I am interested to see peoples points of view on this dummies versus thumbs and the pros and cons of each. What does you baby/toddler do and why did you go with this choice??
DH wants dd to have a dummy which i am not keen on and I would prefer her to suck on me or her thumb BUT wonder if this will be a problem later on afterall you can take away a dummy but you cannot remove a thumb
DD loves to suck and is sucking almost constantly atm so i am not sure what to do so i need to hear about what other people have done.
Before I had DS I have to admit I was anti-dummy... But then I read a few threads on here and changed my tune. I think there are times when a dummy will be the only thing that will help them settle. So my attitude has always been that if we need to give him one we will. So far we really haven't had to give him one, there have been a couple of times when he's been teething that we've tried it but TBH I think he is a bit old to have it introduced now.
I do however like having one in the house. I give it to him when he has his immunisations as I think the sucking helps to keep him calmer. But generally speaking he sucks on pretty much anything. He does suck his thumb occassionally, but chews on it most of the time. I also give him a little muslin square when he goes to bed so he can suck on that.
Sorry, I've rambled a bit. I guess my point of view is that if you don't have to give them one, then why start something that has the potential to become a major PIA in the future iykwim?
i was vey anti dummy while pg, i heard all the horror stories.. "they can suck them until theyre 4-5" , "if you loose it and dont have a back up ..." " they can give babies tummy aches if they arent properly cleaned" as well as it causing problems with teeth develpoment if used for too long.. im not saying all these things are true, this is just some of the things id heard.
but since having DD there have been a couple f times (not many tho) where ive thought.. "if only i had a dummy..." Dh is totally against her using a dummy, and this is part of the reason, coz im pretty sure i would have caved by now (there was a week there where she was really unsettled) most of me is really glad that ive stuck it out and havent given her a dummy, but she sucks on her hands a fair bit (and i know this is really normal, she's only just founf hr hands LOL) i just hope it doesnt turn into thumb sucking coz i think that looks really bad
Its totally up to the parent.
Tho is would be much easier to get rid of a dummy habit than a sucking the thumb habit.
DD2 made the decision for us, she is so bad at keeping a dummy in her mouth it was never possible to give her 1 unless we were holding her. She now sucks her thumb in bed as she goes to sleep for a couple of minutes then she stops, she doesn't suck her thumb any other time.
DD1 had a dummy until she was just over 2 we thought it was going to be a big drama taking it away but it wasn't.
TBH im anti both of them - i really don't like seeing children walking around with a dummy or thumb in mouth, when they are babies its cute, but older..... But in saying that DD ended up with a dummy while i was still in hosp! it turned out to be a godsend and she only had it when going to sleep, never when awake! however couldn't wait to get rid of it and by i think it was 5mths it was all gone!
If i had to choose - i would go the dummy - u can get rid of a dummy but u can't get rid of the thumb!
I dislike dummies not against them just hate seeing kids walkign round shopping centres sucking on them... that said
DS1 used a dummy occasionally for first 6 weeks when sleeping just when he needed a little comfort then he found his thumb he sucked his thumb till he was about 2 1/4 yrs then stopped
DS2 uses a dummy I hate hate hate it he seems to need it to comfort we keep trying to get him to find his thumb but no luck yet, he is 10 1/2 weeks, if he need to keep using one for his comfort not for us IYKWIM!! so be it, but once he is walking its gone... and only for sleepig etc I will not have him walking round shops house
I loooooooooooooooove dummies! I have used one on all of my babies, even though I was 100% certain I wasn't going to. My DS1 threw his out of his pram when he was almost 1... I tried to give him the spare one I had for him and he threw that too... that marked the end of dummies for him.
None of my children have used dummies in public when of walking age. Dummies have been used for settling only, not to be sucked on when they want it. I have always tried to limit sucking time too. DS2 was so my recent one to give up dummies. I just took them all away... outta sight, outta mind. We had a few sooky nights sleep but everything was fine afterwards.
I think it all comes down to how you allow your child to use their dummy... that is my issue with thumb sucking, you can't make it something they only do when going down for a sleep IKGWIM. my MIL was a thumbsucker right up until she passed away... she hated it but it was a habit she found impossible to break.
sucking thumbs versus dummies
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he sucked his thumb till he was about 2 1/4 yrs then stopped
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