Dummy or Bottle?

What you should know

Prolonged use of a dummy or bottle teat can hinder some aspects of your babies development. Speech & Language Therapists recommend that children over 12 months old should not use a dummy or bottle. Dummies are not suitable for breastfed babies until feeding is established as the suck technique is different from bottle feeding and may interfere with a suitable suck technique for breast feeding.

If your child uses a dummy or bottle a lot it may affect speech and language development by:

• Restricting tongue movements which may make your child talk late
• Changing the pattern of tongue movements making speech sounds unclear
• Causing a gap between the upper and lower front teeth which may lead to a lisp

Dummies may also make it difficult for your child to swallow and make your child become more 'dribbly'.

What can you do if your child uses a dummy?

• Use a dummy as little as possible
• Use a flat or orthodontic teat rather than a round cherry shape teat as this is likely to cause less damage to the position of the teeth
• Don't dip the dummy into anything sugary
• Never use a bottle as a soother
• Try cuddling or reading to your child at bedtimes instead of giving them the dummy
• Health Visitors recommend that dummies are not used at sleep time as the child may wake up if the dummy falls out
• Remove the dummy when your child is trying to talk
• Try to get rid of the dummy at around 12 months or sooner
• Praise your child if he/she will give up the dummy
• Choose the right time for your child to give up their dummy - not when you are under pressure

Once you have decided your child should give up the dummy, don't be tempted to give it back, and make sure there are none left around.

Ideas that other parents have tried:

• Give the dummy to Santa
• Swap the dummy for a gift / cuddly toy / new toothbrush
• Offer a comfort blanket instead
• Pretend to give the dummy to a friend's baby
• Get your child to throw the dummy in the bin
• Hand the dummy in to your local speech & language therapist who will give your child a sticker or a picture to colour in.

Things parents have told us:

"It wasn't as bad as I thought, I just decided it had to go"

"He has started talking now we have got rid of the dummy"

"After a couple of nights he stopped asking for the dummy"

If you would like further advice, please contact the Speech & Language Therapy Department on 01782 552485, Stoke Speaks Out on 01782 234501 or the Directorate of Health Promotion on 01782 744444.

Developed jointly by SureStart, Speech & Language Therapy and the Directorate of Health Promotion on behalf of Newcastle under Lyme PCT, Staffordshire Moorlands PCT, North Stoke PCT & South Stoke PCT.