Why use a dummy?

The dummy, baby's best friend, brings comfort to your little one and relief to parents. Yet we sometimes forget the whole host of other benefits this little marvel offers. While babies have other options, such as the thumb, a finger or even a comforter, nothing quite replaces the trusty dummy.

The first and best-known benefit of using a dummy is, of course, how it soothes your baby and gives them a sense of well-being. Even from the earliest days, a child can feel stress, anxiety or frustration, and the dummy is sometimes the only way to calm them. That's why it's so important not to lose your baby's dummy, and we always recommend keeping a dummy clip to hand. Sucking on a dummy reminds your baby of feeding at the breast or bottle. Sucking actually releases endorphins, which gives your little one that lovely feeling of well-being.

While the benefits of a dummy may seem obvious to some parents, this little object has other positives up its sleeve. In particular, using a dummy plays an important role in reducing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Researchers have confirmed this: sleeping with a dummy helps your baby's ventilation and breathing, and so limits the risk of reflux.

As your baby grows, they feel the urge to touch everything and pop whatever they find into their mouth. This is where the dummy becomes a welcome distraction, keeping your baby busy as they concentrate on sucking. It also eases the worry many parents feel about the dangers of their little one putting other objects in their mouth. And this gentle distraction helps babies keep to their mealtime routines, as it stops them dwelling on food between meals.

Another benefit of the dummy that's well worth a mention, for mum and dad as much as for baby, is its pain-relieving effect. While there's no miracle cure for baby's colic beyond massaging their tummy or back, sucking on a dummy can bring some relief. Do remember to keep a few personalised baby bodysuits to hand if your little one suffers from colic, so you can change them regularly.

The dummy also helps regulate baby's waking and sleeping cycles, as it helps them drop off more quickly. Thanks to those endorphins, your child enjoys better-quality sleep — which delights parents too.

It plays a key role for premature babies in particular: using a dummy helps baby take to the bottle, supporting their feeding and helping them build up their strength.
Sucking on a dummy also aids digestion. Milk and puréed foods, for example, are rich in fats and proteins that can be tricky to digest, and sucking helps break food down for easier digestion.

When it comes to teeth, sucking on a dummy affects the alignment of the teeth far less than thumb-sucking does. What's more, teething can be painful for your little one, and biting and sucking help to soothe sore gums — you might also like a teething ring for your baby.

The dummy is wonderfully practical too: it's easy to carry and store, and easy to find again thanks to dummy clips that fasten to your baby's clothes.

It also encourages better coordination of sucking, swallowing and breathing, helping to prevent your baby from choking.

On the hygiene side, a dummy can be sterilised, and swapped or replaced when it wears out or goes missing — unlike thumb-sucking. It can even help your little one build up resistance to allergies. Although a dummy is more hygienic than sucking a thumb, it still carries a few microbes, and these encourage the body to develop bacteria that help build up its immune defences. A benefit to enjoy with a little caution, though!

The dummy also makes for a smoother transition between home and the new places your child will discover, such as nursery or school. Sucking on the dummy reminds them of home and helps them settle in more easily.

For extra reassurance, dummies are dermatologically checked and tested. Sold in pharmacies, they're a product you can trust completely, giving you real peace of mind about your baby's safety. Strict standards require dummies to be tested before they go on sale. Available in a range of sizes and styles, they keep both your little one and you nice and relaxed.
Best of all, parents stay in control of their use, which is only ever temporary.

As you can see, the dummy has plenty going for it and is a real ally for parents and little treasures alike, both physically and physiologically. Paediatricians even recommend the dummy over the thumb. Reaching for the dummy really can bring some lovely surprises.