Using dummy and breastfeeding for comfort

[Harveysmum369]

Go easy on me ladies,this is my first debate in this section

Was thinking about this the other day,and wondered what others thought...


Both breast and dummies are used to comfort a baby,yet when a baby gets to a certain age people are actively encouraged to give up using a dummy to comfort a child but people breastfeeding are encouraged to carry on...wondered what people's thoughts were on this?After all they are both for comfort,so why are dummies demonised and breastfeeding encouraged?I'm not talking about the health point of view,just from the comfort side.

For the record,Harvey had a dummy and I breastfed.


xxxx

 

[marley2580]

I think the problem is that dummies are used in situations that BF wouldn't be and for longer, so they can affect teeth and speech.

 

[moomin_troll]

i tried bf but it didnt work for us.
zane did have a dummy and at 6 months one day he decided he didnt want it anymore.
i started to use a dummy to give my boobs a rest so i could go for a bath after birth as he was always on and i was in great pain.

with this one i will use a dummy again but abit later on.

i dont think theres anything wrong with using something for comfort, zanes vice is still his baby bottle :S lol

 

[Cloberella]

Both breast and dummies are used to comfort a baby,yet when a baby gets to a certain age people are actively encouraged to give up using a dummy to comfort a child but people breastfeeding are encouraged to carry on...

I've found the opposite to be true, dummies are seen as acceptable to the age of three, but breastfeeding is good till six months, your a bit of a hippy if you go to a year, and after that your just weird.

That's just the attitudes I've come across personally though, and I'd love to make it to two years breastfeeding

 

[moomin_troll]

Both breast and dummies are used to comfort a baby,yet when a baby gets to a certain age people are actively encouraged to give up using a dummy to comfort a child but people breastfeeding are encouraged to carry on...

I've found the opposite to be true, dummies are seen as acceptable to the age of three, but breastfeeding is good till six months, your a bit of a hippy if you go to a year, and after that your just weird.

That's just the attitudes I've come across personally though, and I'd love to make it to two years breastfeeding

i have to admit i do hate it when i see a child over the age of 3 using a dummy during the day.
i take my hat off to women that bf for along time, i couldnt last a whole week with zane.

 

[bathbabe]

Personally im not bothered by babies having a dummy or using the breast for comfort.
I didnt BF but it wouldnt bother me if any of my friends BF their 2/3 year old for comfort but i dont like seeing toddlers with a dummy hanging out their mouth all day.
Iv nothing against dummys, Harrison had one from 5days old till 7months when he gave it up himself. but i would of restricted it down to just naps and bed time from 1year if he hadnt given it up.
A toddler using the breast for comfort id personally expect it to be used in the same way as id use a dummy. But it isnt my choice to make, nor am i judging anyone with whatever way they decide to use their breasts

 

[Nibblenic]

I would say that BOTH dummies and breast feeding is frowned on after a certain age.

I think anything above a year and people this breastfeeding is REALLY wierd. I think its at about 2+ that people frown on children having dummies.

Personally my lo gets a dummy to go to sleep and at no other time. She also has a bear to sleep with aswel. She also gets a story before sleeping. These things are all her comfort and as ar as im concerned she can have them as along as she needs them, not necessarily as long as she wants them. The two are very different.

 

[special_kala]

I would say that BOTH dummies and breast feeding is frowned on after a certain age.

I think anything above a year and people this breastfeeding is REALLY wierd. I think its at about 2+ that people frown on children having dummies.

Personally my lo gets a dummy to go to sleep and at no other time. She also has a bear to sleep with aswel. She also gets a story before sleeping. These things are all her comfort and as ar as im concerned she can have them as along as she needs them, not necessarily as long as she wants them. The two are very different.

O/T but River just saw your penguins dancing and started giggling

 

[moomin_troll]

zanes also mentioned the penguins and started to dance lol

 

[Lightworker]

I think the issue(my issue) with dummies in this context is that some parents use the dummy to pacify a totally unrelated need IYKWIM. When the child wants attention, a dummy is stuck in instead of attention. It seems it is used to keep some children quiet instead of interacting with the child, whereas with BF you are interacting whilst feeding. Also, extended BF has not been shown to affect speech(I think) but a dummy has.

