Pacifiers, dummies , binkys what ever you call them

I always hated dummies and would not use them for my children who both then sucked their two middle fingers - which looked very uncomfortable! This damaged my daugher's teeth but we were lucky to have a lovely dentist who sorted them out and persuaded her to break the habit when she was about 7.
So I have changed my opinion as long as the dummies are withdrawn at a young age. My daughter has reluctantly given her new baby a dummy to help; with sleep and I am sure she will not over use it.

Neither of my children, born in the 1970's had dummies but they both sucked their middle two fingers - which looked most uncomfortable and certainly damaged my daughter's teeth. Fortunately we had a lovely dentist who helped sort out her teeth and persuaded her to stop. So I have changed my opinion which is just as well as my new granddaughter is occasionally given a dummy. I still hate to see older children with dummies but I'm confident my daughter will wean the baby off hers before it can do any harm.

My DSs didn't have dummies because neither I nor my ExH liked them and our families never used them. However, one pair of GC had them and the other pair didn't. I don't think it has made one scrap of difference to their development in any way. I still think they look a bit naff, but each to their own, as long as they are dispensed with before the kids get too big, same goes, in my opinion, for bottles which I never used either.

I am so glad to read these views. I too hate dummys. I have two grand daughters, one from each of my sons, one had a dummy and wouldn't give it up until she was about 4 the other one didn't have one, and I must say never needed one. Now I have another GC on the way and my DIL is adament the baby will have a dummy! Her mother says it should so it will!! I find it difficult to keep my mouth shut but I agree with what many have said, dummies impede speech and cause problems with teeth. But what can I do, anything I say falls on deaf ears.

My sister sucked her thumb when she was little and it pushed her front teeth out of alignment. She had to wear a brace for a while to correct the damage caused by the thumb sucking. Modern dummies are orthodontically designed to do no harm, provided the correct age group is chosen for the dummy. They start at 0 to 3 months, and progress from there. Dummies do far less damage to teeth than thumbs! Health visitors and other medical professionals will encourage the use of a dummy up to the age of 6 months. When the baby has fallen asleep and the dummy has fallen out of the mouth naturally, DO NOT REPLACE IT. The baby only needs it usually to fall asleep, as a soother/pacifier.

I do not think thumb or finger sucking mis-shapes teeth. I sucked my thumb and needed major orthodontic treatment. My son didnt - and still needed just as much OD treatment. As I understand it the reason we had buck teeth was because our jaws were small, we both had very high palates and as a result our teeth were overcrowded. In both cases OD treatment started with two teeth being extracted, one each side at the top, and then everything was pulled back. We both had to have all our wisdom teeth out for the same reason.

My daughter put her middle fingers in her mouth, hand palm side up with the two middle fingers hooked behind the front teeth and her first and last fingers braced the other side, if anything should have distorted her teeth that should, yet her teeth are perfect and she has had no problem with her wisdom teeth.

No experience of dummies as neither my mother, myself or DL used them

Neither of my girls had dummies after the first one had thrush and my doctor advised me to throw away her dummy (it worked). Both sucked - one thumb, the other two fingers. Both had to have orthodontic treatment as teenagers, but I am certain that their crooked second teeth resulted from heredity, not digit-sucking.

Two of my grandchilden had dummies; the other two did not (mainly because the elder one wanted the real thing). Both the two that had dummies gave them up relatively painlessly.

My youngest grandson (2 and a half) has a "babba boy" or "blanket" - it is one of those useful muslins. He looks so cute dragging it around. Like Linus from Peanuts.

Children always seem to need comforters of some kind. It doesn't seem to me to matter very much what it is. If a child really needs a comforter well past the usual age for them, then maybe there is something else wrong. On the other hand, "Pink Teddy" still travels everywhere with my elder daughter!

I have no problem with dummies but my children and gd did not have them. GD spit hers out when offered - would rather be nursed! However she is still having a bottle before bed at 2.5 and during the night if she wakes. Daughter complains that she never wants breakfast - I wonder why?

