18 Month Old Swallows Dummy In Her Sleep

Stacey Willett, from Queensland's Mackay, has revealed the terrifying moment she discovered her 18-month-old daughter Aurora swallowed a dummy in her sleep. Only realising the little girl had ingested the plastic product after they found it in her nappy the next morning.

Ms Willett explained she noticed her daughter's behaviour changed on the night she swallowed the plastic dummy. 'She was really upset, really up and down all night, she couldn't go to the toilet. The next morning, we found the dummy in her nappy,' she said.

The family rushed the girl to the hospital where scans found she only had a minor scratch and tear on her intestine. The doctor said it's eye-opening to think that something was made with a big plastic piece to not go down the baby's throat, can go down the baby's throat,' she said.

'It's a miracle that it's gone down. What if it had got stuck? Or she choked on it?' the mother said.

Since the scare, Ms Willet has vowed to never let her daughter be alone with a dummy again.

'I will never leave my child to sleep or even have a dummy in the cot anymore,' Ms Willett said.

If using Dummies here are some recommendations from Red Nose Australia:

• Feeding mothers are advised to offer a dummy only when breastfeeding has been established, usually after the first 4 to 6 weeks
• Dummies can be offered to bottle-fed infants from birth
• If being used, dummies should be offered for all sleep periods
• Parents who wish to use a dummy should do so only for sleeping periods and by the end of the first year of life dummy use should be phased out
• If the baby refuses the dummy, parents are advised not to force the child to use a dummy
• If the dummy falls out of the mouth during sleep, do not to reinsert it
• Dummies should not be coated in anything sweet
• Dummies should be cleaned often and replaced regularly
• Dummies should be discontinued between 6 months and 12 months to reduce the risk of otitis media and dental malocclusion
• Parents may need to be supported with strategies to wean infants and toddlers from dummy use, including activities, reward, toys, and other objects of affection

Please make sure that if a child that uses a dummy during sleep that you check them periodically to make sure that they are safe and that the dummy isn't a potential hazard.

References:
Cindy Tran, Toddler Miraculously Survives After Swallowing Her DUMMY In Her Sleep, Daily Mail Australia, 30 May 2018.
Using A Dummy Pacifier, Red Nose Saving Little Lives