You’d think there were far more important things to worry about as the parent of a baby or toddler than the use of a dummy.
But it appears that the dreaded d.u.m.m.y (spelt out for our daughter Erin, to avoid using the actual word) seems to polarise opinion.
It was my sister who purchased Erin’s first dummy. It wasn’t given to us through necessity, or through any opinion she had formed herself, just as a gift as part of a huge pack of pink things for her new little niece.
And we didn’t use it straight away. Having been surrounded by the anti-dummy brigade since pregnancy, I myself had formed my own opinion that I really shouldn’t use a dummy as they don’t look that nice - which seemed to be the reason for most people’s aversion.
It was one dreadful night when Erin was nearly three months old that brought the d.u.m.m.y (sorry force of habit) into our lives. She was struck down with her first, and as it turned out, only dose of colic. She screeched for at least two hours straight, and we were frantic as to what we could do.
After attempting every other calming technique available to us, I remembered this little plastic gift that had been given to us by Auntie Katy.
“Shall we just try it?” was the exasperated plea of a rather bedraggled, shattered looking father.
Before I could respond with my emphatic “yes” I’d popped the dummy into Erin’s mouth - and there it was, silence.
Since realising the dramatic effect this small and seemingly insignificant contraption could deliver, both sets of grandparents now never take Erin anywhere without ensuring they have the dummy to hand. They may not like the way it looks, but at least they now appreciate its benefits.
I don’t have a strong enough opinion either way on dummies. I like Erin to go as long as she can in a day without relying on it for comfort. But if she’s tired and cranky and just needs something to settle her, I won’t hesitate to ‘plug her in’!
Erin’s still not quite old enough to explain how Santa takes dummies away to help little girls grow up (not the greatest plan yet, but it’s a work in progress). At some point of course there will need to be an extraction process, but in the meantime I will certainly always have one to hand!
