The Dummy or the Thumb?
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Category: Have A Baby?
Forum Name: First baby? Second or more?
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Topic: The Dummy or the Thumb?
Posted By: Twinboys2b
Subject: The Dummy or the Thumb?
Date Posted: 19 January 2009 at 2:03pm
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The dummy or the thumb, what should I be encouraging/discouraging more?
Eli goes to sleep without either needed but during his day sleeps he can often grizzle before his next feed. He will resettle himself & go back to sleep with his thumb or I can easily stick a dummy in him & he'll do the same. nb. I don't usually have the issue anymore of having to put the dummy back in so that's not a worry for me. Eli sleeps all night no probs. my thoughts: I would think dummy because you can get rid of that latter in life rather than thumbs! But I hate the look of dummy's (although they have been lifesavers for me in the early days). Both boys will only suck on the latex cheap dummy's, not the orthopeadic ones. Would like to know what others have done & if there is a recommended option? ------------- 3yr old gorgeous ID twin boys. |
Replies:
Posted By: ElfsMum
Date Posted: 19 January 2009 at 2:06pm
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we use a dummy and i was up a lot in the first 7 months putting it back in( i see you dont have that issue) for E it is a great sleep cue and he loves it..but we will be getting rid of it soon as I'm not big on older babies having dummies and he never has it out of bed(I'm big on that too though when he was tiny he did sometimes..) I think with thumbs there isnt much you can do to stop it? ------------- Mum to two amazing boys! |
Posted By: lisa85
Date Posted: 19 January 2009 at 2:21pm
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I love the dummy! I only give them to the girls in bed so its a sleep cue for them and I love that if they wake in the night (which isn't often) all I have to do is put the dummy back in and problem solved. We never get the girls outta bed at night.
My sister has huge problems at the moment getting her 7 year old to stop sucking her thumb. Shes started to get problems with her teeth and my sister is worried shes going to have to fork out for braces 
I don't want the girls to have it for any longer than 2 years though so I'm a little scared for the day when I have to lose them but I'll worry about that later. Also twinboys this could be helpful to you one of the ladies from the multiple birth club was telling me that dummys are fantatstic for prem babies because they help build strength in their back palate which helps them to suck and swallow. I was told that for prem twins dummys can really help oral development. Not sure how correct this is but its sounds possible  -------------  
TTC #3 since Jan 2010 - PCOS MC April 2010 |
Posted By: fire_engine
Date Posted: 19 January 2009 at 2:25pm
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I hate dummies but am using one cos it works like magic as a sleep cue. Daniel is able to put it back in by himself which is good. I know there's the "you can't get rid of the thumb" argument, but I think if the kid is going to be a sucky kid (I mean that literally!), they'll use whatever is around! I only (usually) use the dummy for sleep or if we're in the car and Daniel is getting tired, or if we're doing a long distance car trip. I had been really put off by seeing kids who always have a dummy in, even when they're just mellow and happy and wanting to babble with mum.
I hate the look of them too! The latest I've read (position paper from UK) is you probably want to get rid of them before 1, if you want to minimise any orthodontic effects. The Sleep Store has good stuff about getting rid of the dummies. One advantage of doing it when they're older is that you can do a wee ceremony - wave goodbye, they get something in place of the dummy etc. ------------- Mum to two wee boys |
Posted By: Twinboys2b
Date Posted: 19 January 2009 at 2:27pm
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You're right, dummy's are great for prems to get the suck/swallow reflex going & was useful for the boys in NICU for breastfeeding.
At the begining we used it too often & had the whole fall out of the mouth & they wake & cry. But now we too only use it in bed & only if they grizzle before a feed is due so I think I've done well to get them out of the habit of them needing it to get to sleep. I just wondered if I stick a dummy in & pull out his thumb is that good or bad - I too don't want Eli to have to have braces from it. edited/added: Oh yes & we use them alot for outings, just to settle them in the car when we stop at lights...lol or when they're a bit ansy. Jacob is yet to suck on his thumb - he sticks his fingers in his mouth due to teething but no real sucking so when he fusses he gets the dummy because he can't sooth himself back to sleep. ------------- 3yr old gorgeous ID twin boys. |
Posted By: Shezamumof3
Date Posted: 19 January 2009 at 2:33pm
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I would be more inclined to try and stop the thumb sucking. I think its worse when you see a kid sucking their thumb at an older age. I still dont like seeing 2yr olds and older sucking dummies though, but it is really up to the parent.
