Dummies

Pros:

• Dummies are easy to replace if they get lost or damaged. It’s also important to replace them regularly as they wear out quickly.
• Dummies can help teach your child to self-settle.
• Sucking on a dummy doesn’t usually affect permanent tooth position if it’s given up by the time permanent teeth erupt.
• Dummies reduce the risk of SIDS.

Cons:

• Dummies may disrupt your child’s sleep patterns. She may wake through the night looking for her dropped dummy which she’ll need to settle herself back to sleep.
• Dummies can cause tooth problems if they are not given up before the permanent teeth erupt (by about 5 or 6 years of age).
• Some children develop a speech problem, such as a lisp, if she always has a dummy in her mouth while she’s talking.
• Dummies can have a negative effect on breastfeeding due to nipple confusion
• Dummies shouldn’t be used as a substitute to feeding.

How can I get rid of the dummy?

Very occasionally, a child will spontaneously give up sucking a dummy (lucky you!), but for most hard-core dummy suckers, it will be you who decides that it’s got to go. Often it’s the sight of your large pre-schooler happily rumbling with her friends with a big chunk of plastic firmly stuck in her mouth that gets the ball rolling.

Here are our tips:

• Pick your time wisely – don’t try to change the habit of a lifetime when your child is unwell, starting a new pre-school, welcoming a new sibling into the family, or experiencing any disruption to her routine.
• Start to withdraw the dummy by only allowing it at sleep time.
• Discourage your child from taking it from the house.
• Don’t let her talk to you with her dummy in her mouth – tell her that you can’t understand her.
• Stop buying new dummies to replace the old.
• If she is old enough to understand, talk to her about giving up her dummy and perhaps try setting a giving-up date together – a birthday is often a good choice, or you may choose to leave her dummy out for the tooth fairy/Easter bunny/ Santa Claus.
• Offer her a substitute comfort object – a teddy bear or an old baby blanket – to help her through the transition. While she’ll get comfort from these objects, it’s unlikely that she’ll become as dependent on them as she was on the dummy.
• Celebrate being dummy-free with a special outing or her favourite dinner.

IMPORTANT!

No matter how tempting it may seem, never, ever undo all your hard work and give her a dummy once she’s given them up. Not only will your child learn that with a little whinging, she’ll get what she wants, but your job will be just that bit harder next time around.