Should I Give My Baby a Dummy?

Struggling to decide if you want to introduce one to your wee one? Here’s our unbiased breakdown of the pros and cons to help you decide…

Potentially reduces SIDS risk – The Department of Health advises that babies are put to sleep with a dummy, as there is some evidence that this reduces the risk of SIDS, even if baby spits their dummy out later in the sleep cycle. This research is still in its infancy; The NCT (National Childbirth Trust) explains the research here.
Great for colicy babies! It is thought that sucking on a dummy reduces colic pain.
Can help babies with GERD (reflux) – the suckling produces extra saliva which helps to neutralise stomach acid thus reducing discomfort.
Satisfies the need to comfort suckle – some babies are especially prone to this!
It’s easier to wean a baby off a dummy than off their thumb; a dummy can be binned but thumbs are there forever…

Breastfeeding mums may be concerned over potential nipple confusion, which is why it is advised to wait until after breastfeeding is established.
Attachment/dependency is another concern… it can be super awkward when your child, now 4, is roaring the shops down for dodie!
There is also the concern of potential dental issues. The British Dental Health Foundation advises against dummies, as does the Oral Health Foundation who discourage the use of dummies as they can cause the development of an ‘open bite‘ (when teeth shift to make space for the dummy), but they say an orthodontic dummy is less risky than a standard dummy.
The NHS states that dummies can affect speech development. ‘Talking Point’ explains why in more detail here.
There is also a suggested link between dummies and recurrent ear infections but more research is needed.