Neither of my children had a dummy. I didn’t really like the look of them. Substituting something natural for something unnatural, just because you couldn’t hack the noise. Babies make noise. Plus it looked cheap.
My eldest (4) still has a muslin he calls a Yah. His favourite is the “crispy yah” – an old, well chewed muslin square where the saliva has hardened on a corner, probably mixed with a bit of chewed up food. He likes to play with the crispy bit and tickle the end of his nose with it.
He complains when i try to give him a clean, fresh one because (you’ve guessed it) it’s not crispy.
At night he shoves about half of the muslin in his mouth and massages it with the muscles at the back of this throat producing a very loud clicking noise. I know this because if he ever sleeps in our bed it keeps me awake.
I find these Yahs everywhere. Discarded on the floor, down the side of the sofa, under his pillow, in the car. Disposing of them involves handling a soggy, smelly piece of cloth which makes me wince. Recently he has taken to having many Yahs all at once. I found this out when removing one from his mouth in the middle of the night (as I try to do every night) only to find 3 more under the duvet and one under the bed.
It is an obsession with hygiene implications. A dependancy way worse than any dummy, and tolerated only because we can’t face the consequences of taking them away.
In my face.
I too never used dummies with the boys, personally I can’t stand them but do understand peoples need. With W we had friends to stay when he was about 6 weeks and they couldn’t believed we restrained but I’m glad we did.
T never had anything, apart from now the obsession with dinosaurs, W has the stinky doggy, I do manage to put it in the machine once in a while, luckily we have a quick wash & dry in an hour cycle which works perfectly – sod the electric bill, it’s a hygiene necessity!!!
Not read your posts for ages, busy, busy, busy – when did you change the header – not going to insult anyone with the bottle now are we!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Think you should put a big boob on there I would find it much fairer to us breastfeeding mums!!!!
Supernanny would have your Yah’s for garters!
You know what we were never, ever going to let the boys have dummys, but we needed them, they bothed like to suck. Maxi gave his up, but still have his mussies (muslins) but they have to be soft and clean! Mini still has a dummy and he still has his bears. I no longer judge parents as we do what we have to do.
Amen. Well, actually, we do still judge, it’s human nature, but we know WE’RE in the wrong for it!
Love the new look … anyone would think you used to work in Marketing.
I would say your redesign is bang on brand.
ps. my blog has moved to http://www.notestoselfplustwo.com
xx Notes xx
Ah thanks luv. x
I’m a complete dirt freak, so I really couldn’t do that. We have given two of our three dummies. Both just wanted to suck anything so badly in the first few weeks, and I cannot stand the wailing if there is no need. Each to their own, though, right? My sister had a doll she sucked and she survived into adulthood in any case.
‘In my face’ Ha ha ha!! You’re adorable.
Your Canadian friend is puzzling over what a Yah is… :S
There is no such thing as a “Yah” other than in my son’s imagination. It is what he calls his muslin squares. Or his friends as i’m sure he’d describe it.
I was the same – I swore my darlings would never ever have a dummy.
My first had a grotty kangaroo teddy from Ikea that may or may not have been lost and replaced several times over the years *cough* And he still can’t sleep without it at 12.
My second sucked her thumb and used a bib as a comforter. She is now 11 and still does *wail*
My third had a dummy that was permanently attached until she turned three and then the fairies came and took it away *cough*
And my fourth is another thumb sucker.
In my experience – the dummy was my most ‘feared’ of comforters but has actually turned out to be the easiest to ditch! Go figure..
I was always very anti-dummies. Then my childminder introduced one without my knowing it (around the same time she was feeding my “no-sugar” child chocolate pudding, too).
It did help him get off to sleep, and he didn’t use it during the days. But I’m not sure I’d use it with a second.