News

Literacy news

The dos and don'ts of dummies

1 Sep 2004

During your baby's early months a dummy can help to soothe. This is understandable, as most babies have a strong sucking reflex and the dummy can, in many cases, help to settle the child. However using the dummy too much can lead to the following problems:

Teeth:

incorrect positioning of teeth so that the bottom and top teeth at the front don't meet properly
tooth decay (especially the front teeth) if the dummy is dipped into sweet things

Mouth breathing:

your child may tend to breathe through their mouth rather than their nose. This is often linked to long-term dribbling

Speech and language problems:

your child may not use the full range of tongue movements that are necessary for making all the speech sound
your child has fewer opportunities to babble and use sounds to communicate with you

REMEMBER - the dummy is not a plug!:

1. Don't let a dummy become a habit
2. Use it at set times - when cross & tired or settling down to sleep
3. Never dip a dummy in drinks, honey, jam etc - this leads to teeth becoming rotten and decayed
4. Wait until your child needs the dummy rather than automatically giving it to them
5. Wean your baby off the dummy as soon as you can, preferably by 12 months old. It is much easier then than at 2-3 years old!

Things you need to know about dummies and bottles

What you should know

Not all babies need a dummy/bottle.
Speech and language therapists recommend that children over 12 months old do not use a dummy/bottles.
Dummies/bottles are not suitable for breast fed babies until feeding is established.
If your child uses a dummy/bottle a lot, it may affect speech and language development by restricting tongue movements, making speech sound unclear or causing a gap in the front teeth that may lead to a lisp.
Dummies/bottles may also make it more difficult for your child to swallow and may make your child more "dribbly"

What can you do if your child uses a dummy?

Aim to get rid of the dummy/bottle around 12 months or sooner.
Use a flat teat rather than a cherry teat as this has less effect on teeth.
Try cuddling or reading to your child before bedtime instead of giving the dummy/bottle.
Remove the dummy/bottle when your child is trying to talk.
Praise your child if s/he will give up the dummy/bottle.
Choose the right time to give up - not when you are under pressure.
Once you have decided to give up the dummy/bottle, don't be tempted to give it back and make sure there are none left around!

Ideas that parents have tried

Give the dummy/bottle to Santa.
Swap the dummy/bottle for a gift/cuddly toy/new toothbrush.
Pretend to give the dummy/bottle to a friend's baby.
Get the child to throw the dummy/bottle in the bin.
Hand the dummy/bottle to your local speech and language therapist who will give your child a sticker or picture to colour in.

Things parents have told us: