There is so much mixed advice around dummies so it's not surprising we find it confusing! 

 

There is often the concern that by giving a baby a dummy, newborn feeding cues might be missed or we may end up with a toddler running around with it hanging out of their mouth, with arched teeth and problems with speech.

Newborn babies have very good survival instincts and one of those instincts is to suck. If you have ever put your finger in a babies mouth then you'll know what I mean! Babies are comforted when they are sucking, so offering a dummy may provide a source of comfort. The sucking reflex reduces by around 3 months, so in theory you could get rid of the dummy soon after that if you wanted to and certainly before your baby turns one.

My top tip is to use a dummy, along with swaddling and white noise to help your baby to go off to sleep in the first few months. Look to reduce it's use from 6-12 months, so that your little one doesn't become dependent on it moving into toddler-hood, where it may then effect sleep, speech and teeth formation.
 

The Lullably trust offer good advice around use of dummies and you can read more here
https://www.lullabytrust.org.uk/safer-sleep-advice/dummies-and-sids/