DUMMIES - Are they good for your baby?
Dummy, pacifier, binky, bobo,dum dum, button, plug!
Whatever you decide to call this little device you give to your baby to help soothe them, is it good for your baby, do they really need it, why do they need it and will it become a problem?
The decision for you to:
Use a dummy
Not use a dummy
How long to use a dummy
When to get rid of the dummy
How to get rid of the dummy
…is totally up to you.
However, whatever the decision you need to make will inevitably be easier for you if you are armed with al of the relative facts regarding dummy use.
So, what are the pluses and minuses of using a dummy?
The Pro’s
It may help to soothe your fussy baby. Newborn babies have a strong urge to suck, some more than others. Sucking is a reflex, not voluntary for your baby during the first several months. This reflex is needed for your baby to survive and to establish feeding. During the first few weeks especially it can be very strong and not easily satisfied. Following a breast or bottle feed, some babies need more sucking time to help them settle.
It may help to reduce the risk of SIDS. According to the Australian Red Nose Organisation: ‘There is strong evidence to suggest that the use of a dummy is associated with a reduced risk of SIDS when used consistently’. However, the risk of SIDS is greatly reduced from 4-6 months.
It may assist in implementing healthy sleep habits. If used consistently within the first 4 months and in conjunction with consistent age appropriate settling techniques (the WOTBaby app suggests using a dummy as a last resort when settling) it can be a helpful tool in teaching your baby when its sleep time.
The Con’s
Early dummy use may have a negative effect on breastfeeding. Sucking on the breast, a bottle and dummy are all different and some babies MAY be sensitive to these differences. However, if you use the dummy correctly and to help with soothing your baby regarding sleep and/or only after feeding is established (2-3 weeks) there is some evidence to suggest full term healthy babies are not affected.
It can encourage bad habits. Before the age of 3-4 months sucking is a primitive reflex. From the age of 4 months most of your baby’s reflexes will have eased including the sucking reflex. Things are now becoming learned behaviours. The consistent management you are implementing with your baby is becoming what they know, not necessarily what they need. If you are consistently giving your baby a dummy in preparation for sleep this will become their sleep association and they will rely on this as they grow and develop.
It can interfere with your baby learning to sleep. Do you find yourself increasingly having to go to your baby throughout the night to replace the dummy? This is because from the age of 4 months your baby’s sleep has changed and between sleep cycles your baby becomes more aware they are awake before they resettle back into deep sleep. If they are conditioned to suck on the dummy to go back to sleep they will automatically ask for that again to fall back into deep sleep. When your baby is old enough to rely on sleep associations but not developed enough to control this association them selves (put heir dummy back in independently) this will negatively impact the whole family and quality sleep. By 4 months your baby has the ability to resettle independent of a dummy.
Prolonged dummy use might increase the risk of middle ear infections. Continuous sucking on a dummy causes a baby’s auditory tubes to become open, which allows mucous and saliva from the throat to seep into the middle ear. The bacteria in these secretions can cause middle ear infections.
TIPS
At the end of the day it is your choice to use a dummy or not. Newborn babies need to suck- its an instinct. Babies from 3-4 . months do NOT need to suck for any other reason than for nutrition. Sucking to soothe to sleep is a learned behaviour from 4 months. This may be a good habit, one which works for the baby and the whole family or it may be a complete disaster and not working for the whole family. Every situation is different but the facts remain the same - whether or not you use a dummy is YOUR choice.
Here are some of WOTBaby’s best tips for successfully using a dummy.
Wait until feeding is established. Try to hold off introducing a dummy until you have established feeding. (Usually, the first 2-4 weeks) It is important to eliminate as much confusion as possible for your baby while they are learning their required sucking technique. Once you feel bub is feeding well and you are feeling confident, it is fine to introduce a dummy to help with settling management. Unless otherwise advised from your health professional or lactation consultant.
Use the dummy as a last resort. During the settling process, try other things first to help your baby settle. Swaddle them, pat them, change their position etc. Add the dummy to your settling process rather than relying on it from the start. Help your baby to settle rather than ‘putting’ them to sleep They will use the dummy well, if ‘sucking’ is what they need to do in order to settle.
Use a cherry shaped dummy. Your baby may need some help in the beginning to take a dummy. When very little, they may find it difficult to wrap their little tongue around the dummy and actually keep it in their mouth. It will be easier for them to keep it in their mouth if it is a cherry shape with the round ball shape at the end of the dummy rather than the ‘orthodontic’ shape, which is flat on one side. Try this, you will be surprised.
Note: Tommy Tippee have a ‘Happy Baby’ dummy range which are cherry shaped.
Listen to your baby. If your baby is not interested in the dummy, don’t force them to have it. Some babies just aren’t into them. If your older baby has you up all night replacing the dummy, perhaps your baby is telling you it is time for them to learn how to sleep without it. Sometimes we can be too eager and through our good intentions we (or the dummy) actually get in the way of our baby being able to sleep well.
Don’t be afraid to get rid of it. Just like it was your decision to introduce the dummy, it will have to be your choice to get rid of it. The best way is ‘cold turkey'. If you get rid of it all together your baby will have forgotten it ever existed in a day or two.