When to give dummies to infants?
The choice of when to use the dummy is up to the parents. However, in the case of breastfeeding, it is advisable to give the dummy no sooner than 15 days after birth, and better still after the first month, so as not to disorient the baby and prevent it from latching on to the breast with more difficulty: after this period, the use of the dummy does not compromise breastfeeding in any way.
How much to use it? How often?
The dummy can be an ally in facilitating the transition from waking to sleeping in babies, but not all babies like it (and in this case we advise you not to force it) as well as for comforting in many cases.
But we believe that the use of the dummy should be limited to moments of necessity and not constantly proposed ‘so he doesn't cry’. The baby cries to express a discomfort, a need, a condition requiring adult intervention, and the dummy is not always the only solution.
Moreover, constant and indiscriminate use can create a habit, almost a sort of ‘addiction’ that then - in the future - will become more difficult to break.
Yes, because the dummy has to go sooner or later.
Up to the age of two or three, the use of a dummy is still considered acceptable, but it would be better to get rid of it by that date also in order not to compromise the proper growth of the dental apparatus.
When to remove the dummy
The transition to ‘non-use’ can be approached in two ways:
- gradually, trying to limit its use more and more. During the day, don't put it in sight and don't offer it first, but in the event of a request from the child try to distract him or in any case remove it when you see that it is not necessary; at bedtime - be it afternoon or night - don't offer the dummy because your child may not remember it;
- in one go, perhaps at a quiet time, such as during the holidays.