OK, so here I am again, asking for some guidance about how to get rid of the dummy.
Basically, I think Coopers' night waking has really been caused by the dummy. He wakes up for it and I pop it in, and generally he will go to sleep when he has it in his mouth, but he is doing this many times in the night, and I'm exhausted!
I called up Tresillian, and they said to try some control crying. I tried it last night, but it kind of seemed pointless when all he wanted was the dummy. So they said to maybe get rid of it.
I tried this morning, and he went nuts! I eventually had to give in and then took it out when he was asleep.
Can anyone please give me some advice about how to wean him off it, and how long does it take? Should I just do what I did this morning, and slowly just take it out earler each time?
TBH, I can't give you any advice from personal experience as neither of my boys would ever take a dummy. But each of them had their own "settling" technique. Jack would twirl his hair and Tom sucks his thumb (I have mixed feelings about this!). I think this is the trick though. They need SOMETHING to help them settle. So maybe the answer is to help them find something else to help them settle. This will take time I would think so it won't be easy. If it was me, (and as I said, it's easy for me to say as I haven't been there), I would take the dummy away and help them to settle by patting them etc. Over time I would expect that they will find that "thing" that helps them to self-settle.
There is a book called "save our sleep" she has techniques in this book. I have given my copy to a friend, so see if you can get it... its a great book.
I was given some advise by my HCN the other day, who said to one at a time, cut a little of the tip off the top of the dummy. This will eventually annoy them more than satisfy them, and they will throw it away themselves.
I haven't tried it yet, as DS is due in July and I don't want her to be unsettled when I'm up all night with him, so I'm going to try when she is about 1&1/2. So I don't know if it works, but I guess you have nothing to loose, except a dummy!!!
we got rid of Madisons dummy around the age of 2, We just gave her a choise one day ( after she had been having it all the time) to either put it into her bed or put intot he bin, she put into the bin and that was it, When she asked for it, we just told her that it is the bin, she winged for it for one night.
I have heard it can take about 3 days of hard times to give it up.
If you find it too hard to take it away you could try putting 2 or 3 dummies in the cot for bub's easy access?
DD still has hers and she's 2.5. We're aiming for her 3rd b'day for her to give it up! We did go through a stage where she would lose it a bit at night, but after we put a couple in her cot with her it got better, I think?
I'm going to go against the grain here.
Gabby is almost 2 and still loves her dummy. She only has it for her naps and night-time sleeps. She's always been a brilliant sleeper but, yes, there are nights when she loses the dummy and I have to go in to give it back to her. It was worse when she was little and couldn't find the dummy herself and put it in her mouth. However, once she had the dummy she would go back to sleep without a fuss.
The dummy is a comfort for her. It's portable and handy.
I have no intention in taking it away from her any time soon. I've yet to see a child at school with a dummy so they do eventually get rid of it. I just don't see the point in taking away her comfort item when, quite frankly, it helps her to sleep and helps us to settle her when she needs settling.
I believe that she needs the language and understanding before we can negotiate with her to take it away. Perhaps give it to Santa one Christmas? That worked for my friend's 4yo.
My problem is with Tehya that although she does have the dummy to comfort suck to sleep, she spits it out once asleep, so sleep time isn't my huge issue. It's her wanting it during the day, wanting to walk around with the bloody thing in her mouth. Tehya is a beautiful talker and I hate having to try to work out what she is saying around the dummy. I tell her to take it out and talk to me, which she does do. She is very caught up in her dummy.
For me, I think, if it were only at sleep time I wouldn't really worry too much, especially as she doesn't have it once she is asleep, it's the daytime I have the issue with.
Alexa still has hers... & is starting to want it during the day too... I am not too worried about nights as like Teyah she throws it out most of the time...
I am a bit worried about her teeth though.... Trish... has it affected Teyahs teeth at all???
My friend used Mummy mels trick of cutting the tip off & then her DS didnt like it anymore...
gonna have to try this with my little monkey... well when I am ready for a fight hehehe...
Tehya has a small cavity on on of her front teeth, I hate it. Who knows if it was caused through the dummy or from having breastmilk so often over night. Fact is that it's there. I also think that her top teeth are slightly more prominant, not bucky as such, again who can be sure if it's from the dummy or just her teeth. I had shocking bucky teeth, as my second teeth anyway, until I had braces.
That is another reason for me wanting to get rid of it though. Surely it can't be good for her teeth.
That is what I am worried about too Trish... I have not to bad teeth, but Dhs teeth are terrible... I also have a tooth that is twisted from thumb sucking & dont want her to end up with twisted teeth too hehehe... or the cost of braces later!!!!!
Will see how we go this week & make a plan next week hehehehe.... (part of the plan may need to be lots of coffee LOL)
We got rid of our girls dummies last year... your son is a bit younger tho. It was really hard the following few nights, not much sleep for anyone!! The first night we put Violet (the youngest) in bed with us, she tossed and turned allll night! The next few nights we were up to her crying alot. I did use contol crying at one stage, which worked.
So my advise is that if you really want to get rid of the dummy, be prepared to do some hard yards!! But it does work... eventually!
My DD is 3.5 and has a dummy at night. The easter bunny is taking it away (in a few weeks actually ). I havent minded her having it, like Debbie said, it comforts my DD and seems to put her back to sleep.
We bought a glow dummy at one stage so we could find it. We never get up for her at night now to give it to her....She used to do that more at 12 months.
DD teeth are fine.
Its kinda a relief that DD#2 doesnt like the dummy or her thumb.....
Louis has his dummy just for nap time and bedtime...I think I'll give it to Santa at the end of this year...He's got a big year though with a new brother and a move into his big bed...We may just have to see how it all pans out! I do worry about those first few nights though!! I'm not sure he'll cope too well but then again in another 8 months he may be right...
Mackenzie is older (2.5 years) and we just got rid of her dummy last week. We went away on holidays for a week and on the plane she asked for her dummy (she only had it when she went to sleep) and we said we forgot them. She asked for them again that night and for the next week but each time we just said they were home in Melbourne and we would get them when we got home. She was OK with that. When we got home I removed the dummies (they lived on top of the fridge) and replaced it with a present I had in the cupboard. When she woke up in the morning without the dummy we went to the fridge and made a big deal out of the present being from the dummy fairy who took her dummies while we were away to give to other little people. She was great and tonight she went to bed and didn't ask for it. It has unsettled her - it takes a lot longer for her to go to sleep but I think we will be OK. When she was younger she did have the dummy more often, however I did then take it off her when she was up out of bed and made a point of only having it at bed time. In the end she did ask for it as soon as I said 'it's time for bed'. As others have said how many 5 year olds do you see with dummies.
I read somewhere that its easier to take a dummy off a less than 1 year old than a toddler because they dont have a big memory and will forget it quickly. Don't know if thats true or not. My DD was a dummy child and i just went cold turkey a few months back. She was out of sorts for 2-3 days and then she was fine... It was hard when she wanted to go "ni-ni's" but i perservered (sp?) and got through it. Since she hasn't had the dummy she is learning HEAPS! Her talking has improved tremendously because she doesnt have this thing stuck in her gob, and she is sleeping a LOT better. Personally I am glad I got the courage to ditch it. Don't get me wrong, i am all for a dummy, if it's for a baby/toddler. But i just HATE it when I see a kid who looks 4-5 with a dummy stuck in their mouth. And being pushed around in one of those umbrella stroller things.
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Aagh! How to get rid of the dummy!
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