Giving up the dummy

Babies often enjoy the comfort of a dummy, but you need to make sure they kick the habit once they reach the age of 12 months. Here's why:

• Repeated dummy sucking opens the eustachian tubes, which link the nose and middle ear, allowing bacteria in and causing middle ear infections.
• If your baby sucks for too long, it can over-develop the muscles at the front of the mouth compared with the back. In severe cases the roof of the mouth may be malformed.
• Babies use their mouths to research things. With a dummy in place your child may be hindering his play and development.
• Dummies are associated with poorer speech because they encourage children to remain quieter and be less expressive.

The longer you leave it to ditch the dummy, the more attached your child will become to it. Bite the bullet while they're young and the agony will be less ('though it may not feel like it at the time...!).

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