Literacy news
Use of dummies
1 Sep 2006
Speech and language therapy advice and guidance from Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Trust.
Why do we give our babies a dummy?
Because:
- They need a soother
- It shuts them up
- He/she is used to it
- Habit - I didn't want him/her to have it for this long but I can't get it off him/her
As babies get older they need to learn to move their mouths in different ways, to smile, to blow bubbles, to make sounds, to chew food and eventually to talk. As babies move their mouths and experiment with babbling sounds they are learning to make the quick mouth movements needed for speech. The more practice they get the better their awareness of their mouths and the better their speech will be.
How do you get rid of a Dummy?
- Wean them off - gradually decrease its use
- Only give the dummy at certain times - bedtime or when they are not well
- Tell them that big boys/girls put their dummies on the dummy tree
- Persuade them to give (all) their dummies to their nursery teacher
- Give rewards (but not sweets)
- Use a star chart to motivate them
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