Buying dummies for babies..

scooper

just thought i would post this
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4509240.stm
i heard about it when it was on the news then,i have given both my babies dummies ,my eldest is 4 now and he doesnt have it,i found it to be very usefull in calming them down if they are crying,getting them to sleep and when very little putting it in whilst preparing milk,but each to there own.
i would say you could try the next step up and see if she likes them,but a friend of mine her baby,well shes 2 only likes the newborn ones.

atrebor

littlejaffa wrote:

i wondered why buy dummies?
with their negative effect on development i'd say go without

I used to think like you but my second child (10 weeks) has bad refulx and is quite capable of screaming for 5 plus hours solid a day. she would settle if I put my little finger in her mouth so after a few days of having no spare hands and a 2.5yr old - a pacifier seemed like a nobrainer....I don't automatically give it to her when she grisles but when she is going full roar its wonderful to be able to soother her and still be able to stop my toddler from whatever death defiying stunt she has decided to embark on...

I prefer the term pacifier than dummy as I think it reminds me what it should be used for.....a last ditch attempt to sooth the baby not a tool to shut it up when it suits me. It would be all to easy to stick it in her mouth at the first murmur.....

Dummy or no dummy there is no wrong choice......if you have the best interests of your child at heart then you are doing the right thing.

ceebeeby

Ooooh - hope my post won't be too controversial. Not so much as responding to OP (buy whichever one baby settles with best - ignore age!) but more about the mum picking up dummy and putting back in babies mouth (sucking etc.). Imho this is actually doing more GOOD to the infant than BAD. Reason being is that by steralising everything, the infants immunity system is not being allowed to develop antibodies against infection / germs etc. that they will need in plentiful supply later on in life. By exposing infant to some germs etc. this will be allowed to happen. I obviously would advocate proper cleansing of all feed bottles etc. and routine cleaning / steralising of dummies etc. but hey if it accidentally falls on the floor, pick it up and continue feeding ..... same with the smarties that fall out the tube, get 'em picked up and gobbled! I firmly believe the child will then have some immunity / resistance to germs as they grow older. As before - just my opinion that I'm happy to share.

Toothsmith

ceebeeby wrote:

but more about the mum picking up dummy and putting back in babies mouth (sucking etc.). Imho this is actually doing more GOOD to the infant than BAD. Reason being is that by steralising everything, the infants immunity system is not being allowed to develop antibodies against infection / germs etc. that they will need in plentiful supply later on in life. By exposing infant to some germs etc. this will be allowed to happen. I obviously would advocate proper cleansing of all feed bottles etc. and routine cleaning / steralising of dummies etc. but hey if it accidentally falls on the floor, pick it up and continue feeding ..... same with the smarties that fall out the tube, get 'em picked up and gobbled! I firmly believe the child will then have some immunity / resistance to germs as they grow older. As before - just my opinion that I'm happy to share.

Agree 100%

This over -sterile world we live in will actually hasten the demise of humanity!!!

Increases in allergies, and autoimmune problems are a symptom of immune systems with too little to do. God help us all when bird flu becomes contagious. We're all done for!!

Bugs and 'superbugs' seem to be getting stronger and stronger. They're not. We are just getting weaker and weaker.

Kids brought up in families with pets such as dogs are less likely to have allergies, and are generally healthier. This is simply because you can't steilise the dog, and the cocktail of bugs they spread about the house give the kids immune system a good exercising.

Yes - pick that dummy off the floor and shove it back in the mouth. It will do little didums GOOD!

jellyhead

i suppose so. but bottles etc. are supposed to be sterilised until baby is 12 months, so i assume that dummies should too because they're in the baby's mouth with the milky germs?

the floor outside could have all kinds of bugs, our streets are littered with dog muck. so i like to give him clean dummies but he's a mucky pup, always sticky and grubby. it's good for his immune system

essexhoney

when did it change to sterilising until they were 12months? as far as i was aware it was 6 months? with both dd and ds i stopped sterilising them at 6months they get a damn good wash at washing up time and are 100% rinsed out and dried before use.

donna-j_2

I read a similar report that said children who grow up on farms are the healthiest, because of the germs.

My HV told me to stop sterilising everything but bottles at 6 months. So none of the spoons etc get sterilised, although the dummies do sometimes.

I think the 12 month sterilising advice for bottles is relatively new.

finc

I've got one of each...a thumb sucker and a dummy sucker. I'd choose the dummy sucker every time.
My daughter is nearly 8 and it seems every time I look at her the thumbs in :mad:. I've told her she can only suck it in bed and not during the day but it's a bit difficult to enforce . The thumb she sucks is thinner than her other one and the nail doesn't grow properly. She's also had the gross yellow hard bit as well but thankfully that's gone now, probably as it's built up resistance.

My 2 year old is only allowed his dummy at night and when I feel brave enough it'll be taken off him. I didn't want either of my children to have a dummy as I can't stand seeing babies or children with them in their mouths all the time but my son also had reflux and the dummy has turned into a godsend.

Back to the point my son's 2 and he still has the 0-3 cherry teat ones. I could never see much differences in the sizes so just carried on with the same ones.

mrcow

essexhoney wrote:

when did it change to sterilising until they were 12months? as far as i was aware it was 6 months?

:rotfl:

"They" like to change things like this every now and then just to keep everyone on their toes

essexhoney

i think il stick to 6months cant teach an old dog new tricks n all that lol