Baby dummies debate

Dummies surely rank as the most loathsome invention in the history of parenting.  The most significant problem is their impact on speech development: you try talking with a plum jammed in your mouth – it’s next to impossible. 

Prolonged use of dummies has also been linked to a 33% increase in middle ear infections, which are not only painful and potentially damaging but can also contribute to speech problems.  Not being able to talk properly is a major cause of frustration and tantrums among toddlers.

Dummies have been shown to interfere with breastfeeding.  They can cause dental problems by making the teeth grow incorrectly, while dummies dipped in sugary solutions can cause tooth decay. 

Dirty dummies (and most are) carry infection.  Plus dummy-suckers often breathe through their mouth rather than their nose, which can make them long-term dribblers.  Yuk!

The government has recently revised its advice about dummies in the light of new evidence that they may cut the risk of Sudden Infant Death.  While anything that reduces the risk of cot death is to be welcomed, it’s important to realise the advice is very specific. 

The government is only recommending dummies be given to babies when they go to sleep, and only up to the age of six months, when the danger of cot death starts to fall.  But most parents don’t use dummies judiciously for a specific reason.  Rather, they’re plugged in as a catch-all answer 24-7, making our babies and toddlers look like extras from The Simpsons.

Then there are the consequences for parents: the disturbed nights when the dummy gets lost under the bedcovers in the small hours, the tantrums trying to wean a preschooler of his pacifier. 

Parents should pacify and affection should be transferred to teddies and toys, not plastic plugs that make children look like they’re auditioning for the role of Hannibal Lecter.