Your Newborn & Dummies.

I’m often asked if I am supportive of dummy (or pacifier) use for newborn babies. My answer is always I will support any parent’s informed choice. We all have a unique toolkit to help us parent and the dummy is very helpful to some babies!

A dummy can be the ultimate weapon when it comes settling your baby to sleep but it can also hinder the breastfeeding relationship if not used with some cautions. An example of this is when strangers comment on baby using the breast like a dummy - “dummy sucking on the breast”, but in fact it’s the other way around! If we replaced the baby’s request to suckle from a dummy to the mother’s breast, we will truly nurture the supply and demand factor for successful exclusive breastfeeding.

My main points for successful breastfeeding alongside the use of a dummy:

- Wait until breastfeeding is well established before introducing (4-6 weeks of age). This will maintain the signals to the breasts in the first weeks to meet baby’s breastmilk demands.

- Use it only for sleep periods. If baby is continually suckling on a dummy you may miss the cue’s for feeding.

- Keep it clean! We want to prevent infections. Mothers and babies who unfortunately get oral/nipple thrush may have to ditch the dummy sooner if it’s harbouring fungal bacteria.

- Choose a dummy teat shape that is symmetrical - like a “lightbulb” or “cherry” shape. As baby gets used to sucking a certain way on the teat shape, he/she can then suckle the same way at the breast which can lead to pinched and very sore nipples. Paying close attention to the fit and hold while you feed your baby will assist with this complication if it occurs.

- Try to phase it out towards the end of baby’s first year

Remember, baby’s suckle to stimulate your milk supply. If you use a dummy, baby may breastfeed less which can impact your supply.