Caden has a dummy, and we have no problems with them, its a life saver sometimes, but we will be weaning him off it after he is one. I think for the time being a dummy is fine, it really helps him settle when he goes to bed, and cos he is teething he likes to suck on it and it calms him down when he is upset, I dont think there is anything wrong with dummies. ------------- |
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 19 January 2009 at 2:40pm
If he wants to suck his thumb, I'm not sure there's much you can do to stop him. My brother sucked his thumb till he was at least 12 (actually I wouldn't be surprised if he still does  ) despite mums best efforts to stop him doing it. He only really stopped when he got old enough to think it wasn't a 'cool' thing to do.
I've been lucky, none of mine are big suckers, but they do all have comfort toys which are their sleep cues. Lil miss has found her thumb tho and does suck it when she's tired, altho when she's actually asleep she tends to sleep with it out of her mouth and her manky blanky comfort blanket over her face. I hate dummies with a passion, we tried them in desperation with the gremlins and I spent more time putting them back in when they fell out than I did listening to them scream when they didn't have a dummy so I gave up. They were useful for settling them when they were in hospital in the first 10 weeks tho. -------------  Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: kiwisj
Date Posted: 19 January 2009 at 4:47pm
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Callum has been trying to get his thumb in his mouth since we brought him home but I think he prefers the dummy at the moment. We were told it was good for the suck/swallow thing while in NICU as well and that prem babies are often "sucky". It saved my sanity at 6am this morning after 2 hours of feeding when Callum STILL wanted to suck! Callum seems to suck till he is drifiting off and then he's not really interested.
I tend to agree with Maya, if he wants to suck his thumb he will but if he's happy with the dummy then no harm giving him that either. ------------- SJ Callum - Dec 2008 Daniel - Oct 2010 |
Posted By: Chickaboo
Date Posted: 19 January 2009 at 7:43pm
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Note: there has been tests that say Dummys can help prevent cot death due to them constantly having them in their mouth and sucking.
My 2 year old has one and i was going to get rid of it now but have decided not to at the mo cause when I tried a week ago he decided to suck his fingers or thumbs and I would rather have a dummy any day - he doesn't have it outside of bed and most times when we go out i don't take it with us (only times when I think he will have a sleep do we take it) - you cant exactly leave the thumb at home. Rhyley was a sucker from day one - even the midwife said - and my theory is "You can take the dummy off them you can't take the thumb" But then I don;t have issues with dummies and they have been a life saver most time. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
876 |
Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 19 January 2009 at 7:49pm
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Just go with whatever seems to be the easiest. My eldest has suckled two fingers since she was 2wks old, I don't really have a problem with it and I'm noticing that she does it less and less often. e.g. when she was 2 she did it when she was tired or upset or shy etc. Now that she is 5 it really is a sleep-only thing.
We introduced DD2 to the dummy when she was coming up 3mos. She did take to it well (she had never been a finger/thumb suckler) but at 8-9mos she started eating it so we had to ditch it - fairly early for a dummy suckler. Since then she has doubled over her tongue and suckled that! I don't really mind either. The best thing about fingers/thumbs is that they won't get lost! And as far as buck teeth go, they seem to have equal chances but it's not as bad as people make out. (btw I sucked my thumb until I was 12yrs and I don't have a problem with my teeth). ------------- |
Posted By: 11111
Date Posted: 20 January 2009 at 7:23am
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We are all for the thumb here. So much easier to deal wit hin the no=ight with Aaln we were up so many times finding the stupid dummy Mikey has been more settled baby/kid becasuae he can self sooth. Emily is also a thumb girl. ------------- Deborah Mum to:   
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Posted By: CuriousG
Date Posted: 20 January 2009 at 7:44am
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We used dummies, I loved them. It was interesting hearing people's differing opinions on them but the one that stuck out for me was that kids who suck dummies are less likely to have dental problems than those that suck their thumbs - this came from my plunket nurse.
