What are your thoughts on dummies?
Most people tend to either love them or hate them, but here are our recommendations around dummies.
1. We are definitely pro dummies in the newborn stage - they satisfy a very strong need to suck and are very soothing (and can give mum a break!)
2. Dummies should not be used in lieu of feeding baby.
3. Beyond 3/4 months, dummies can become a deeply-ingrained sleep association which can result in A LOT of dummy runs overnight.
4. If you feel comfortable doing so, we recommend getting rid of the dummy some time around the 3 - 6 month.
5. Babies can learn to reliably find and replace their own dummy at around 8/9 months old, and you can help them by getting a sleepytot that the dummy attaches to, and having lots of dummy in their cot.
6. If you choose to keep the dummy beyond 8 months, we recommend you keep it until they are over 2.5-years old as it can be a very difficult process to remove something they are so strongly attached to until such time as you can talk to them about it.
Did you, or do you use a dummy with your little one?
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