Who's the dummy?

From the moment Tom Cruise leapt dementedly around on Oprah's sofa, and ever since we discovered that scientology forbade Katie Holmes from making any noise during childbirth, it was clear that poor little Suri was in for an odd upbringing.

And so it was with little surprise that I stumbled across a link via Twitter to images of Miss Cruise sucking on a pacifier, aged 5! Yes, not only do Mr & Mrs Top Gun let their daughter toddle in high heels and strut around LA in the latest designer chic (what's wrong with Mothercare Tom?), it seems the A-listers also let the rapidly growing Suri suck on her dummy.

I am assuming that Suri has gone beyond the breastfeeding stage and that Katie isn't aiming to continue nursing until she leaves for university! I'm also guessing that her teething days are behind her too, or do Hollywood celebrities simply get more sets (at least Simon Cowell certainly seems to!)?

For me, five years old just seems ludicrously old to be relying on a pacifier - or binky as I believe they are called across the pond (!).

Mrs B and I are refusing to give a dummy to our little man, aged four months, as we don't want him to get used to, or dependent upon an artificial way of calming himself. Furthermore, Mrs B worries that it may affect his willingness to clamp on to the real thing, if he is essentially spending hours chomping on a fake nipple.

Or are we just being over sensitive? Is it actually fine to be using a pacifier aged five? Should we all be seeking comfort from our daily troubles by reaching for a dummy?

What's more, if dummies are ok, why don't we all forget the hassle of using toilets and opt for nappies instead?

Come on Pampers, time to launch a size 33!