Petition A warning on all dummy packaging that giving a child a dummy beyond the age of one year can seriously damage a child's speech and language development

I call for the government to pass legislation compelling all manufacturers of dummies to have a health warning on their packaging. The health warning should state that using a dummy can seriously damage a child's speech and language development if used by a child beyond the age of one year. Research is showing a massive rise in the numbers of children reaching school with speech difficulties. There are not sufficient speech and language therapists to deal with the problem. If children arrive at school not able to speak properly their literacy development will be greatly hindered, perhaps for life. Parents are using dummies to keep their children quiet when they should be talking to them and helping them to develop their language skills. Parents need to be warned that dummies can be harmful if used indiscriminately.