While dummies can be a beautiful soothing aid, we aim to provide additional facts that may help you in making an informed decision as to whether you do or don’t want to keep them beyond the newborn stage 🥰🫶🏻💫
👂🏻 Ear infections
The incidence of middle ear infections are three times higher in babies who use a dummy compared to those who don’t. Please be mindful that the more frequently your baby uses a dummy, the higher their risk of developing or being predisposed to ear infections.
🦷 Misaligned teeth
Your baby is at an increased risk of developing an anterior (front) open bite and a posterior (back) crossbite. Please note that malocclusion can also occur from thumb/finger sucking, or if your baby experiences sleep disordered breathing (SDB), such as sleep apnoea, snoring, or open mouth breathing.
🤱🏻 Impacts breastfeeding
Introducing a dummy before 6 weeks of age, before breastfeeding is fully established, may impact your baby’s ability to latch onto the breast and lead to missed hunger cues. This, in turn, can disrupt feeding, affect your milk supply, and hinder weight gain. Therefore, it is recommended to introduce a dummy from* 6 weeks of age, once breastfeeding is fully established.
🤚🏻 Babies are unable to find and replace their own dummies until they develop the pincer grasp, usually around 8 months of age. Therefore, if you choose to keep the dummy into their toddler years, you may need to assist them in finding and replacing it between sleep cycles until they reach this developmental milestone.
Did these study’s surprise you? 🩷🫶🏻💫