My ds had a pacifier until about 1yr old. MIL hated it and took every opportunity to make a snide remark about it. She never told me her reasons so I just ignored it.

Agreed, g.tunnocks. the advantage of thumbs is that they come out when the child is doing anything — usually!

Interesting thread. Your opinion depends on the age of your children as dummies were frowned upon in the 70's. Nowadays most babies use them and as long as they are used mainly for sleeping they are ok. I hate to see toddlers running around all day with a dummy in their mouths.

absentgrana .. regarding sucking thumbs in womb, my second granddaughter was born with a sore on the back of her hand, Doctor said she had obviously been sucking it for some time.

harrigran I could have put it nicer.

My grandson had dummy up unitl 3 n half..... I didnt like it but he did. lol..like anything else..potty training etc they wil do it in their own time....he did have a secret stash of dummies.!! there seem to be one in every drawer, toy box and undr the bed...once he HE decided to give up they were never mentioned again....and yes his teeth are slightly crooked so in the very near future they will be a trip to the dentist!!

Why should I mind what you think jangly, you are entitled to your opinion. Like me you are probably speaking from experience and we speak as we find

I don't mind dummies but none of my children nor grandchildren have had them. Next granddaughter due in December is going to have one according to my daughter, it will be interesting to see how she goes. My daughter is going to try and have next baby sleeping in her cot with a dummy. My grandson slept most of the time in his parents bed and kept them awake for three years.... He is a happy little boy though, so I guess whatever works. I do know that my youngest was the worst sleeper and didn't sleep in her own bed either but my older two did and were sleeping through the night at a very young age. I think its not so much the dummy but where they sleep. All were breastfed.

I hated dummies.My DS1 never had one, much to the disgust and unbelief of my MIL.Until then she thought it was impossible to care for a baby without one.Well I achieved the impossible, which annoyed her. She even told me I was depriving my baby of an essential item.
DS2 could scream for England, so I was driven by desparation to give him one.He would suck it for about a minute then spit it out in disgust when he realised there was no milk coming out of it.
All of my 5 grandchildren have had them.GD1 used to have two in her mouth, one at each side.She and GD2 have both needed braces, but then so did her father and his brother.
My DH remembers having a dummy until he started school.MIL would send him off in the morning with the dummy in his pocket, and the door key round his neck on a string, as she would be at work when he came home.One day his uncle came to visit, called him a sissy for having a dummy and threw it in the fire-resulting in a fall out between MIL and her brother.
Where I live dummies are sometimes called dum tits.

I don't like dummies and all of my children sucked thumbs or fingers. None had crooked teeth, which are more often an inherited feature.
Now I have a grandchild who still has a bottle at 4. I don't like bottles either and never used them and can't bear to see this child walking around with a bottle of milk all day long. Of course she eats almost nothing. Her mother says she won't make an issue of it and she can eat whatever she wants, whenever she wants. Grrrrrr!

A properly designed dummy will not harm a child's teeth. Whether thumb sucking can do so is academic. You can't stop them doing that.

The mums are advised to use dummies now, as it has been shown to help prevent cot death in babies, but I love Jo Frost's way of getting rid of them at a sensible age.

harrigran - you're probably not gonna like this

RUBBISH!

I worked in ENT and saw the results of dummy sucking so never gave them to my children, I could spot a child who sucked a dummy by the shape of the dental arch. Slows speech development too.

, absent! My mother reckons I was born sucking my thumb! I was her easiest birth though, second of five.

Libradi.....The last Noo Noo is a brilliant book! but lost on my girls as they did not have them, I just never saw the need for them. I would feed them (boobs) until their eyes popped and put them to bed.....never any problems. Younger daughter had a well washed cot quilt that slowly got thinner and thinner, she loved the feel of it under her arms when I tucked her up in bed. All hell broke loose when it got washed for the last time and fell apart so I had to make her a patchwork quilt cover to replace it, shes still got it somewhere, I think it actually went to University!

Babies suck their thumbs in the womb.