Dummies – the pros and cons
Sue Asquith – Early Childhood Consultant and author
There are mixed messages about the use of dummies. Parents and childcare practitioners often ask me about using dummies for babies and toddlers and when it’s best to break the habit. I explore some of the pros and cons of introducing a dummy to your baby and when to ditch them.
The pros
Dummies are often useful in a baby’s first few months for various reasons. Introducing your baby to a dummy may be useful to soothe your new-born, as they can help settle babies to sleep. Paediatrician’s may suggest introducing a dummy, as they are sometimes used to help babies learn to suck, particularly when they are born prematurely.
The sucking reflex is a basic reflex; it usually starts in the womb and is present along with the rooting reflex in most full-term babies. Your baby may find the sucking reflex relaxing and can help when they are particularly colicky or windy.
The Lullaby Trust suggests that it is possible that using a dummy when putting a baby down to sleep could reduce the risk of sudden infant death. It Is not clear why using a dummy at sleep times (day and night) may help reduce SIDS. Perhaps babies who use dummies might be stiller whilst asleep and less likely to roll onto their tummies or does using a dummy may help to keep their tongue forward? You will find more information about how you can reduce the risks of SIDS on the Lullaby Trust and NHS websites.
If you are breastfeeding it is recommended that you wait until feeding is well established (at up to about 4 weeks old) to introduce a dummy. Other recommendations include:
- ‘Stop giving a dummy to your baby to go to sleep between 6 and 12 months.
- Don’t force your baby to take a dummy or put it back in if your baby spits it out. Don’t use a neck cord.
- Don’t put anything sweet on the dummy, and don’t offer during awake time.
- Using an orthodontic dummy is best as it adapts to your baby’s mouth shape.
- If you choose to use a dummy, make sure it is part of your baby’s regular sleep routine’.
So, having presented some of the pros, let’s explore some of the cons about prolonged dummy use:
The cons
Babies who use dummies when they are awake are less likely to coo and babble. Cooing and babbling are some of the first steps to babies’ first words, so prolonged use of dummies may lead to poor speech, language and communication skills.
Prolonged use of dummies and bottles also leads to babies using the suckling reflex/muscles for too long, which can contribute to middle ear infections and other hearing issues.
Dummies can cause an overbite, affecting the development of growing teeth and changes tongue movements, stopping it from moving freely, which in turn affects speech sounds.
When to ditch the dummy
If you use a dummy whilst your baby is awake, their mouth is full of dummy and they can’t coo, babble or chat as much as they would without one. Not using a dummy when your baby is awake or weaning them off it gives your baby the chance to become more expressive, to copy your mouth movements as you share books and sing songs and rhymes and to practise their growing language skills.
Did you know that the earlier you stop using dummies with your baby, the quicker their memory of relying on it as a soothing mechanism will fade (the longer you wait, the more of a habit you are trying to break)! It is suggested that the easiest time to break the habit is between 6 and 7 months old, after this babies become more reliant on it. Aiming to move from a bottle to a cup at about 6 months old and to wean babies off their dummies by their first birthday promotes speech, language and communication, helps reduce ear infections as well as supporting oral health as erupting teeth have room to grow properly.
Top tips for ditching the dummy:
- If you choose to introduce a dummy, limit it’s use to sleep times from the start.
- Babies cry to communicate something and there are lots of reasons why they cry! When your baby cries, think about what they might be communicating. Rather than rushing for the dummy, consider if they are wanting a cuddle, are they thirsty, hungry, bored or needing a nappy change? Dummies are pacifiers and there are lots of alternative ways to pacify your baby if you can decode what they are communicating by crying. Crying is normal but some babies cry more than others, so don’t feel guilty about using a dummy. You might find the ICON website useful as well as reaching out to friends, family, your midwife, health visitor or GP if your baby cries a lot.
- Try reducing the dummy time and introducing an alternative strategy (including a different comforter if needs be). Remember, it is easier to wean a baby off their dummy than a toddler or young child when it has become habitual.
- Wean them off gradually by setting limited and being consistent.
Ditching the dummy for toddlers and young children
It is important to ditch the dummy for lots of reasons – try sucking on a lolly, hold the lolly stick between your teeth and talking. Is your speech clear? Does this affect the speech sounds? Breaking the dummy habit will be a transition process for everyone; aim to reduce dummy time and gradually wean them off it. Consistency is one of the keys to success; everyone caring for the child needs to be strong and stick to the plan – there may be tricky moments along the way, but they will pass. If your child is old enough to understand, you could strike a deal about collecting all their dummies so there is only one in circulation. Then perhaps the dummy fairy might take the last one and leave them a big boy or girl present?