Ok so I have being down both roads my twins had dummies and ds3 sucks his thumb. This time round I am not sure which way to go with ds4. He is not an overly sooky baby and it is still early days and bf is going well but I feel sorry for him some nights when he clearly wants to suck for comfort. He is not interested in my boob for comfort sucking. What would you do?
I've always lived with the "you can always take a dummy away, you can't take a thumb" my mum said we didn't take to dummys as kids and my younger sister used to suck her thumb and did until she was about 14.
All of mine never took to dummies and i offered with each of them.
At about 6 months DS1 become a thumb sucker. Personally i loved it because he could settle himself with that and his 'blankie'. We are now at the stage where we are trying to discourage it though, he only does it of a night falling asleep. It's a 'work in prgress' as we speak. He understands and he's trying really hard.
DS2 never took to the thumb but he sucks on his 'blankie'. He was wrapped until just over 12-13 months i think so not having access to the hands may have played in this. I often thought to myself maybe he would have benefited from a dummy as he clearly likes to such but i did offer. He woke for feeds up until about 14-15 months also, probably more out of comfort but i was happy to do it because it was easy... feed then straight back to bed...
DD I WISH may have taken a dummy or sucked her thumb or found something that soothed herself because she was a screamer. Due to reflux. She fed every couple of hours for the first few months. No dummy for her and no really comfort in a 'blankie' as yet either. She is in one of those stretchy sleeping bags each sleep. She can get her hand out though and does not suck.
So i've had a few different experiences, as to which is best i don't know, there are pro and cons for each. I always said i'm not a fan of a dummy because i don't want to get up at night just to put it back in. But if it clearly made my baby happy i would have done it. With the thumb you have the teeth issue and he's been to the dentist recently hence the encouragement to stop the thumb sucking. There is no real damage as yet but if it continues there may be some issues. Honestly i don't think there is a right or wrong. We do what works at the time. If you can work out ways to limit them it could be great. DS1 only sucks his thrumb when he has his 'blankie' and never walked around the house doing it.
I hate the look of dummies.. and would never promote thumb sucking as it moves the gum/teeth out of alignment and having braces for 5 years myself I want to save my kids from that....
DD2 would never take a dummy!
pro of dummy- cn be thrown away when theyre old enough to be without one.
cons- always going in to stick a dummy in when they loose it!!
pro's of thumb- they never loose it, u never have to remember to take it with you!
cons- u cant throw them away when theyre old enough to be withiout it
I think with the thumb they either will or they won't. You can't 'offer' the thumb.
I have used a dummy with both mine. With DS1 at around 6 months he started waking at night when it fell out. So we chucked it and he wasn't that bothered. I'm not a fan of dummies when babies start to talk so will probably do the same with DS2.
Ha, I was so adamant I wouldn't use a dummy pre-baby It settles her, and DD just loves to suck on things. Fingers, thumbs, fist, dummy, blanky, mummy So it works well for us. My brother was a dummy baby, at 3 he threw it away. I was a thumb girl......and I still sometimes suck my thumb So, yeahhhh. My teeth are fine though, whereas my brother had braces. But! I was just lucky. If DD starts sucking her thumb, I won't discourage it.
I don't like the look of dummies That said, I tried them with both and was rejected. DS sucked fingers til 10-ish months, and no more. DD chews on her fingers, but we'll see. I don't think you can stop them if they want to suck their thumb, you know? Dummies, you can stop, or just not start. And they can be a real bugger to get rid of.
I've had one of each. My ds1 was a thumbsucker and at 4 he is still sucking his thumb. Ds2 is a dummy boy and I plan on throwing them out in a couple of weeks after he turns 2. I did prefer the thumb as a baby because getting up for multiple dummy replugs in the night sucks. They can find their own thumb. But now that they are older getting rid of the thumb is hard work.
DD didn't want either...DS1 started sucking his thumb from early on and we stopped it a couple of months ago as it has pushed his teeth out, I wished I had stopped him along time ago, not sure what the dentist will say when we see her next... tbh if DS2 wants to suck his thumb I will be discouraging that and he isn't really a fan of the dummy either.
i have always disliked both! but DD1 had dummy and DD2 is a thumb sucker! DD1 had dummy gone by 6mths and never looked back, DD2 is almost 10mths and still sucks the thumb (although usually its only to go to sleep or when she has just woken up!
I would go with Dummy as you can always get rid of the dummy! thumb (as cute as it is) is a bit harder to stop!
We use dummy for sleeping only as I don't like the look either. putting it back in isn't a problem as she is with us at night and only needs it to go off to sleep. She spits it out after a while.
I discouraged thumb when I saw her go for it cos you can't throw away a thumb! Plus there's the sore thumb and teeth issues.
My son came out sucking his thumb. At the paediatrician's advice we gave him a dummy and he loved his dummy and gave up his thumb. At about 2.5 years we ditched the dummy cold Turkey, it wasn't too difficult but now he's nearly 3 and he constantly has a fist in his mouth.
I actually wish we'd let him suck his thumb. He was a terribly upset baby who needed constant attention, and the dummy interfered with breast feeding. If he'd had his thumb for comfort I believe everything would have been much easier.
And if he had a thumb rather than an entire fist in his mouth now, I'd be much happier.
My baby girl doesn't suck her thumb or a dummy and is quite happy.
Five of mine have had dummies (only for sleeping though), one would not take anything but boob and my littlest man sucks his thumb...he did have a dummy first though (from 4 weeks old (29 weeks gestation) to encourage the sucking reflex) and he had a dummy for about a month after coming home but the took his thumb and point blank refuse anything...basically I had no choice lol
I know some children may have damage from the thumb but all the kids I know that sucked their thumb have beautiful teeth.
There are definite pros and cons to both.
DD1 didn't have a dummy or suck her thumb but was a comfort sucker so used me as a pacifier instead
DD2 i wasn't up for being a human dummy again so once she started wanting to comfort suck i gave her a dummy and she used that or her ring and middle finger lol never her thumb she had to be different but she didn't want either by 5months
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Dummies vs the thumb?
i did offer. He woke for feeds up until about 14-15 months also, probably more out of comfort but i was happy to do it because it was easy... feed then straight back to bed...
It settles her, and DD just loves to suck on things. Fingers, thumbs, fist, dummy, blanky, mummy
So it works well for us. My brother was a dummy baby, at 3 he threw it away. I was a thumb girl......and I still sometimes suck my thumb
So, yeahhhh. My teeth are fine though, whereas my brother had braces. But! I was just lucky. If DD starts sucking her thumb, I won't discourage it.
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