Dummies

Overview

A dummy — also called a pacifier or soother — is a small soft teat on a plastic shield that a baby sucks on for comfort. Babies are born with a strong urge to suck, and a dummy can help them settle, calm down, or fall asleep. Many parents find them useful, especially at nap time and bedtime. Dummies are not medicine and they are not harmful in themselves. The main things that matter are using them safely, keeping them clean, and helping your child give them up at the right age.

Yes. Dummies are extremely common around the world. In the UK, many parents use one at some point, often in the first few months of a baby's life. Using a dummy is a normal parenting choice, not a sign of doing anything wrong.

Dummies are used for babies and young children, mostly under 12 months and often up to about 3 years. How long a child uses one varies a lot from family to family and from country to country. The people who feel the effects most are parents and carers, who have to clean, replace, and eventually help their child give up the dummy.

Symptoms

Common symptoms

• Your baby settles quickly with the dummy but becomes upset when it falls out, including several times a night.
• Redness, dribbling, or a sore patch around the mouth from constant sucking and saliva.
• The dummy becomes 'the thing that must always be there' — your child will not sleep or settle without it.
• More ear infections in children who use a dummy beyond about 12 months.
• White patches in the mouth or a sore tongue (thrush — a yeast infection that likes dummy surfaces) if dummies are not cleaned well.
• In children who use a dummy for years, the front teeth may start to sit differently, or speech sounds may be less clear.

Symptoms in children

• Crying or distress when the dummy is lost, which can turn into a habit rather than a need.
• Teething discomfort that your child seems to link to the dummy.
• Biting through or chewing holes in the dummy as teeth arrive — a damaged dummy is a choking risk and should be thrown away.
• Speech: children who have a dummy in their mouth a lot during the day may practise talking less. This usually improves quickly once daytime dummy use stops.

Symptoms in older adults

• This topic does not apply to older adults. Dummies are designed for babies and young children.
• If an older child or an adult is using a dummy and you are worried, talk to a doctor, dentist, or speech and language therapist. They can look at the reasons gently and without judgment.

Causes

Main causes

• Comfort: babies have a natural sucking reflex and sucking helps them feel calm and safe.
• Sleep: many parents use a dummy as part of a settling routine at nap time and bedtime.
• Medical settings: dummies are sometimes used during procedures, in neonatal units for premature babies, and to help with pain during small procedures.
• Habit and routine: what starts as a newborn comfort can become a strong daily habit that is hard to break later.
• Parental choice and advice: some families use a dummy because of guidance about sleep safety, or because it helps a tired parent cope.

Risk factors

• Using a dummy during the first weeks of breastfeeding, before feeding is well established — this can interfere with learning to feed.
• Dipping the dummy in sugar, honey, jam, or sweet drinks — this harms new teeth and is unsafe for babies under 1 year (honey can cause serious illness).
• Poor cleaning, or sharing dummies between children.
• Using dummies with cords, ribbons, or clips attached near the neck.
• Dummies that are old, cracked, or made of several parts that can come loose.
• Continuing dummy use well beyond 12 months, especially during the day, which raises the chance of ear infections, dental changes, and speech delay.
• A family history of dental crowding or orthodontic treatment, which can make the effects of long-term dummy use more noticeable.

When to see a doctor

See a doctor urgently if:

• A baby under 3 months with a temperature of 38°C or higher.
• Signs of choking, gagging, or difficulty breathing at any time.
• Ear pain, discharge from the ear, or a child who is very unsettled with a fever.
• White patches or sores in the mouth that are not settling, or a baby who stops feeding well.
• A dummy has broken and you are not sure whether your child swallowed a piece.

Book a routine appointment if:

• You would like help helping your child give up the dummy.
• Your child is over 12 months and still using a dummy during the day.
• You are worried about your child's teeth, bite, or the shape of their mouth.
• You are worried about speech or how clearly your child talks.
• Your child seems to catch one ear infection after another.
• You are expecting a new baby and want advice about dummies and breastfeeding.

Diagnosis

There is nothing to diagnose. A dummy is a product, not a condition. Your health visitor, GP, or dentist will simply ask about how, when, and how long your child uses the dummy, then give practical advice. If there is a specific worry — ear infections, teeth, or speech — they will check that area directly.

Tests that may be done

• No tests are usually needed.
• A look inside the mouth and throat if there are white patches, sores, or concerns about thrush.
• A look in the ears with a small torch-like instrument (otoscope) if ear infections are suspected.
• A dental check-up if there are concerns about the bite or the shape of the teeth.
• A speech and language assessment if your child is hard to understand or is not saying expected sounds for their age.

What to expect at your appointment

Appointments are short and relaxed. Your clinician will ask a few questions, look at your child if needed, and give you clear, practical steps. You will not be told off. The aim is to make life easier for you and your child, not to add pressure.

Treatment

There is no medical treatment for using a dummy — the aim is safe use and, when the time is right, gentle weaning. Most of the work is done by parents and carers at home, with support from a health visitor, pharmacist, or dentist. If using the dummy is linked to a health problem such as ear infections or thrush, that problem is treated in the usual way and the dummy habits are adjusted.

