thread: How to get rid of the stinking dummy!!

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  1. #1
    Registered User

    Mar 2006
    4,542

    How to get rid of the stinking dummy!!

    After having spent the day at sleep school yesterday with DS who is 9 weeks old and being told that he is completely dependant on his dummy to go to sleep which I need to hit on the head now before it causes too many problems. My poor little man will not sleep for more than 30 minutes without me putting his dummy back in so as you can imagine I'm just plain exhausted and at my wits end. My DD is 2 and is also completely dependant on her dummy to go to bed.
    I've been sitting her all day thinking about how I can get dummies off my two kiddies. So I'm once again asking for some advice, tips, help on how to get rid of my kids dummies. I'm thinking of doing them both at once and just having one shocking time over doing them individually.
    So hit me with your ideas/suggestions please. I need some major help!!

    TIA,
    A very sleep deprieved and desperate Dan.

  2. #2
    Registered User

    May 2007
    3,341

    mmm i was the opposite. the dummy soothed DD enough that i wouldnt mind getting up through the the night to put it back it. If it meant she was comforted without me or my boob lol then i was happy to let her have the dummy.

    Even if she had it to sleep now at 2 i wouldnt mind but we took it away at 20 months as we knew she didnt need it anymore.

    I took DS dummy away as he wouldnt take to it very well when he was 4 weeks and now he is a thumb sucker. He sucks his thumb to soothe and fall asleep.

    People again tell me to tie his thumb down, put things on it to make it taste yukky blah blah,, they are babies and used to be in the womb where is it safe and warm and now they are put in another bed with no contact and are expected to sleep without any way to self soothe or comfort themselves


    I know my post hasnt been what you wanted and im sorry.
    But if it isnt the dummy i just feel it will be something else, a toy, a blanket, music etc.

    As for your 2yo. the way we ridded the dummy finally was we planned a trip away. And we 'forgot' it. And in the mean time got rid of all of them in the house so she wouldnt find them.

    We were away 4 nights and even though she was out of sorts not being in her environment when we got back she never asked for it.

    HTH

    xx

  3. #3
    Registered User

    Aug 2007
    3,526

    It really wasnt too bad for us to get rid of Miss B's dummy thank goodness cause i have heard some horror stories!
    We just went cold turkey - we were over having to get up in the middle of the night constantly to put it back in! i hated the dummy in the first place so was prepared for whatever it took to get rid of it!
    She only ever had if for bed time or when whingy! One night we just said no more - and never looked back!
    I think she was a bit whingy the first night and maybe a little the second but by 3rd and ever since she has been fine! She sleeps with a raggy doll thing with silk on one side and a rabbits head and she sucks on that if she wants to suck on anything!
    Goodluck with it - once its gone its gone - and i think getting rid of them is worth anything u may go thru!

  4. #4
    BellyBelly Member

    Oct 2007
    Ever so slowly going crazy...
    2,268

    For DS you could replace it with a snuggle blankie, that he can cuddle and/or suck if he wants. He so young, he should adjust fairly quick....
    With DD, I have never seen this fail so far...... buy her a little something nice, a favorite character toy, and put it up. Tell her when she's ready to throw out all the dummies herself, she gets her prize. Throwing it out themselves help them remember where it went, and makes it their own responsibilty thats its gone.

    Good luck babe.....

  5. #5
    Registered User

    Sep 2006
    the mulberry bush
    895

    haven't read the responses, but i also had to replace my dd's dummy when she was a baby every 45 minutes, it was torture.... i got rid of it when she was around 4-5 months from memory.... you just have to go cold turkey, at 9 weeks there is obviously no explaining to do, there will be a few hard nights for him to get used to it, but since you are up every 30 minutes it really won't be that much harder... after a few nights they forget, honest... just do it and go from there.

    now your 2 year old is another story... you're going to have to think up one of those fanciful stories to get her to want to give her dummy away, then once its done thats it, no going back!! good luck! i dare say it will be easier with the baby, as its actually up to you just to do it, and once you've bitten the bullet and made the decision to do it, then thats it done and you just have to get through those first few days trying different ways to get him to settle.......

    your toddler is going to remember, you'll have to be strong!

  6. #6
    Registered User

    Oct 2006
    Perth
    3,299

    I'm not sure about your DS but for your DD, you could try the dummy fairy. SIL did this with her daughter. She explained that the day after her 2nd birthday the dummy fairy would come to collect all her dummies because she's a big girl now and doesn't need them. Her DD left all her dummies out for the dummy fairy who left her a nice little pressie. SIL said that her DD was a bit lost for the first few nights, cried out a few times, etc but then after that she never looked back.

  7. #7
    Registered User

    Dec 2008
    8,986

    Did they say the dummy was the reason he wasn't sleeping?

    My only suggestion is to go 'cold turkey', a 9 week old won't understand when you tell him it's lost or the fairy took it. The first couple of nights could be interesting though. I hope you find something that works.

    DD was 3 when we got rid of hers, she kept losing them so I'd hide them as I found them. We just told her they were lost. The first couple of nights were pretty bad for her but she got used to it.

  8. #8
    Registered User

    Jul 2006
    Melbourne
    3,715

    I don't know Dan, unless it's causing big problems for your DS, I'd be inclined to keep it . Does it matter if he's dependent on it? Whatever gets everyone the most sleep I reckon LOL! You've got some good suggestions for getting rid of DD's dummy though, you could give them a go (although I wouldn't be stressing out about it too much at this stage ).

    Massive hugs hun