 

[moomin_troll]

i saw a 5 yr old and his front teeth were weird shaped and sticking out, i then saw him running back to his mum and he got a dummy and the dummy fit around his teeth perfectly :S that freaked me out.

i cant imagine a nipple effecting teeth like that but then again i think id of been just as freaked if i saw a 5 yr old being breastfed in a park

 

[Harveysmum369]

I saw a little girl walking home in her school uniform with a dummy

 

[moomin_troll]

I saw a little girl walking home in her school uniform with a dummy

i saw this myself yesterday, she was only little tho around 5. she also had a buggy which i didnt quiet understand

 

[cleckner04]

I think the issue(my issue) with dummies in this context is that some parents use the dummy to pacify a totally unrelated need IYKWIM. When the child wants attention, a dummy is stuck in instead of attention. It seems it is used to keep some children quiet instead of interacting with the child, whereas with BF you are interacting whilst feeding. Also, extended BF has not been shown to affect speech(I think) but a dummy has.

I totally agree with this.

And I also agree that pacifiers seem to be a much more acceptable way to comfort a child and breastfeeding after 1 usually gets you a list of questions and looks insinuating that you are the biggest weirdo in the world.

 

[NuKe]

I think the issue(my issue) with dummies in this context is that some parents use the dummy to pacify a totally unrelated need IYKWIM. When the child wants attention, a dummy is stuck in instead of attention. It seems it is used to keep some children quiet instead of interacting with the child, whereas with BF you are interacting whilst feeding. Also, extended BF has not been shown to affect speech(I think) but a dummy has.

i totally agree with this!

Poppy only gets a dummy when she's going for a nap or if she's hurt herself (it calms her down). The rest of the time it's out of sight, out of mind! I plan on trying to get rid of them soon!

 

[sophxx]

My lo uses a dummy he has it when he wants it's he goes and gets it from where we keep it if he doesn't want it he goes and puts it back he ll have a dummy till he doesn't want it any more and u won't take it off him I'll leave that to him I sucked my thumb for a long time then just stopped over night it didnt affect my teeth but if it did I'd have just had a brace x

 

[Laura2919]

My girls are 2 and still have a dummy. I always get people telling me they should be without one.. I prefer to parent MY child MY way. When I want them to stop having it I will take it off them.

My plan is to do it at Christmas but thats not good enough for some people..

I dont want my kids to have a dummy past 3 years old so I will get them to give it up by then.... Hopefully

 

[OmiOmen]

I think like the others have said, there does not seem to be a link between breast and problems with the teeth and sometimes a dummy is used in place of attention (not suggesting this is always the case). But I also think that people have less issues with people using a dummy than breast past 6-12 months.

My son has used a dummy about three times in the first month simply so I could keep him quite coming back from the shops for 5 minutes until I could feed him (I started to take expressed milk out with me for 3 weeks though) but he is still breastfeed at just over a year old. People seem to have a big issue with breastfeeding over a year and I admit I used to find it strange but like I have heard others say, it is not like you start feeding a toddler, they become one. My son comfort feeds before he goes to sleep and I personally think he is getting too old for that now but am struggling to get him out of the habit.

 

[indy and lara]

Emma still has her dummy for napping. She was BF until 14 months but was a very sucky baby. I had no issue BF constantly up to 6 months but there did come a point where I needed to try something else and a dummy helped. Glad to have got down to just having dummy for naps. I so hope it is gone altogether in the next few months.

 

[nov_mum]

Although I'm not a huge fan of older toddlers with dummies I often wonder, after having reflux babies, if these are reflux children that still need the pain relieving of a dummy??? I guess as parents we pick our battles and perhaps the parents decided that toilet training or sleep training was more important so they got priority??

My 16mth old loves his dummy and we are having issues taking it off him at bed time. I think we will continue with it as he self settles with a dummy and doesn't need us. We are expecting another baby so putting him through it all now really isn't top priority. I was never a fan of them at all until I had reflux babies and now I see they are an important tool in that context