Character Dummy Debate?! :\

[karlilay]

Both of mine have dummies. You may think differently when your LO is born.

Zach isnt as keen on his as Madi, i dont push it, he just has it when he wants it. As for the 'lazy parents' - afraid i'm one of them. Madi will be three in December, she still has a dummy. In fact she has 2 and this is the problem. She rubs one on her nose and sucks the other one for comfort. I see it as no different to having a blanket or a toy. In all honesty, i want her to give the dummies up. But i wont take them away and traumatise the poor kid. She is still so attached to them, they wont go to the dummy fairy until she is ready.

I dont let her have them outside the house though, she knows they are for sleep. As long as she is happy so am i.

As for the character dummies. I dont like them. But they are all different shapes, and sometimes theres only one shape the baby will take. If they have animals/trees/slogans on them, so be it.

 

[xcharx]

You may feel different when you have your child.. I didn't want Kiara to have one but when you've got a screaming baby who won't settle you will try everything..

 

[blondieliz]

I was utterly convinced that I wouldn't give a dummy. However after a week of constant crying as he wanted to comfort suck I gave in and he now has it to soothe him for bed and if he is upset.

I'd wait and see what happens.....all my best laid plans took a good kick up the bum as joe had other ideas!

However I must admit I'm not a fan of the novelty dummies x

 

[Gemie]

Sorry but calling a parent 'lazy' for letting their LO have a dummy still when they're a bit older is wrong.
If you've no kids yet... don't speak too soon! Just sayin'

 

[carly_mummy2b]

You think parents who give their children dummies are lazy? Hmmmm you haven't had your baby yet so have no idea what it's like to have a screaming baby desperate to sleep but want to suck for comfort!!!!

I think judging on a subject you know little about is very short sighted. As you have read lots of mums use dummies and it's not out of laziness.

 

[Eve]

Giving a soother or not taking it away isn't being lazy, everyone will do things differently with their children.

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

I think it is a bit lazy to bung a dummy in an older child's mouth to stop them crying when really they want attention / food / whatever else, but I definitely don't think OH and I are being lazy by continuing to let Ruby have her dummy for sleep and not having any plans to take it away any time soon, no way, it's being lead by our child.

 

[keeks1987]

I'm pretty sure the op said she didn't mean to cause offense. She has a view bout how she wants to raise her child, but she has already said she has two dummies just in case. I also thought the original question was bout character ones. I remember before Ethan was born, people said that the way I wanted to bring him up wasn't gonna work, that after I had him I'd stop being so silly. It really used to wind me up and hurt my feelings. I'm assuming at one time or another it happened to us all. I wish people'd remember how it felt before nay saying others.

I'm lucky that Ethan isn't a picky baby, he doesn't care about teats etc. We have clear ones and I think one clear blue one... if that makes sense. I don't mind dummies with little pictures on them, but as we don't Ihave any it's not a big deal for us. I think it comes down to how you like things, I like things to be discreet, sso he'd never have one of those billy bob ones etc. Not my style.

 

[kit10grl]

I didnt really want to use dummies if i could help it neither did OH. When i bought a pack while pregnant 'just in case' he wasnt very happy about it. They are small plain newborn ones. plain white. However LO is a very sucky baby. We are breastfeeding and he wanted to comfort suck a lot after feeding. After two weeks my nipples were very sore and i needed a break so he got a dummy, he doenst sleep with it and generally he will suck it for a while then it falls out and he forgets about it.

I dont see a problem with characters on dummies, its a practical tool not a fashion statement so i dont see it any different as having characters on a vest for example. I have however bought a vampire billybob dummy as part of his halloween costume and probably will only use it for halloween as its quite a big dummy and i dont like that it takes up a lot of his pretty face but to each their own

 

[Odd Socks]

i have no problem with dummies. bella had one from 2-12 weeks, when she then decided she preferred her thumb. however, i don't like dummies like the op posted. cute animal ones, sure. i'm funny with baby / toddler clothes though. i don't like tv characters on clothes when they don't know who they are (which has made finding pyjamas for bella a nightmare as she isn't even interested in tv!).

 

[midori1999]

The info on dummies and SIDS actually isn' that clear. The study relates to FF babies anyway, not BF ones, so there's no evidence that giving a dummy to a BF baby reduces the risk of SIDS. There's also evidence that if you do give a dummy and then don't give it one night, the risk of SIDS actually increases to greater than if they never had a dummy.

I don't like dummies, I've never felt the need for them with four children, they just weren't an option for me, I have never used any other comforter either. I think there are always ways to manage without them. However, what other people do has nothing to do with me and I couldn't care less tbh.

