Dummy advice

Hi, so I'll tell you what my midwife told me. I have no personal opinion but I asked recently about this, and she said the following.

Firstly she recommended the Suavinex Zero Zero dummy, in the smallest size. She said not to size up with age, because your nipple doesn't get bigger as they age so this is the easiest way to ensure it doesn't interfere with breastfeeding (if that's a concern you have?).
I had asked because my baby sucks her thumb a lot. I was told to wait until the breastfeeding is fully established (mine is 1m old) and that she's not being supplemented with formula, and then wait to see if we can discourage the thumb. If not, a dummy is better than letting her suck her thumb because it can be taken away. If she sucks her thumb, there's no sure way of 100% stopping her and it affects their feeding and linguistic development, and also their dental health.

Dummies help self soothe when they should try self soothing. My first took one and we simply didn't give it to her all the time. It was for sleep and overstimulation in public places. Not just hanging out at home or on a play date; not for when she was hungry or needed her caretaker. If you add a dummy, Go through the checklist if she is fussy the same as you would have before. Wet, hungry, gassy, tired, needing comfort, sick, teething etc...and give it to her when she's ready to lay down or having an unusually hard adjustment.

It can't replace her needs if you're meeting them. For instance, if she calms down when you feed her because she's communicating hunger, that's likely not the time to give her a dummy. Try to keep track of how frequently she gets hungry and observe her hunger cues she makes before crying. Pre-make, bottles and offer it before crying.

If you don't want her dependent on a dummy. It's probably best not to give her one. She is still very young try a baby sling then you can still do things while she is close to you.

Hi if u feel it will give her some comfort do it x

Hi, I would say don’t start them on a dummy unless you really feel like it will help you
My son is now 15 months old and he’s never ever had a dummy it’s been hard work trying to settle since newborn but the hard work pays off knowing you won’t have to wean them off a dummy
Do what you think is best xx

We didn’t use a dummy for our first but with our 2nd we bought some in case. Around 2 months old he was trying to self settle but seemed like he was just struggling a bit (after being fed, changed, was tired etc) so my husband said ‘let’s just try it’.. within 30 seconds he was asleep 😂 we only use it for naps and sleep at night and it’s going well! Yes we may have to wean him off one day but it’s been worth it so far haha.

We use a dummy for sleep times only now and it’s been a huge help for us. He had one from the start and it didn’t interfere with breastfeeding either.

Will definitely be giving it a go for second baby too.

I second what someone above said about not always giving it and going through the checklist of needs first - but it’s honestly been a huge help in our household