Dummies: When to stop, what routines should be used to wean baby?

As suckling is a need that can be constant from birth, it is easy to understand the usefulness of a dummy for the well-being of a baby who is unable to suckle his hands until he is 2.5 months old. In fact, without the uterine wall, he can no longer suck on his hands, whereas during his life in utero, he frequently sucked on his hands, for discovery, to fall asleep, to go back to sleep, to give himself pleasure... it was an integral part of his well-being in utero.

The dummy therefore helps to put baby to sleep, and also provides relief. It's therefore important that baby doesn't always have a dummy in his mouth, because he doesn't need one all the time, baby also needs to express himself, to smile... and at 1 or 2 months, he can't do that with a dummy. What's more, suckling makes baby more passive, as it encourages sleep, or at least passivity. And from birth, baby needs to do some motor skills regularly, lying flat on his stomach several times a day. To do this, baby must not be suckling in order to activate his motor skills correctly.

 

 How can you give up the dummy?

Weaning tips : :

- From 4 months, babies can be taught to throw the dummy in their crib (the parent will do this until baby can throw it, around 6 months, and they love doing it!) and we say goodbye to the cuddly toy and the dummy. Eventually, there will be a cuddly toy and a dummy in the crèche bed or at the nanny's.

 

 Tips for giving up the dummy

- Never use a dummy on the play mat (several times a day on the play mat and on the stomach as much as possible).

- Starting to wean your baby off the dummy completely between 4 and 7 months of age is a good time to start weaning.

Problems with the dummy: talking with the dummy opens up the teeth even when the jaw is closed, leading to pronunciation problems.

 

When should I stop using a dummy?

A permanent or very frequent dummy in babies leads to a lot of drooling because babies have not learned to close their mouths because their mouths are half-open with the dummy and their jaws are never closed.

 

Frequent pacifying leads to a passive jaw and sitting posture, which increases the risk of a false mouth.

 

Here's an excellent weaning tool for the reluctant:

https://www.clipp.fr/uk/

You can also find all our best advice in the following article for other mum tips.

Discover the Ma Petite Laine birth cocoon:

Innovation for baby's sleep

Created by a paediatric physiotherapist, baby sleeps without flinching.