Is it time to give up the dummy?

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Dummies bring comfort and security to thousands of babies and young children, yet so many people are against them. Why? Here are the facts - and the fiction - about dummies so that you can make up your own mind, and decide if your toddler's ready to go it alone.

The good news about dummies

Give a crying baby his dummy and watch what happens. The screaming stops, the baby sucks frantically, calms down and often nods off to sleep. To a sleep-deprived parent this can seem nothing short of a miracle.

1. Young babies have a strong sucking reflex and love using it, that's why they're so fond of dummies.

2. A dummy can help your baby get to sleep and stay asleep. If he wakes briefly, sucking his dummy will often get him back to sleep - without you having to wake up and console him.

3. Dummies give you a break from feeding. Many babies want to keep sucking even when they've had enough milk. Dummies can prevent you over-feeding or having your baby permanently attached to your breast!
WARNING: Sucking on a dummy rather than a breast can mess up the mothers' milk supply in very young babies. For this reason breastfed babies shouldn't be given a dummy until they're at least four weeks old.

4. According to The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths settling your baby to sleep with a dummy - even for naps - can reduce the risk of cot death, even if it falls out while they're asleep, For more information go to www.sids.org.uk

5. Latest research reveals that adults who had dummies as babies are less likely to take up smoking.

Not all babies like dummies though. If he doesn't take to it straight away, don't force it on him. It won't work.