Dummy - yes or no?

I don't really like them. Didn't use it for my oldest apart from a couple of nights however my 10 month old has one and needs it. He's a major comfort sucker. I'd rather him have a dummy if it means he sleeps properly

Depends on the baby.

DS1 had a dummy given to him in NICU - he was prem and had severe reflux. A dummy is like medicine to a refluxer, can help them so much.

DS2 wouldn't take a dummy at all.

I too hated them but DS is a comfort sucker and sucking me is no comfort (insane milk spray) so he needs it. I made a deal with myself it would never leave the cot and so far it hasnt. He has kind of given it up himself now, i no longer give it to him but leave it in the cot and he can put it in himself if he wants to, which he does about 50% of the time. I reckon anything that makes life easier is good

Im sort of torn on it, in the early days it was an absolute lifesaver to teach DS to settle, as he was a severely refluxy baby and nothing else would work, I never planned to use a dummy but you end up doing a lot of things you didn't plan on doing when faced with a screaming baby who won't sleep at all.

These days he still has it for sleeping and Im about to start weaning him off it as I think it's now more a habit than anything else. It annoys me now seeing it in his mouth as I think he thinks whenever a dummy is around what you do is put it in your mouth. He often finds them in random places and puts them in his mouth and Im like where did you get that from haha?

So I would say try it, but try to keep it for sleep only if you can, then try wean off around 6 months before it's too much of a habit :) You do what you need to do to survive :) there's nothing wrong with it

Like most things, it's up to the parent and the baby.
DS1 LOVED his dummy, I was starting to think we'd never get rid of it. Then as he approached 2, we said it wasn't for big boys and took it away. He asked for it that night and the next and that was it.
DS2 is 14wks and I WISH he would take a dummy!
DS1 would get grumpy but a dummy would calm him down quick smart, with DS2 he won't take a dummy and it's so much harder to get him to settle.

Before having a baby, I also thought dummies were the work of the devil! Then my baby was born and was a biiiig comfort sucker, so in desperation I tried giving her a dummy, but she never took it. I tried so many times but she wouldn't have a bar of it; she was very much a boob girl.

I say if it gives your baby some relief when you can't do it yourself (when you are putting your other baby to sleep, etc, completely understandable!), give it a go. If it works, great, you have an alternate method of soothing your baby! If not, you can say you tried it.

Ha I was so idealistic about dummies. Nah, my child wouldn't need one. Anyway she was prem and they recommended we try one to help develop her sucking strength and supposedly to help with her silent reflux. But also we though that hey, you can take a dummy away later on but you can't take a thumb away. I was also a bit worried about the teeth thing with her thumb but the dental website says that up until they're 3 the thumb is not a problem. Anyway, after trying 3 different types we realised there was no way she wanted a dummy and ended up settling on her thumb after all. Typical. But also I have to say she can't drop it or throw it out of the cot at night!

As the others have said, it's up to you and your baby and try to ignore all the people out there that tell you what you 'should' be doing.

DS1 was a real sucker (a sucky baby) and we actually had to force him to take a dummy, or sit by his cot with our fingers in our mouths in order to get him to go to sleep. He refused to take it from 4mo.

DS2 got given it in NICU, it was his best friend from day one, now he only has it in bed and its a great sleep cue, we never have any problem getting him to go to sleep. We'll get rid of it eventually but it doesn't bother me. I do hate toddlers walking around with them hanging out, they don't need them during the day.
But hey each to their own.

Urrrgh my neighbours kid is 6 and still on his, i hear him screaming every morning when they fight it off him on the way to school. I too would much much rather pacify DS via the breast but it simply didnt work for us :( i have such a strong milk flow even after hours of feeding, it just never stops spraying like a sprinkler! So poor DS has to gulp fast and try not to choke, no lazy suckling for him. It makes me very sad, esp as i cuddle him to sleep and he is cradled to me but with a dummy. But thats offtopic a bit.

love them,use them.Just hate them when its time to get rid of them