On saying that tho, I sucked my thumb for years (I think I stopped about 10) and my teeth are straight as! DD was a big sucker, she sucked and sucked and sucked - I used to cluster feed for about 6 hours every night when she was born and it was because she wanted to suck while sleeping! Once I introduced the dummy, it was so much better. We did used to have to get up to replace but hey, its better than 6 hours of constant on off feeding IMO! ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: Natalie_G
Date Posted: 20 January 2009 at 10:30am
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Put it this way I was a thumb sucker all the way upto Primary school (yeah sad) because of being a thumb sucker I needed a lot of work done in my mouth, e.g. Braces.
I only use a dummy maybe not even once a day, its really just a last resort when she has been fed, changed and burped and wont go to sleep. It sometimes doesnt even work. Once she starts getting teeth, dummys are gone and no sucking of fingers will be allowed lol. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
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Posted By: ellabellame
Date Posted: 20 January 2009 at 11:05am
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it's funny, i asked my mum this very same question yesterday because maia is quite a sucky baby and is trying to suck her thumb. i was sort of leaning toward the dummy for the simple reason that i can get rid of it easier than the thumb. mum said that she would choose the thumb because she's been in households where the kids needed a dummy to get to bed and there was always a mad hunt just before bedtime because the dummy would have gone walkabouts throughout the day. i guess this issue would be solved by buying afew dummies but who wants to constantly be spending money on new dummies.
i guess at the end of the day it's down to personal preference and whatever works for you. ------------- |
Posted By: busyissy
Date Posted: 20 January 2009 at 12:14pm
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Do what works best for you and your babies. I think of dummys as another tool just like a wrap or a teddy bear. We only use ours for bedtimes as not only do I not like the look of a child walking around with a dummy in their mouth all day, I think that constant use restricts their language development.
When it comes to the dummy or thumb debate my arguement has always been you can wean off a dummy but not a thumb. On the other hand (no pun intended) if they are determined to suck their thumb there is not a lot you can do about it, especially when they are sleeping. |
Posted By: Twinboys2b
Date Posted: 20 January 2009 at 3:09pm
I think Eli is also teething so he's started sucking his thumb for 'pain' relief. If I have a choice I think Dummy is the way to go but as you guys say I can't exactly stop him sucking his thumb. They are real sucky babies but for some reason Jacob hasn't learnt this trick yet which is fine by me. I had to show you a photo I just took of him with his thumb in his mouth fast asleep. The cutest part is he uses his other hand as a support to keep the thumb in.
Thanks for all your thoughts guys. ------------- 3yr old gorgeous ID twin boys. |
Posted By: ElfsMum
Date Posted: 20 January 2009 at 3:22pm
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what a gorgeous boy:)! ------------- Mum to two amazing boys! |
Posted By: Twinboys2b
Date Posted: 20 January 2009 at 3:30pm
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Just realised, you can very faintly see the 'Hospital' letters on the top of his linen.... I didn't steel any hospital linen promise - it just fell into my bag as I was leaving. ------------- 3yr old gorgeous ID twin boys. |
Posted By: lisa85
Date Posted: 20 January 2009 at 4:09pm
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Oh I'm so in love! -------------
TTC #3 since Jan 2010 - PCOS MC April 2010 |
Posted By: Twinboys2b
Date Posted: 20 January 2009 at 4:44pm
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Lisa, Eli says he likes older women & really likes the sound of Esme (nothing against Hazel) he just has his preferences so maybe some time in the future they can meet!! Jacob said Hazel sounds like his sort of women so a perfect match. Run that buy your ones first before I start promising the boys anything!!!! LOL ------------- 3yr old gorgeous ID twin boys. |
Posted By: tishy
Date Posted: 20 January 2009 at 4:50pm
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awwww he's such a cutie!
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Posted By: Twinboys2b
Date Posted: 20 January 2009 at 4:54pm
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First come first served... they're in hot demand!!!
How have your ones settled in after their trip? ------------- 3yr old gorgeous ID twin boys. |
Posted By: Twinboys2b
Date Posted: 20 January 2009 at 4:55pm
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oppps, I should write this in the twins thread otherwise I'll completely off track.
------------- 3yr old gorgeous ID twin boys. |
Posted By: busyissy
Date Posted: 20 January 2009 at 6:22pm
| Your boy is so beautiful! |
Posted By: Twinboys2b
Date Posted: 20 January 2009 at 6:26pm
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ohhh thanks guys... I agree... but I'm just a bit biased. ------------- 3yr old gorgeous ID twin boys. |