Dummies, Bottles, Blankies and other Soothers

DS has a blankie. Well, to be fair, he has 5. Two are identical - he liked the first one so much, we bought another "just in case". Then we found a really cute one. Then another cute one. Then I found one in the US when I travelled with work. Guess which one he likes the best (and cannot of course be replaced). Yes, you guessed it, the US one. He calls them all "Bear" - but the favourite one is a dog, actually.

We lost "Bear" recently. The un-losable one. Half of my in-laws drove around the village until it was found hooked in a privet hedge. It had been kicked around a bit, and was grubby, but some kind soul had picked it up and put it in the hedge. My mil had missed it twice, coz she was looking on the floor as she walked along!

"Bear" now goes to bed in the mornings, with a less valuable version being kept in the nursery bag/handbag for emergencies/sleepy situations. But sometimes he sneaks it back, and it is so much a part of him, that we don't notice.

As to whether it is a good or bad thing.....well....not sure, really, but it's cute. Based on the evidence of my nephew (who is now 12, and left his "tickle" behind long ago), I think we'll be OK. I hope. DD sucks her fingers, and I can't take them away - at least this is removable.....

Alec

My DS had a "tickle". It was a Thomas the Tank Engine pillowcase, and he used to share it with us, tickling us under our nose with the corner - it had to be one specific corner that became frayed beyond recognition - but it felt like a part of the bonding experience somehow. As you say about 'Bear' Alec, it is a part of your DS and will be a part of your baby that you can keep forever frozen in time. Treasure his ickle 'bear'. Now my DS is heading for teenagedom, I like to get his Thomas Tickle out of its corner in my wardrobe and remember what a lovely little thing he was . . . and still is of course. When 'Kevin & Perry' aren't inhabiting his body.

Both of my boys had dummies as they were both incredibly clingy babies. With ds1, I had my hv at my house for 2 days straight trying everything, swaddling, controlled crying, you name it she tried it. She admitted defeat and told me to go get a dummy . I already had them for ds2 before he was born.

For ds1, he only had a dummy and gave it up around the age of 1. For ds2, he had a dummy, but also 'blue' cuddly toy and any label that was going. He was just over 2 when he went dummyless, and I am finding that as time goes by he is needing his other comfort things less and less too. The taggies were never the same for him as a normal label.

I can't remember when we stopped using bottles, but tbh I wouldn't be worried if he still had a bottle at night now (at 2 1/2) but would probably make sure the bottles were gone by about 3.

Admin wrote: Are they the work of the devil or a brilliant parenting tool?

Do you have firm ideas about the appropriate age for dummies?

Do you have views on the use of blankies/taggies?

What about bottles? Do you agree they should be removed completely by age 1?[/color]

My LO has several dummies ( the dummy fairy keeps pinching them) and while they are great for getting her to sleep I think that the devil invented them. Due to the medication that I needed after birth I couldnt BF and baby was a very sooky baby so she has had a dummy since birth, I so wish that she didnt. i would like to get rid of the dummy but I am not brave enough. I have had very few decent nights sleeps in the past 16 months because she wakes up looking for her dummy several times a night.

I would be quiet happy to replace the dummy with a blanket/teddy/taggie if I thought I could. my 10 year old son still had his blanket thought now it sits folded up on top of his drawers but it has to always be there.

We are down to 1 bottle now and that is her night time one but that is going soon.

The dummy will be going before she is 3.

I hate Dummys! I think they look horrible on children and just huge on babies! I am sure they are useful for some parents but I prefer to resolve the issue rather than silence them with a dummy, my daughter rarely cries for no reason and if she is upset I can settle her with a hug - much nicer method than a bit of plastic in the mouth!
I dislike bottles my daughter has never had one! Booby fed and proud!
Kaity has two Teddies that she chose when she was about 14 months to take to bed, she has never had a blankee or such likes

Admin wrote:What's your opinion on dummies? Are they the work of the devil or a brilliant parenting tool?

Do you have firm ideas about the appropriate age for dummies?

Do you have views on the use of blankies/taggies?

What about bottles? Do you agree they should be removed completely by age 1?

I sucked my thumb as a child, well right up until I was about 22 at times of stress! I totally ruined my upper front teeth by pushing them out and so I was determined that my child would have a dummy as they can be thrown away and a thumb can't.
James has had a dummy from about six weeks old, he still has one now at 14 months but tends to only use it when he's tired or grumpy and has it when he goes to sleep but it always comes out as soon as he is asleep. Now he's starting to try to talk, I take it off him when he doesn't need it - ie he's not going to bed or ill etc. He also has a habit of throwing out of the playpen so he's not that bothered by it!

