I refuse to give my 4 month old daughter a dummy as she sucks her thumb as a soother.?

Question

who agrees with me? I know people whose kids still have a dummy at 3 and 4 years of age and they wont part with it.

Answer 1

i agree with you 100%. I did give my son a dummy, which he only used to get himself to sleep. At about four monthis, he started to push the dummy out and put his thumb in hs mouth instead, so I stopped giving it to him. I prefer him to suck his thumb rather than have a dummy. I hate seeing children and babies with dummies in their mouths for no reason.

Answer 2

I Gave My Daughters A Soother , At 1Yr Old They Only Had It At Bed Time.
My Nephew Sucked His Thumb, He's Now 19 yrs (He Will Hate Me For This) Sometimes When He's Fallen Asleep On The Sofa In Goes The Thumb.
You Can Take A Soother Away You Can't Take A Thumb.

Answer 3

my daughter is almost six months so she has only really just found her thumb but she also has a dummy. She knows what she wants when she wants it. Usually when you give her dummy and she doesn't want it she will spit it out! She had it till about 10 weeks I think but then all of a sudden didn't want it. then when she was ill just after her jabs she took the dummy! But really i agree with the fact that you can take away a dummy but you can't take away a thumb. I know this because my brother is 24 and still sucks his thumb!!! But after everything you still think how cute they look with their thumbs in their mouth!

Answer 4

Your kid your choice right but a word of advice...i am a dental assistant and trust me when i say it is a lot easier to break the dummy habit as opposed to the thumb habit...see sucking a thumb can cause the child palate to vault and teeth to stck out then alot of work will be needed to fix this problem later in life and a lot of money! ( ex palatal expanding appliances and braces at a young age and for a long time.) the kids thumb is always with them as with a dummy is not. not that either is a great idea but if you have to choose between the to go for the dummy...its easier to ween them off not to mention the fact that if you just take it away they have no choice but not to use it. Good Luck oh and just a note regarding the person that said that thumbs are esier to keep clean..they are not you child uses their hands for everything and bacteria builds up on the thumbs more than other fingers not to mention that it grows under and areound the nails ...the other thing is that eventually your childs thumb will start to deform (ever heard of a hitchhikers thumb? ) it will look all bend backwards and stuff. GOod LUck

Answer 5

It is alot easier the break the child of a pacifier/dummy because you simply take it away. Her thumb is attached. The reason 3 & 4 yr old kids still have a dummy is because their parents are push overs.

Answer 6

They make pacifiers that are orthodontically correct, meaning they lessen the chance of having permanent tooth changes with using one. The thumb will open the bite over time and you also see thumbsuckers at 11 years old--I have a patient like that and she needs braces and some special appliances to break her from thumbsucking. Just don't let her thumbsuck beyond about 3 years old or so. It's tough but at 4 months old, you don't know which way she will go. I'm sure it's fine for now but just keep an eye on the thumbsucking habit so that it doesn't prolong as well. Good luck and congrats.

By the way, my son is 10 months old and never liked the pacifier so sometimes you don't have a choice--it depends on the baby.

Answer 7

My son had a dummy, but he also liked to suck his thumb when he went to sleep ( i did not allow him to have a dummy in his cot, they end up waking and crying until you replace it)
He then decided he didnt want a dummy anymore, he now continues to suck his thumb, through the day too, he mainly does it when he is getting tired.
The problem is though, he sucks it and makes it sore on the joint, this then blisters and falls off, and so it continues.
So I really would't want to say which is worse, I cannot take his thumb off him, unlike a dummy.
All children are different though. If you do give her a dummy, limit the time she is allowed it, some parents just ram them in their mouths all the time.

Answer 8

Hard to say what will be best at this age since they may grow out of it.
My babes never sucked their thumb but needed to be pacified with a dummy.
1. A thumb can always be found at night but pacifiers/dummys can get lost and you have to get up and find it.
2. Easier to take a dummy away, not easy to take a thumb away.
My babes rid the dummy within a few days.

Answer 9

It's better the dummy because too much suction could deform the thumb (I've seen it). That doesn't mean that your baby will be using the dummy for years. My older son used dummy until 8 months old. I have a 6 months baby and he uses dummy as well. When you see that is the right time you can start to make her stop gradually to use the dummy. but it is up to you!

Answer 10

there are pros and cons of both
sucking your thumb is unhygienic and remember it can become a habit more than a soother later in life, i know 18 year olds who still suck their thumb
using a dummy has obvious dental concerns in terms of teething and how the teeth grow

Personally i would let my Lil one use a dummy because you can help them grow out of using them just like potty training, however, thumb sucking can become an irreversible habit and lets be fair how many 7/8 yr olds do you see still using dummies none i believe.

Answer 11

I gave my son a dummy and removed it age 2. We did this gradually starting with not having it during the day. Then the dummy fairy came and replaced it with a toy. He is 3 and a half now and doesn't suck his thumb. I think that is is a better option as you can't remove a thumb and it's a harder habit to break. Also thumb sucking is worse for tooth development. It is however personal choice. Best wishes xx