DUMMIES FOR LITTLE ONES – THE PROS & CONS
Written by Caroline Meyer
Why are dummies so controversial? Many babies worldwide derive comfort from sucking on a pacifier but is this a bad or a good habit to instil in your baby? There are pros and cons to allowing your baby to use a dummy. Weigh up the facts and you can then decide the best choice for your baby.
WHAT IS A DUMMY?
Dummies are also known as soothers or pacifiers. They are usually a rubber or silicon teat which is attached to a plastic shield, so they are not swallowed or sucked into the mouth to become a choking hazard. They are used to pacify a crying or niggly baby to soothe them and help them to sleep or reduce restlessness and tears. They usually have little handles at the back to make them easier to pick up and may even have thin plastic chains attached to the back so you can pin it to baby’s bib or top so it doesn’t not get lost. The sucking motion is usually enough to help your baby become calmer and often go off to sleep. A dummy is designed in a similar shape to a nipple to replicate the sucking they do during feeding. This motion is comforting and familiar to the baby and helps reduce stress to mom and baby. This is usually a pretty good reason for many parents to offer their baby a dummy.
It is recommended that you don’t use a dummy before your baby is around a month to two months old so they can get used to latching for breastfeeding or sucking on the rubber nipple for bottle feeding before the non-feeding nipple is introduced. If the dummy is removed before the age of 3 months, the baby will quickly forget this form of soothing. Should you wait until later, it can become a bit more difficult to remove the dummy as the baby has become reliant on it for comfort. It is best that your baby does not use a dummy after the age of 12 months though. After this point the dummy can start affecting speech and may even cause speech delays. Try and wean them off the dummy as fast as possible especially during the day to help reduce the risk of speech delays. You may have a few bad days while getting through this process, especially at night, but they do get over it.
If they are still relying on a dummy to soothe with at the age of 3, the dummy will potentially cause problems with the development of their teeth. It may force the front teeth forwards which could result in dental issues and possibly the need for braces or other corrective dentistry later on in life. This is a potential risk for some children and will not affect all children that get rid of their dummies later on, but where possible, use orthodontic shaped dummies to reduce the risks.
PROS OF USING A DUMMY
A dummy helps soothe the baby and reduces the length of time it cries for when all other issues have been addressed such as dirty nappies, hunger, pain and so forth. This is especially appreciated by other people when baby is in a confined space with other people such as a restaurant or a plane. Some research suggests that sucking a dummy may also reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.
CONS OF USING A DUMMY
Babies do not learn to self-soothe and rely on the dummy for comfort. Dental issues and speech delays are possible if the dummy is used for an extended length of time. Misplacing the dummy can lead to hysteria as baby does not know how to comfort themselves without it. Dummies are often not as clean as they could be and are not sterilised enough leading to babies picking up illnesses from a dirty dummy. Sucking a dummy can also lead to a higher risk of ear infections.
GETTING RID OF THE DUMMY
At your child’s dental check-up get the dentist to explain to them why they need to stop using the dummy. Coming from an authority figure, they may better understand and take it seriously that the dummy can make their teeth grow out wrong.
Decide to do the dummy disappearing act on a weekend, preferably when no one is visiting. This gives you 2 to 3 days to deal with broken sleep, crying and the rest of the stress that comes with it. Try and reserve it for a time when you and the child are in good health and when there have not been a huge amount of other stress causing issues already playing on your mind. Be prepared to offer a bribe such as a new toy or bed cover to sleep with. Praise them for being brave and clever in giving up the dummy. Don’t back down once you have started. It will only take 3 or 4 days to break the habit and build up their confidence of sleeping without it. If you break down and give them back the dummy, the next time will only be harder and they may lose their confidence in getting by without it.
A dummy has its place when it comes to a fussy baby or one who needs extra comforting, but should you use a dummy, try and give it up easy on before baby becomes reliant on it. The quicker you stop the dummy the better for your baby’s long term development.