He also has a blanket with a lion on it which a friend of ours bought him when he was born (she's American so we're of the same NEVER let it out of the house in case we lose it mentality as the PP!) and he has a wee Pretties (like a taggie but made by a friend of mine from minkee and ribbons) but he's not hugely bothered by any of them. He doesn't have to have them to go to sleep but he does grab hold of them and snuggle them every now and then.

Bottles - we're still using them, James is still having formula as he pretty much refuses to drink cows milk. We have moved onto the 1 year+ milk now though and we keep trying with cows milk. He does drink water from a beaker though.

princesspink77 wrote:I hate Dummys! I think they look horrible on children and just huge on babies! I am sure they are useful for some parents but I prefer to resolve the issue rather than silence them with a dummy, my daughter rarely cries for no reason and if she is upset I can settle her with a hug - much nicer method than a bit of plastic in the mouth!
I dislike bottles my daughter has never had one! Booby fed and proud!
Kaity has two Teddies that she chose when she was about 14 months to take to bed, she has never had a blankee or such likes

Just wanted to say my son is never given his dummy to "shut him up" and he doesn't walk around with it stuck in his mouth and he was breast fed until he self weaned at the age of five-and-a-half months.

Well again i am adummy mummy i think they are a godsend, My oldest had one and so does my little one, althoughboth did not use them all the time usually as a soother and not to be put in just for the sake of it.

As for blankies my LO has a blankie smallness of a handkerchief he plays with it more in the day and rubs his face on it to sleep during the day, but at night he is good we just put him in his cot without anything and hes asleep within minutes

My boys never had dummies. I actually tried to get DS2 to take one to go to sleep because I was fed up with him only going to sleep on the boob, but he wouldn't suck it. He thought it was a toy and would wake up completely and play with it! He now falls asleep cuddled up to Iggle Piggle or Upsy Daisy but if they are nor around he's happy with any cuddly toy. Neither of my boys has ever sucked their thumb.

I think some babies do need dummies. Babies have a need to suck, and sometimes if a baby is bottle fed they won't get enough sucking from feeding so they might need a dummy. But bf babies suck for longer when feeding so they don't usually need any extra sucking from a dummy.

The only time I hate seeing dummies is in toddlers' mouths walking around town. They should be learning to talk and they can't do that with a dummy in their mouth.

I have a love hate relationship with dummies. Both my girls have them but i really hate the fact they do lol I don't like using them and worry about dd1's teeth (she is 2). But dd1 was very poorly from about 7 months til 1 year and a dummy saved our sanity and gave her some comfort when she was ill. the result is that she is a bit of a dummy addict and i have no idea how we will break it for sleeping. She also has a cuski...which is the most amazing comforter ever...when she was at nursery it helped her feel secure if she ever didn't and again when ill it provided that much needed extra comfort. Since she has always loved having her eyes covered to sleep he doubles as an eye mask.

DD2 is less of a dummy baby altho she was such a sooky baby and I was so scared of letting her fall asleep on the breast all the time we introduced a dummy to give her that sensation without the boob...nope, I know it makes no sense as she now has a dummy instead of a boob lol I don;t think we'll have any probs getting her off it.

I don't like them having dummies when we are out but do use them. I am just an irrational dislike for them for no sensible reason altho only with my own kids...realy not bothered what anyone else does. My df annoys me sometimes though as he'll often give the girls dummies even if they are just getting into the car...for no reason. This winds me up as they don't want them or need them and in my mind he just builds a habit and dependence more than is needed!

So i think dummies are the work of the devil...and i am a bad bad girl who uses them
Comforters though i find adorable and really useful.

Jo x

I think anything that soothes a child is a good thing.

I have to admit that I don't LIKE dummies simply because I don't like the look of a lot of them (especially ones that seem to take over the child's face) and I hate it when I see people just shoving one in their child's mouth even when the child doesn't need soothing (but that seems to be the way in the town where I live )

However, with both my two I pre-bought the Avent totally transparent dummies just in case, because I wasn't going to deprive either daughter if it was something they needed to settle them. Penny had one for two weeks just before her 8 week jabs, and then one day she wouldn't have it again, and Harriet will not have one!! Penny sucks her thumb. Well she did anyway, and only when she was going to sleep. She seems to have stopped that now too. Harriet looks to be going the same way.

As for comforters, I think they're great except for one thing. If you get them something and they love it, buy replacements ASAP!! Penny has a Bunny that she absolutely adores so we bought 2 more "just in cases" and she wouldn't touch them!!!

Harriet seems to like a muslin cloth in her moses basket with her.

Can't quite see why bottles are included in this??? It's not as if bottles are exactly the same thing as something that comforts or soothes.