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Hubby, DD and I will be travelling long distance a bit this year (flying) to visit family. I'm looking into getting a dummy in case DD plays up during the flights- I don't use one typically and I know she may not take one but she is a comfort sucker so it might come in handy. What types or brands should I look into?
LL :)
I've tried lots and my favourite so far have been NUK brand. I went on a very short flight with DD and fed her before take off, and she slept the whole way (only 2 hour flight). Obviously for a long flight you can't be feeding the whole time though :)
I'm not sure there's a breastfeeding friendly one - you may find she has particular preferences or may not take one at all :) Your breasts are excellent pacifiers also.
Getting daddy to walk around the plane with little ones is quite helpful when they get restless
I used the cheapest, easiest to find dummy with DD1 as she loved to comfort suck on her wrists (not my bbs). DD2 likes to comfort suck at night after a feed for a little while but will not take a dummy at all.
I guess my point is that no one brand of any dummy is more or less bfing friendly (despite marketing). The only issue is not introducing a dummy too early in order to not interfere with bfing (ie using a dummy when baby is hungry or not allowing comfort sucking at the breast in the first six weeks to stimulate supply).
You can give a dummy a go but I'd encourage you to try at home once bfing is properly established as if she doesn't like it she will possibly create more fuss. ;) don't wait until the plane!
Good idea re trying at home. My BF journey hasn't been 100% easy but is now mostly settled but baby is only five and a half weeks so I'm conscious of not doing anything to set us back at square one. Just planning ahead!
We also use NUK always have.
sent from my galaxcy so please excuse the spelling
We used Gumdrop pacifiers. You can buy them on eBay. They're brilliant.
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I was told the cherry shaped dummies are more BFing friendly than the orthodontic ones. If you haven't used a dummy before though I don't think you need one now. My youngest doesn't have a dummy and when flying I just fed him during take off and landing and then whenever else he needed it.
My oldest son has a dummy and we buy the ummy brand as they are made from natural rubber so they don't have chemicals in them.
I had a rough start to breastfeeding with both my girls (a variety of issues such a staph, tongue tie, vasospasm, low supply, dermatitis to name a few - lol!) and both took dummies well from a young age and there was no nipple confusion at all.
DD1 used (and still does randomly! :hide: ) the orthodontic teats and it had to be the Avent ones - the most expensive :rolleyes: She used Nuby a bit but Avent was by far her faves. I BF her until 11.5 months :D
DD2 took to dummies in hospital and this time I offered the cherry teats and she loved them. Initially it was Happy Baby and Heinz Baby Basics but her faves are Tommee Tippee. Our BF relationship is excellent.
Different babies, different tastes. You may need to try a few so maybe just start with the cheap and cheerful cherry ones first.
I totally agree with trying them out well before your trip. I personally think it's a great idea as much as breast are SO handy on a flight :lol: comfort sucking can wear thin quickly. One of my best friends was BF her eldest when she flew to the UK on her own and she said his comfort sucking was horrendous on the flights, she felt very 'over touched' (IYKWIM) when she finally got there. She didn't sleep much at all (less than a couple of hours) and her nipples were very sore on arrival.
Good luck!
All of my kids were 'sucky' babies and have had dummies from very early on. I was told by several professionals, that the cherry shaped ones are the best. I can't remember why though! I usually just buy the tommee tippee ones or the happy baby ones.
Hmm, so I bought a Pidgeon and a Nuby each for DD to try and she is not into them at all. In fact when I gently placed a dummy at her lips then when she opened her mouth put the dummy in, she thought it was a game and started smiling the biggest open-mouthed smile every time I tried...so of course with a gaping open mouth there was no sucking going on. The few times she did close her mouth over it, she just held it there for a moment then let it fall out. I'm glad I didn't wait until we were actually flying!
My DD1 liked the cherry teats. They were really cheap too ;). 3 for $2 at kmart.
My DD3 knew the difference between breast & dummy. The feeling or the smell, I'm not sure, but she knew when I was trying to cheat ;)
She occasionally took one & only took the cheapo servo cherry shaped ones. She wouldn't take the slightly more expensive cherry shaped chemist (tommee tippee??) ones coz the teat was hardeer :rolleyes:
DS was the same & liked the soft cheapo's. DD1 was a NUK/orthodontic dummy girl.
The Nuby was from Coles and a cherry but it seems awfully large for a tiny mouth. The Pidgeon looks like a cross between a round and flat teat.
You will need to try when she's sleepy. DD2 is a dummy girl but mainly when she's sleepy otherwise she does the same as your DD, just spits it out and grins! She also spits it out when she's hungry and I'm trying to stall her. Smart little things ;):
DD2 loves her dummy to nod off though and it can fall out several times before she goes to sleep. It's a PITA to have to keep putting it in but she settles so well with it I'm happy to do that. A lot of the time she manages to hold onto it fine as she goes to sleep.
Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say if you want to really test if she likes a dummy then give it a go when she's sleepy. Even in your arms so you can pop it back in easily if it falls out. Babies often push dummies out initially as they know it's a foreign object but many love them once they realise it's a comforter. Obviously don't force it though if she's really not interested or distressed by it.
Maybe it will just take her a bit to get used to it, a little bit of practice? It's probably a new way of sucking for her.
I think she will have to learn how to suck on it as so far in her little life all she's had to suck is my boob, my little finger and her hands. And this is an entirely different thing. She's so funny with it- I praise her when she takes it into her mouth and she's so obviously proud and happy she starts grinning even more and gurgling, rather than sucking. Very entertaining for her mama!
Oh and good advice Taurean. I'll try when she's sleepy for sure.
DD2 has now taken to sucking on her fist when she's dropping off to sleep sometimes, but usually she prefers to yell about the whole thing. Not a sucky baby, except at night time when she can get into a bit of a gentle 'don't leave me' suck that keeps me there but isn't actually doing anything.
Just remember that your crying baby usually sounds louder to you than anyone else. ;) And it's not like you'd do it on purpose to annoy everyone on the flight. They'll get over it if you can't settle her quickly.
Try not to worry too much about the plane. What will happen, will happen and babies with dummies are just as likely to make a fuss if they're that way inclined.
It's actually quite nice, in the long run, when you don't have them. Boobs get put away and even a toddler has little interest in them when there's stuff to be done. Dummies, on the other hand, can stick around for a long time.
Yeah that's true. I also thought a dummy might be good for Honor to comfort her when she is tired and about to have her pre-sleep scream. She is a sucky baby and I could see her trying to teach herself to suck her thumb but when she's really upset she can't coordinate her hands or fists at all.
Update- DD takes a dummy now. One day she was over tired and hysterical so I held her in the cradle hold and on impulse tried the dummy and she took it. I'm very strict about her using it though- it is a sleep aide so we only use it at nap times to help her settle and once she's dozing off or asleep we take it out. We don't use it out in public unless she's due for a sleep and fighting it. So it's working pretty well. She doesn't have it to settle at night at all, just daytime.