away from her. Anyway last September the dentist asked if she still had a dummy and we said yes at bedtime she did and he told us that if she didn't get rid of it soon then her second teeth would be affected too so the dummies went in the bin that night and although we had a few restless nights it was worth it in the long run

I have always been against them although I have found its alot easier to sooth a child who has a dummy then who hasnt and children without dummies often suck a thumb instead which is hard to stop them doing, and can damage the thumb, you can take a dummy away but not a thumb!
I would say dummy is fine but I would try to wean off it by the time/when teeth start to come through because thats when they can cause problems and I think it looks awful as the child gets older, and they get more and more attached to it as time goes by in my experience (Im a trained nursery nurse, although I left my job as head nursery nurse over a year ago as I wanted to do something different)

I have always had the belief that no one knows a child and whats best for it better then its parents (with some exceptions where the parents couldnt careless of course!) so although you can give advice the and discuse the rights and wrongs of something its down to the individual child and what the parent thinks is best for them.

one of mine did and one didn't ...its a personal choice hat suits you and your baba
the one of mine that DID have a dummy sucked his thumb till he was 5 the one who didn't broke the habbit at 3

I used dummies with 2 of mine and was told to encourage Thomas to suck on one because he was born with a cleft palate and it would help with co-ordination with swallowing,he wouldn't have one,little so and so.I took Luke's off him when he was 12 months old and Elizabeth was 2 when i took hers away.

Neither of mine had dummies. They just wouldn't use them

However a friend of mine, her oldest still had a dummy at 11years of age and wouldn't got to sleep without one I've known her nan to be out driving at 11pm trying to find a 24hr petrol station that sold dummies

All 3 of mine had dummies until they were 2.

My oldest would only have one specific dummy and when it wore out was when he stopped having a dummy.

My middle child was a pain because he collected dummies (was even known to shoplift them whilst I pushed him pram round the chemist). When it came time to wean him off it was a pain because he had replacement dummies hidden all over the place.

I cant say it was hard to wean them off their dummies, maybe 2 restless nights and that was it.

All of mine had dummies when they were babies, and they were 'weaned' off them at 18 months/2 years

If Carys is more settled with a dummy then it can't be a bad thing

I think dummies are a great idea for restless little ones.. I bought 2 as part of my "layette" just incase Sam had his dummy occasionally up till he was about 4 mnths old then he just didn't want it... personally I think he realised there was no food in it ! He is now 4 and still has his baby bottles to go to bed with I think it is important that you get time to rest & relax and if the dummy will allow you to do that .. then go for it!
I always tell myself there is no right and wrong about these thing, it is what suits you, your little one and your lifestyle .. but I would say that my son still has his bott bott

RAchel

My first had a dummy, second didn't - his choice, wouldn't take it.