Do dummies and pacifiers affect speech development?

Dummies are loved by both babies and parents. They provide comfort for babies and a well-needed moment of relief for parents when their baby is soothed. But do they affect speech and language development? Let's discuss both the pros and cons of dummy use and what the evidence shows about the long-term impact on speech development.

What are the benefits of using a dummy?

• Dummies can be a wonderful way to help soothe your baby and settle them to sleep
• There is strong evidence that the use of dummies is associated with a reduced risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). For more information on this, check out Red Nose 

What are the disadvantages of using a dummy?

• Dummy use can cause a higher rate of middle ear infections
• Dummy use, especially beyond about 4-5 years of age, can increase the chance of dental issues later in childhood. This is because the dummy can cause incorrect positioning of the teeth (often an 'anterior open bite' where the front top and bottom teeth don’t touch when the back teeth bite together). 
• Your baby will wake every time their dummy falls out of their mouth. You will have to go in and replace it every time until they learn how to do this themselves! As parents who have gone through this ourselves, it's a highly annoying period 😂

Will using a dummy affect my child's speech development?

A study in 2021 published in the International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders found that the "evidence base for any effects of dummy use on speech is very small. Dummy use may increase the number of atypical speech errors a young child makes. However, only the frequency of daytime use seems relevant, not the duration or night-time use, and these errors may resolve over time".

Therefore this indicates that using the dummy for prolonged periods during the day may affect speech development. 

Recommendations are for dummy use to be stopped or reduced after 12 months of age. This is when your child will be starting to say their first words, and if they are trying to talk with an object in their mouth (i.e. the dummy!), this can make it difficult for them to talk and make sounds clearly.

Anecdotally, I see a lot of clients who use a dummy a lot during the day who have speech sound difficulties. They learn to talk around the dummy and often produce sounds at the back of the mouth as their tongue tip is being used by the dummy.  

Tips for reducing dummy use and supporting your child's speech development

• After 12 months of age, limit dummy use to sleep time only.
• Make a rule that the dummy 'stays in the cot' and don't make them easily accessible for your baby/toddler to get themselves during the day
• Tell your child to 'take your dummy out to talk'. This is especially important if you have a child who is really stuck on using their dummy. You can start with this step to get them used to talking without a dummy in their mouth. 
• Remember that it's tough for both you and your child to stop using a dummy! It's ok to go slow (rather than cold turkey!) and make small adjustments that work for you and your child (e.g. start with no dummy in the playroom, then no dummy in the car etc). Some days, a screaming toddler might be too much for you and they'll need the dummy more than another day!

If you have any concerns about your child's speech and language development, regardless of whether you think a dummy is impacting this or not, please get in touch with us or see your local Speech Pathologist for a 1:1 assessment.

References

Strutt, C., Khattab, G., & Willoughby, J. (2021). Does the duration and frequency of dummy (pacifier) use affect the development of speech?. International journal of language & communication disorders, 56(3), 512–527. https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.12605