Dummyholics Anonymous

[Just Me]

Tanstar - Our DD's were born in the same month I realised looking at your sig (May 2007). Mine just uses her dummy to fall asleep but usually it falls out and if she wakes up in the night she puts it back in herself, but I think most of the time once it falls out, she doesn't use it again until morning when she wakes up and has a suck I think I would go postal if I had to get up and find her dummy all night long.

[ShootingStar]

DD still has a dummy. Ive weaned her down to only sleeps now and next step will be only sleeps at home, not out. I did the same with DS and once he turned 3, it may sound cruel but it worked.. we told him once you turn 3 if you have a dummy your teeth will fall out. It worked though. He asked for it the first night i took it away and i reminded him theyre gone, and that was it. He was fine since. So, if nothing changes with DD, ill prob try the same trick.

[thepixie]

Thank you all for the support! Nice to know I'm not alone with a toddler with a crack-like addiction to the dummy. We haven't made a big deal out of it, just stopped giving it to her, trying to give her lots of cuddles and support instead .... get kicked a lot these days though
She has suddenly developed a thing for a little pink blankie she has had since she was born and will cuddle up on the couch with a blankie now. Helps in the evening but it's not the same. She does seem to be sleeping a fair bit better without it, so hopefully it has been worth it.
For those with long term dummyholics, my younger brother had a dummy till he was 8

[mrsmac]

DS went cold turkey when he was just over 3! DH cut the tops off them all and DS said they were broken. It didn't stop him trying to buy new ones every time we went to a chemist though LOL He tried for about a month but now is over them.

[Ryatha]

DD1 was an addict until 4 when the dentist told her to give up so she gave the dummies - she had 4 - to the ducklings. We had them attached to little bears to try to get her to cuddle them but it didn't work. She gave them up when she was ready, and we said that school girls don't have dummies.

DD2 looks like she'll be doing the same. Since she is only 14 months, I'm not too worried yet.

[*Beema*]

I am joining the club, DD was giving up hers about 6 months back, didn't need it to go to sleep then she got sick, didn't eat or drink for 5 days and it was the only thing that would comfort/settle her.

We are very strict with it, she only gets it when she gets into bed at night and she isn't allowed to leave the bed until she has handed it back. But when someone else gets her out of bed she manages to keep it in her mouth until we notice, to which she smiles and hands it to us.

We should just ditch it but atm just leaving it, we had a sucessful transtion to the bed and chaning rooms so will takle the dummy ina few months unless she decides to give it up herself

[Liviam]

Hi I'm Dan and my DD is a dummyaholic!!! She is only meant to have them for her sleep overnight but she has cottoned on to me so now she tells me she wants to have a nap in the arvo then hides the dummy I give her for her sleep so she has one whenever she wants. The cheeky little munchkin has them hidden all over the house. She always seems to have one no matter how many I take off her.
I've been hoping and praying that she would give them up herself but I can see her packing it on her honeymoon the way she's going, LOL! I am thinking that we need to loose them all together as her speech is incredibly delayed because of her constant dummy use so we definitely need them to go. DH and I are tossing up which way to do it. We want her to get something for giving them up so we might do the fairy took them but left this toy. She's so into Dora at the moment I think I'll search for a plush Dora that she can take to bed with her as her new comfort thing. If it wasn't for her speech delay I wouldn't be as concerned as it is her comfort but the delay is getting worse so the time is fast approaching.

[JennaJayen]

DS is 20 months and can't sleep without his dummy & puppy. He's usually fine if it falls out during the night, but when he's sick or over tired he wakes up needing it to be put back in.

I figure I'll just let him decide when to give it up, he gets told often enough by his aunt (almost 5) and uncle (almost 4) that dummies are only for babies so he shold give it up easily when he can understand what that means.

[thepixie]

a quick update
Well we have good days and bad days here.... last week there was one day when she didn't ask for it once (it was a day care day though, so if she was asking them there) but she has been very whingy the last few days, possibly not feeling that great. I just asked her if she wanted a hug
DD: "Noonoos?" (BF)
Me: "No honey just a hug"
DD: "Dummy?"
Me: "No honey just a hug"
DD: "Onage?" (ie. orange dummy)
Me: "No honey just a hug"
and she just went back to watching ITNG
*sigh* there are days when it really isn't easy because she has long whinges that I know could be solved so easily.... but we have come so far we are just persevering and things are getting slowly better...

[butterfly_warrior]

We're finding success in squirrelling them away when Sam takes them out of his mouth to eat. He's had another tooth pop through so is probably a little happier now anyway, but we're at the point where if he sees one he wants it, but if he can't see it, he's fne.

Still happy to have them for sleep times - I'm hoping that I can ditch the dummy before he has a word for it. Considering the way his language is progressing, that shouldn't be too much of a problem!

BW

[Trillian]

DS2 is 3 in less than a month and he still has them. We had them all over the house. I rounded up all the ones that had gone flat/started to wear out and when I counted them we had 17!! Plus the 4 new ones. They are the only way he will settle at night quickly so Im not keen to give them up just yet But Christmas will definitely be the end of it. That said though we have a 6yo that still sucks her thumb...

[AndiE]

Another member of the dummyholic club here ... DS1 (2 1/2) only uses his for sleep BUT not only must he have a "nummy" in his mouth, oh no ... he has to HOLD another nummy in his hand!! And he's sucks them so hard they go flat within several hours. I check the teats to be sure he doesn't pull them off the handle, but goodness me I wish I could kick him of the habit. I like the idea of the dummy/nummy fairy taking them and leaving a little gift in return ...

[Beach Mama]

AndiE - my girlfriend set it up with her little girl with a little bag on a tree outside, her DD actually put the dummies in there (after talking it up for ages!) so there was that feeling of her "giving" them away rather than them being taken from her IYKWIM. Then when they got inside her DH rushed out and got rid of the bag with all the dummies in it (Trillian might need a large bag ) and they had left a few little gifts on the bed for her including a "sleeping dolly" When they went back to the lounge she was all excited because the bag was gone and the fairies had taken them to the babies. My DD used to have one in her hand too and my niece used to have one in EACH hand. Ahh poppets.

[Trillian]

LOL Tan, I have them in a large shopping bag atm. DH has told him we are giving them to all the baby lambs we have. DS is not keen on that idea at all.

[volcomkitty]

AndiE - my girlfriend set it up with her little girl with a little bag on a tree outside, her DD actually put the dummies in there (after talking it up for ages!) so there was that feeling of her "giving" them away rather than them being taken from her IYKWIM. Then when they got inside her DH rushed out and got rid of the bag with all the dummies in it (Trillian might need a large bag ) and they had left a few little gifts on the bed for her including a "sleeping dolly" When they went back to the lounge she was all excited because the bag was gone and the fairies had taken them to the babies. My DD used to have one in her hand too and my niece used to have one in EACH hand. Ahh poppets.

Ooh I like that.

My DD is 14 months ATM, so I'll let her hang on to her dummy for a little big longer, but when the time comes, I'll have to give that idea a try!