Dummy's Dummy's & More Dummy's!!

I'm writing this blog on dummy's as i always hear! ! "What Dummy do you use?"Before i had 2 baby's i only thought there was only one type of dummy's for baby's UNTIL i had 2 baby's and now i know the difference in dozen types of them. Here is a little guide to help you mummy's or mummy's to be with choosing the right Dummy for your baby. ** Some research suggests that using a dummy when putting a baby down to sleep could reduce the risk of SIDS but it is advised to wait until after breastfeeding is established **

The Basics :-

Nipple Shaped Dummy

Material - Nipple Dummy's are usually made out of latex or silicone. Historically these type of Dummy's have been made from latex and silicone which are still fairly new, but in the last five years it seems to have been becoming more and more popular, and in the UK more dummy's are now made of silicone than latex. Which is "Better" ?? really depends on personal preference. Silicone is usually clear, or occasionally cloudy in color whilst latex is usually a yellow, orange, or brown color. Silicone usually has a smoother texture than latex, and is also somewhat firmer than latex. Latex does often have a slight but inoffensive taste, whilst silicone seems devoid of any taste. I find silicone is more susceptible to being bitten through, but otherwise it seems to last longer than latex. As latex gets old it will get darker in color, whilst the appearance of silicone will start to appear ‘cloudy’ over time.

Shape – There are generally three different shapes for Nipple Dummy's. The first is the "cherry" Nipple. These nipples have a trunk which becomes ball shaped. They have no right way up and are not orthodontic. The other two shapes are both usually labeled as "orthodontic". The second is the Angled Nipple, which will have a trunk with a "bend" in it so that it fits the shape of the mouth. These Dummy's only have one right way up. The third kind of Nipple Dummy is the Flat Kind, where the nipple is not angled – sometimes these nipples will look like a Squashed Cherry Nipple. These nipples will have two different positions in which they can be sucked.

Size - Most brands offer dummy in two or more sizes, with a Smaller Size, a Bigger Size, and perhaps Sizes In-between. My advice would generally be to choose the dummy what fits the baby's mouth. Going from 0-3+ , 6-12+ and 18+ months. There are no standard dummy sizes, and one brand’s 6-12+ dummy may still be larger than another brands and so on so if possible compare brands before making a decision. Within the same brand the size of the latex and silicone nipple dummy's can be different, and if a brand has several different variants of dummy's, the nipple dummy can also vary from one another between variants.

Shields - The most obvious difference between dummy's will the appearance of the shield. Shields come in hundreds of different designs, colors, shapes, and sizes. Some shields have handles, others do not. Some shields are transparent, some are brightly colored. Shields come in many different shapes – round, butterfly, oval, heart, etc. Some shields curve towards the mouth, other away from it, and others are flat. Some have cute designs, some are plain. Some have large air-holes, some have lots of air-holes, some only have one or two. Some shields have a “soft” edge, some have textured bumps on the inside of the shield, some are made entirely of latex/silicone, some glow in the dark, some are really big, some are really small and some look like some sort of futuristic space dummy.

Major Brands

There are so many different brands of dummy's available worldwide and it would be impossible to go through them all in this guide, so I am just going to go through five brands which I believe to be widely available internationally.

Nuk

Size - Nuk dummy's can be found in five different sizes, commonly known as sizes 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, where 5 is the largest. Size 1 (0-6 months), size 2 (6-18 months) and size 3 (18+ months) are designed for babies/toddlers and available in latex and silicone. The size of both nipple and shield increases as you move up the size range. The Nuk "Maxi Trainer," unofficially known as Nuk Size 4, is no longer being made. The Nuk "Medic Pro," unofficially known at the Nuk Size 5 is a dummy specifically made for adults. It is available in sizes small and large. Nipple - All Nuk dummy's have an orthodontic, angled nipple. The latex nipples tend to be flatter than the silicone ones, with the exception of the "genius" range. Sized 1-3 are available in both latex and silicone, whilst sizes "4" and "5" are available only in latex. The size of the nipple does vary slightly between the latex and silicone brands, with the latex nipples slightly larger.

Mam

Size - Mam dummy's are available in four different sizes, all designed for babies and toddlers: Size 0-2 months, size 2-6 months, sixe 6+ months and size 16+ months.