At least people who use 'billybob' dummies have a sense of humour though...

this isnt the case for everyone, as a mummy to a prem baby thats the ONLY comfortt that we could give to Ellie when she was screaming to be fed but her stomach couldnt take the food and we werent allowed her out the incubator to cuddle her

I actually agree, and I think prem babies are a 'special case' as are babies who have had surgery (althlough one of my sons had open heart surgery as a baby and I specifically told the PICU staff that he was not to have a dummy under any circumstances and he didn't need one anyway). I should have clarified that I was referring to healthy, term babies when I said that.

Am I am saying that as someone who spent two months this time with a baby who would not be put down at all, was very 'sucky' too, so it's not like I haven't had any children or don't know what I am talking about, dummies just aren't an option for me personally.

 

[Lydiarose]

My mum had 3 under 5 and i had a dummy until i was 4 then my mum made a little game where i had to leave my dummy outside for the baby birds.

I definetly would not call my mum lazy she was a fantastic mum and managed fantasticly with all of us.


I think thats really rude to be honest.

 

[Louppey]

My LO has a dummy, I don't regret giving it to her.

That dummy in the opening post though, that's gross. It's given me the creeps! If I have a nightmare about it tonight i'm blaming you

 

[louandivy]

Seriously though, how could anyone have a strong opinion on a dummy? reaaaally?!

 

[JLFKJS]

^ WSS. I mean reeeally. I have plenty of other things to worry about than what color or what animal or design is on my babs dummy.

News flash, its just a dummy!

 

[lindsayscoob]

Ooooo that dummy on original post is creepy. Obviously the parents of the baby liked it though. Think dummy designs are a bit like clothes choice, personal preference.

 

[stardust599]

I don't get what the big deal is with dummies anyway. If you don't like them don't use them.

Seemples

 

[xxClaire_24xx]

The info on dummies and SIDS actually isn' that clear. The study relates to FF babies anyway, not BF ones, so there's no evidence that giving a dummy to a BF baby reduces the risk of SIDS. There's also evidence that if you do give a dummy and then don't give it one night, the risk of SIDS actually increases to greater than if they never had a dummy.

I don't like dummies, I've never felt the need for them with four children, they just weren't an option for me, I have never used any other comforter either. I think there are always ways to manage without them. However, what other people do has nothing to do with me and I couldn't care less tbh.

At least people who use 'billybob' dummies have a sense of humour though...

this isnt the case for everyone, as a mummy to a prem baby thats the ONLY comfortt that we could give to Ellie when she was screaming to be fed but her stomach couldnt take the food and we werent allowed her out the incubator to cuddle her

I actually agree, and I think prem babies are a 'special case' as are babies who have had surgery (althlough one of my sons had open heart surgery as a baby and I specifically told the PICU staff that he was not to have a dummy under any circumstances and he didn't need one anyway). I should have clarified that I was referring to healthy, term babies when I said that.

Am I am saying that as someone who spent two months this time with a baby who would not be put down at all, was very 'sucky' too, so it's not like I haven't had any children or don't know what I am talking about, dummies just aren't an option for me personally.

my oldest has had surgery too when a baby but she never took a dummy so told them like you did she didnt need one so not to give her one, but with Ellie it was either that or let her scream her head off and work up a sweat and use energy she needed to reserve for fighting off all the infections and getting her weight up and they were treating her for NEC so she couldnt have big amount of milk to settle her x

 

[Divinebeauty]

I don't mind a soother. My son had a soother until 8 months and we took it away no problems. Ava DID have a soother at night, but she was waking up to always take a soother, now she will have one if we are out and about, I would prefer to not have one as it is irritating when she drops it and has a freak out. She likes it.. so I am okay with that. she usually just chews on it anyways.

Other then that, I see no problem with one, I do not like seeing toddlers with soothers, but I mean each to their own I try to think when I do see a toddler that, the mother is really trying to take it away it is just a gradual process, I am not one to judge others because they have a character/ humorous soother in their babies mouth/ newborn or not. That is their baby and if that is their personality... In the end they buy those soothers to get a laugh, or maybe they had it given to them? either way...they don't deserve to be judged.

So in the end. I don't mind soothers.. but they can become a problem at night time (night waking) and if baby drops them, then I consider them a pain...

I won't even comment on the SIDS- nonsence.

 

[x Michelle x]

We've always had a dummy, we also started Tabitha with her when she was in NICU as a comforter.
She uses it to help help settle her, if she is sleepy, or a bit grumpy and as she has just got teeth 5 &6 she actually chomps on it.
Usually by the time we go to bed, dummy is out but she re-settles herself fine without it, or finds it in her cot herself. I really don't mind how long she needs or wants it for. In the grand scheme of things (to me) its not a big deal esp with so many other things to worry about!
My friend is a teacher and says a good trick to help get rid of a dummy in an older child is to say Santa needs it for the baby reindeer - i think thats sooo cute!!!