Self-care at home

• Choose a one-piece dummy with a shield that has air holes and is wide enough not to fit in your child's mouth.
• Clean and sterilise a new dummy before first use, then wash it often in warm soapy water and rinse well. Do not clean it by putting it in your own mouth.
• Never dip the dummy in sugar, honey, jam, or sweet drinks, and never put anything sweet on it to encourage use.
• Never tie a dummy around your child's neck or attach it to the cot or pram with a cord or ribbon. Use a short clip on clothing only if it is designed for that purpose and can be removed at sleep times.
• Replace dummies every 4 to 6 weeks, and straight away if they are cracked, sticky, torn, or discoloured.
• If you are breastfeeding, it is often advised to wait until feeding is well established (often around 4 to 6 weeks) before offering a dummy. Ask your midwife or health visitor for advice.
• Do not force a dummy on your baby, and do not put it back in once your baby is asleep.
• Limit daytime dummy use from around 12 months, keeping it for sleep times only, then drop nap-time use and finally bedtime.
• To wean, try dropping one dummy time at a time over a few weeks. Talk to your child about it in simple words, offer extra cuddles, and be prepared for a few unsettled days.
• If your child is teething, offer a clean, cool teething ring rather than letting them chew the dummy.

Medical treatments

There are no medicines that stop a child using a dummy, and none are needed. If your child has a health problem linked to dummy use, your GP or pharmacist can treat it in the usual way — for example, standard treatments for mouth thrush or an ear infection, or advice on suitable pain relief for your child's age. Always ask a pharmacist or doctor before giving a child any medicine, and never use a dummy as a way to give medicine. If speech is a concern, a speech and language therapist can offer simple exercises and advice.

When is surgery considered?

Surgery is almost never needed. Very rarely, if a child has used a dummy for many years and this has changed the shape of the mouth or bite, an orthodontist (a dentist who straightens teeth) may recommend treatment later on. This is uncommon, and stopping the dummy early usually prevents the problem.

Living with this condition

Try to keep dummy use predictable and limited — for example, only at nap time and bedtime, and kept out of sight during the day. Have two or three identical dummies so there is always a clean one ready, and keep spares in a bag when you go out. Wash your hands before handling the dummy.

Lifestyle tips

• Build a simple bedtime routine — bath, book, cuddle — so the dummy is one small part of settling, not the only way to sleep.
• Offer other comforts: a small soft toy, a favourite blanket, white noise, or your voice and touch.
• Praise your child for time without the dummy, and keep the tone positive rather than a battle.
• Agree the plan with everyone who cares for your child — grandparents, childminders, and nursery — so it is consistent.
• Do not start weaning during a big change such as moving house, starting nursery, or a new baby arriving. Pick a calm few weeks.

Diet and exercise

Dummy use does not change what your child should eat or how much they move. Keep offering a healthy, varied diet and let your child be active every day. Avoid filling the dummy with anything — no food, no sweeteners, no honey — and do not use the dummy to delay meals. If your child is hungry, they need milk or food, not a dummy.

Mental health and emotional wellbeing

It is completely normal to feel judged about your child's dummy, or to feel anxious about taking it away. Some parents worry their child will never stop, or feel guilty about using one at all. These feelings are common and usually pass. If the dummy is helping you cope with a difficult stage, that matters too — your wellbeing counts. If you feel low, overwhelmed, or you are struggling with sleep for a long time, talk to your health visitor or GP. In the UK, you can also contact a home-visiting support service for parents. If you ever feel you cannot keep yourself or your child safe, call your local emergency number straight away.

Prevention

You cannot prevent a child from wanting to suck — it is a normal reflex. What you can do is reduce the chance of problems by using a dummy safely, keeping it clean, limiting it to sleep times after the early months, and planning to stop before the age of about 2. Many families choose not to use a dummy at all, and that is fine too.

Screening programmes

There is no specific screening programme for dummy use. Your child's routine health and development checks — such as the reviews in the first two years, and dental check-ups from around the first tooth or first birthday — are good opportunities to raise any worries about dummies, teeth, or speech.

Complications

If left untreated

• Ear infections becoming more frequent in children who use a dummy beyond about 12 months.
• Changes to the bite or the shape of the roof of the mouth, especially with long-term use past about 3 years.
• Speech sounds that are less clear because the tongue and lips get less practice.
• Thrush or skin soreness around the mouth from poor cleaning.
• Accidents: choking on a damaged dummy, or strangulation from a cord or ribbon attached to it.
• A habit that becomes harder to break the longer it goes on.

Long-term outlook

The outlook is very good. Most children stop using a dummy between 1 and 3 years, often with a little gentle help, and any effects on teeth or speech usually settle once the dummy is gone. Many parents find the build-up is harder than the reality. With a calm plan, plenty of cuddles, and a bit of patience, the dummy days come to a natural end — and if you need support getting there, it is there for you.

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