Dummies – love them or hate them?
They are like most things in life – they have their sworn supporters and fierce opponents. Dummy, pacifier, soother – let’s have a little chat about it today.
As a new parent-to-be you are likely to read a lot, talk a lot and think a lot about how you want to bring up your baby and what sort of parenting style you will adopt. Preparation brings more confidence to new parents so it is in fact a very good idea to do some research and have some ideas about what you want and what you are against.
Dummies (especially for first time parents) are often a big no no. I guess (I may be wrong) because they are often missued, perceived as a short cut and an easy way out to have peace in your home. Lots of parents feel that once they use a dummy it is an admittance of failure. It is like saying 'I cannot calm my baby on my own, I need to use a dummy’. I was one of these parents who wanted natural birth without any pain relief, exclusive breatfeeding for six months and no dummies in the household. I ended up with two natural births with pain relief (epidural), mixed feeding for first one and dummies that saved my life (and I strongly believe theirs too 🙂 )
We are mammals.
We get food through sucking that’s why babies are often seen sucking their thumbs in the womb. The instict is so strong that it starts evolving even before they get their first feed. The survival instinct is all we have when we are born with. And then once sucking starts babies get the food, but also comfort and closiness. Whoever came up with a dummy idea clearly knew that and could see that babies in fact get calmer when they start sucking. Lots of children continue to suck their thumbs even as toddlers as again their instinct is so strong. You see, it’s in us.
Dummies in newborn shoots
You are the parent and have the final say in how we proceed with the shoot however in my experience they can help tremendously without any long term effects on the baby and feeding.
- using a dummy for 3-4 hours in a newborn photo shoot will NOT make them addicted.
- we will only use dummy whenever baby is full and just needs a bit of comfort
- as soon as baby is calm, asleep and ready to be posed and photographed the dummy will be pulled out
- you can stop using the dummy straight away and go back to your dummy-free routine
Brands
There are many brands selling dummies, in different shapes, made of various materials (rubber, silicone, latex) and in different price ranges. After researching and trying out many brands myself (my daughter loved sucking only one brand which was MAM – it was recommended to me after my daughter spat out a few other types. It is small and anatomically designed. I recommend it to any parent looking for a good easily accessible brand (they are available in most shops, supermarkets and farmacies).
Most of parents bring dummies that they have already tested and baby is happy with. I also stock and can provide dummies for babies that need a bit of calming to help with the flow of the photo shoot. It is always with parents consent. In my photo shoots I use exclusively one brand, which is also used in neonatal wards across NHS and in hospitals in America. They are called SOOTHIE and are made by Avent Phillips. You can read more about their qualities HERE.
Dummies are provided to families free of charge and are given to the family at the end of the shoot or disposed of if the family chooses not to continue using it afterwards.
I strongly feel they are a great aid in newborn shoots and am more than confident that they have no adverse effect on feeding (breast or bottle) if used for a couple of hours on just one day, and in very little frequency. If I feel your baby may benefit from having one in the photo shoot I will discuss it with you. You have the right to accept or decline it and we will continue as you wish.
For instance, in this image above baby was posed and almost ready to be photographed when she needed a little soothing. We used a dummy and other soothing techniques and as soon as she calmed down we removed it and continued with the shoot.
If you have any concerns about this please speak to me before your photo shoot.
Aga