Did you give your baby a dummy?

I gave my first baby a dummy but she didn't like it and kept spitting it out so we gave up. I never gave one to my second baby. I just let them have a breastfeed when they wanted to suck. It worked for us.

by Jennifer Muirhead

I didn't give my babies a dummy. I really struggled to breast feed, but managed to do so, and I didn't want to risk the associated nipple confusion that can be caused by dummies. It was hard enough for me to get them to latch on right without the added problem of being used to sucking a dummy in a totally different way!

by Lindsay Law

I did give my boys dummies....and from time to time even though they are all grown up!
They still do a dummy spit!

I now really do not like to see babies with a dummy, unless they are difficult.

by jonaja

Neither of my two kids wanted a dummy, although I did try and would've liked for them to take it for my own 5 minutes of peace time. However in retrospect, I am thankful they did not take it. I see some children who go through a miserable time having to leave the habit of sucking on a dummy. I have heard it also spoils the shape of teeth growing out and has other drawbacks as well, but if it works for some parents, then I have nothing against it.

by Happy Mom

We gave our bubs a dummy, it helped him relax and settle, he was a reflux baby, and really struggled, particularly in the early months. Without his dummy, I think we all would've suffered even more than we did. With our next baby it will be trial and error, but I wouldn't have any hesitation in giving him a dummy either if we feel he needs it.

by EricaL

I didn't want to give my son a dummy but I was open to the idea if and when we would 'need' it. Like Lindsay, I didn't want him to be confused going from my breast to a pacifier, and lucky for me he didn't want a bar of it when my mother-in-law tried to give it to him.

by Vee

Yes: our children were very premature and several of the midwives suggested dummies in the end to settle the children: : depends on the child and circumstances, some children do not need dummies

by anne

I gave my first baby a dummy but she didn't like it and kept spitting it out so we gave up. I never gave one to my second baby. I just let them have a breastfeed when they wanted to suck. It worked for us.

by Jennifer Muirhead

I tried to give my daughter a dummy when she was little, but she never wanted to take it. Unfortunately for me I was both a human bottle and dummy rolled into one because she never took a bottle either! Oh the joys of being a mum :)

by Debbie

Yes I gave my first baby a dummy as she sucked her thumb from birth and it was much easier to get rid of the dummy than to try and break a habit of thumb sucking. My second baby did not suck his thumb and was not interested in a dummy so I did not need to give him one. Each child and situation is different.

by Chris

I knew a girl at my daughter's school, (who has 4 daughters of her own now, & at least 3 of them are now teenagers) who sucked her thumb, ALL through primary school!!!

I gave my babies a dummy I also breastfed them till they were 18 months old I had no problems at all with combining breastfeeding and dummies, I used the dummies to settle them to sleep if needed and found dummies were not a problem to give up when the children were about 2yo

by leoni

Yes I gave all 4 of my babies a dummy. They serve a purpose and are easily disposed of by age 2 or before. Fingers and thumbs on the other hand are not readily removed if a babe decides to suck on them. I have never seen a deformed mouth from a dummy but have frequently seen teeth and jaw deformities associated with finger sucking.

by karen

I gave both of my girls a dummy and my sanity thanked me for it!! Luckily they were easy to wean off them and they didn't suffer from any bad teeth. Every baby is different, so it's hard to say yes or no. I prefer dummies over sucking thumbs. At least you can get rid of a dummy, you can't exactly get rid of your child's thumb! Mandy E.

by steve

my eldest son had a dummy and loved it, so did we in fact he used to have one in his mouth and 1 in each hand to play with, he gave them up before going to 3 year old kinder, no stress at all but neither was he, 2nd son more stress and did not like the dummy enough, I am all for them

by carol

I tried but all of my 3 kids just spat it out and were never interested at all.

by Miyan

I gave all three a dummy. Only my bottle-fed baby would take it - the breast-fed ones both spat it out and wouldn't have it at all. I think that when you've got a little baby crying in the middle of the night, whatever works to help them is what you do - not what somebody else thinks is right.

by Sarah Bell

My first children, who were twins and born premature never took to the dummy, however my other two children have. I don't have an issue with dummies and they can be very helpful when you have an unsettled baby. I do worry about when it is time to remove the dummy as my second youngest is nearly due for that to happen and he is very attached to it at this point. All kids are different though and everyone has a different opinion so I say that you just have to do what you believe is right for you regardless of anyone else's opinion.

by elyse

My boys were never interested in a dummy so I didn't push it.

I love your photo - very cute baby

by Claire Winlow

I think if it works for you and your baby, why not! There are now many better dummies that can be bought online which are completely natural rather than commercial dummies which can have chemicals etc. Dummies for my baby were personally a lifesaver. Although they are always getting lost!

by Jade Nichols

As both my children were adopted, I couldn't breastfeed. I didn't even consider a dummy for the first, but he was a great thumbsucker until age 5. No teeth problems resulted surprisingly.
Number 2 cried and cried. I almost killed her by giving a medication prescribed for a friend's 4 months older baby for a windy tummy which I thought she had. Terrified she was never going to wake up. That's when I tried a dummy and it was the solution. All she wanted to do was suck. No more tears.

by grann

I had my first baby in Sri Lanka and my doctor there did not encourage the use of a dummy, specially because I was determined to breast feed my baby as long as I could. The doctor advised me that if I introduced a dummy the baby will have problems latching on for a feed: "nipple confusion" is the word he used. Now I have three kids and never found it necessary to introduce a dummy to any of my babies.

by Sharm Jay

absolutely - it was my lifesaver. Being a single mum of a baby with colic who cried every night it was the best thing I could do for my sanity.

by pfuit

Yes, I gave my daughter a dummy, and it soothed her when needed. She was a very happy baby. At around 9 months old she began to throw it out of her stroller, and so I just stopped giving it to her, and she didn't miss it at all. I think if you don't over use the dummy and try other methods to calm your baby as well they won't grow so attached. I didn't give her a dummy all the time just when there was no other option.

by Lu Lu Belle

No I dont give

by Radhika

Yes, but only ever for bed time.

by Ali's Wonderland

I never gave a dummy tomy baby

by Radhika

Yes, I gave my kids dummies a babies. Whatever works fur you is my philosophy! Nobody's right, nobody's wrong on this one.

by Sandy Ludinski

No I didnt. Probably because I breastfed for more than a year

by Gia

We didn't actually have any intention to give either of our children dummies but when the first one had colic it was our lifesaver for in between feeds and as a comforter for the pain. With the second he was under lights for the first six days of his life in hospital so it was the only comfort he could have to settle when we were limited as to how much we could cuddle him. There is also evidence to suggest that using a dummy in the first three months of a babies life reduces their risk of SIDS which to me also seems like a no brainer on the to do list if you bubby will take one without it affecting breastfeeding.

by erin.

Both had dummies'. No ill affects from use.
Very thankful for dummies' help!

by donjo

My 3 siblings & my self, never had dummies. our 2 daughters didn't have dummies. Our 2 grand-daughters have never had a dummy neither, so that certainly worked out for everyone, (in our family, anyway)

by Miro

Our first bub was a preemie and spent a little bit of time in the NICU. They encourage dummies in there to help them develop their sucking reflex which can sometimes need extra help because of their prematurity. By the time we were home I tried to give him a dummy many times but he just didn't want it anymore!

by Gem