Nipple - All Mam nipples have a fairly flat nipple, and are available in both latex and silicone. The latex nipples seem very slightly shorter than the silicone ones. Many of Mam’s silicone nipples now have a "silk" teat, which is textured so that it is not as smooth and closer resembles the texture of silicone. They also do a range of dummy's with a textured silicone nipple. One side is covered in raised dots and other lines, and they can be quite interesting.

Design - Mam’s dummy's have different shaped shields depending on the size that you are purchasing. No Mam dummy's have a handle; rather they all have a distinctive button, and the shields curve towards the mouth. Size 0-2 and 2-6 have their own individual shapes, whilst the shields for size 6+ and 16+ do not differ in shape or size. Mam 6+ and 16+ come in , "three varietiest,"soft "air", and "ulti/classic." The Mam ulti/classic is most common, and comes in a variety of designs and colours, including glow in the dark and transparent. Mam updates its designs every few months.

Avent

Size - Avent dummy's are available in three different sizes, 0-3 months, 3-6 months and 6-18 months. However, as far as I can tell there is no difference in size between the silicone 3-6 month and 6-18 month nipples, the only difference seems to be in the shape and size of the shield. I am not sure whether the same can be said of the latex dummy's. Their 6-18 months nipples are, compared to other brand’s larger sizes, fairly small. Nipple - All Avent dummy's have a flat nipple, and their range of dummy's are available in both latex and silicone. The latex nipples seem somewhat shorter than the silicone ones. As mentioned above, there is no obvious size difference between size 3-6 months and 6-18 months.

Design - Avent’s dummy's have different shaped shields depending on the size that you are purchasing, with the shield size increasing as you go up the age range. All dummy's have a handle, which is very loose and free to move. The shields are pretty flat, neither turning towards or away from the mouth. Their range include colorful dummy's with cartoon designs on the knob, transparent/ clear pacifiers, "free-flow" dummy's with added air-holes and a glow-in-the-dark range.

Tommee Tippee

Size - Tommee Tippee’s sizing tend to be specific to their individual brand, rather than having a standard nipple size/shape for all of their shields. Their dummy's come in different sizes depending on the shield design, and they have dummy's in the following sizes: 0-3, 0-6, 3-9, 6+, 9-12, 9-18. Where in one design the largest size is 6+ and the other 9-18+, the 6+ may still be larger. The Tommee Tippee "closer to nature" dummy's in size 9+ all have quite large nipples and are comparable to the Nuk "3". Nipple - Tommee Tippee makes dummy's with both silicone and latex nipples, but within one shield design nipples will only be available in silicone or latex. They make dummy's with a cherry, angled, and flat nipple, dependent on shield design and nipple material.

Design - Tommee Tippee have a range of designs, currently known as their "closer to nature" range. The appearance of the dummy's within these ranges varies greatly, as does the size and shape of the shield. Tommee Tippee makes a range of dummy's, including dummy's without a handle, animal shaped shields, shields made of silicone rather than plastic, and dummy's with extra-large air holes.

Nuby

Size - Nuby are perhaps the most diverse brand in terms of their pacifier product range, and their the sizes available on their different products does vary depending on the product range you are buying from. The vast majority of their range come in two sizes, 0-6 months and 6+. However, some ranges comes in sizes 0-6, 6-12 and 12+ months. To make matters a little confusing their 12+ dummy's in one design are not necessarily larger than their size 6+ in another. Nipple - Nuby only makes dummy's with a silicone nipple. Aside from that, their nipple sizes and shapes between different designs varies a lot. They make dummy's with cherry shaped nipples, flat nipples, and angled nipple. As mentioned above, the size of their nipple does vary from design to design. Some of their products have small raised bumps at the top of the nipple, designed to massage the lips.

Design - As already mentioned, Nuby are probably the most diverse and innovative brand in terms of their shield design. Their dummy's range from the very normal looking, to completely different from any other dummy brand. The majority of their shields are brightly colored, and their range includes those with cartoon designs, those with and without handles and just about every shaped shield you could want.

Closing Thoughts

The brands above are by no means the only dummy's available, and nor are they necessarily the best available to you. As stated above, when choosing a dummy it is best to consider that what feels right in your baby's mouth may not suit another. If you’re not happy after buying a dummy, try something different. My advice is not to buy anything too small, as usually they’re not so comfortable, but you may feel differently. Finally, bear in mind that price will not always reflect how a dummy feels to use. My main 2 dummy's my son loves to use is NUBY and MAM. I hope this article was useful, enjoy choosing your dummy's and try not to let them become a shopping habit or you may end up with hundreds of the things.