Ditching the dummy - help?

[Neenee Jellybeanie]

DD is 17 months and still has a dummy and I've had enough. She doesn't speak very much and I think it might be contributing (though both her father and I were late speakers). I was going to throw them all out yesterday but she found one, so I might do it tonight. Is this the best way to get her off the dummy, go cold turkey? I've tried cutting down how much she has it but it just creeps up again. How long will does it usually take for tots her age to get over the dummy? Thanks

[mbear]

our DD#1 loved her dummy....we weaned her when she was 2.5. She would have the dummy at night, and sometimes during the day. Her speech was not delayed because of this. We introduced a dummy box. We put all her dummys in the box (yes...she had many) and told her at night she could pick ONE to go to bed with. It was a huge hit. She stopped asking for it during the day. Then easter came around and we told her the easter bunny was taking it to feed the other babies.....and that was it. We never saw a dummy again....

My 17 month old has a dummy at night. and TBH im in no hurry to wean her off it. It comforts her, it soothes her and she only has it at night, when i go into her at night to check, the dummy is always out, so its not like its in her mouth all night. I feel personally she is a bit too young too for me to be taking her comfort items away.

Could you reduce the time in the day she has it ????

[Sequoia]

We took the dummy away from our 10.5 month old DS last week. Cold turkey.

It was time because he would wake after a 40 minute sleep cycle during the day and wouldn't/couldn't go back to sleep without it. He would also wake in this night up to 4 times and frankly, I was sick of getting up to put it back in.

In the end, we would rock him in our arms or pat his back when he woke. It took 3 days for him to learn to put himself back to sleep without his dummy. We knew it was time as he would often fall asleep without it in the cot and in the car. The third day was the worst.

Sleeping is sooo much better now! For both of us.

DS has other comfort items associated with sleep.

[Je$$_84]

My DS was a dummy boy. At 15 months i decided to cut the tops off. So every dummy on the house had the top cut off and i told him they were broken. He accepted that and that was it.

I know of people who say santa is taking them etc like mentioned above.

Do you know anyone with younger babies. Naybe you could say that they need them and she might be willing to let them have them... we had it easy with dummies but bottles were hard to ditch here.

[ubba82]

We told DD (then 2) that she left her dummy on the table at childcare. She was fine with that.

DS took it a bit harder. He and I threw them all out at 2 1/2, but that night he screamed for it. It took 4 nights of decreasing crying and then he was fine. He found one in his toy box about 6 months ago and I asked him if he still liked dummies? He said yes, put it in his mouth and gagged! It was pretty funny, not that I'm cruel or anything - I really do love my kids!!!

[Neenee Jellybeanie]

I don't really know anyone with younger babies and TBH I don't think DD would understand the concept of another baby having her dummies (she has many as well).
mbear, I tried cutting back on them but then they'd just gradually creep back up.

[ubba82]

Also, I wanted to mention - sometimes its us as parents that are addicted to the dummy. It keeps the kids quite and gives us a break.

You need to be strong too. If you decide to throw them out - throw them all out! And dont give in a buy another one!

Good Luck

[Sequoia]

we had it easy with dummies but bottles were hard to ditch here.

Sorry to hijack, but how did you get rid of the bottles? We're not at that stage yet.....but I'm prepared for a battle!

[mrsmac]

DS is an addict but has been clean for 3 days now!!! DH cut the tops off on FRiday arvo and DS has accepted that they are around but useless, he did have a tanty at the chemist today cause he got some off the shelf and wanted me to buy them but the chemist was lovely and told him they were only for babies.
I am really surprised he has taken it so well cause he had them a lot not just bed. My worry now is tomorrow at FDC cause there are babies with dummies there but we'll see how he goes.

[Neenee Jellybeanie]

Thanks everyone. Why cut the tops off them instead of throw them away? I'm wondering if that would make DD more cranky than just not having them (I'm hoping she might not notice they're gone if she doesn't seem them).

[mrsmac]

I found if DS couldn't find them he screamed hysterically and searched for them but this way he knows where they are and just says "oh no, not working" and throws them down. Can't really ask him his reasoning but its certainly worked better for us than hiding them.

[alioops]

We have recently taken dummies away from DD2. I cut the entire teat off and gave her the back (with supervison) so she could see that it was broken. I kept all the others hidden. occasionally she will still want the back of the dummy and tries to suck it, but as there is no teat there to suck she gets bored with it pretty quickly.

She still has bottles but because we are restricted in what she can have to get calcium I am picking my battles with this and I know that one day she will tell me that she would like a cup of her milk.

[Mother Goose]

I'm trying to work this out at the moment. We use the same tactics as child care - the dummy is only for sleeping and goes in a box at other times. But I can't seem to get her off the sleep dummy... nor can I seem to get rid of the bottle of water she takes to bed... I've decreased the amount of water in them but she still likes the bottle...

I did try telling her the other day that we need to give her dummies to the children who lost theirs in the fires, but that didn't work. I will try the Easter Bunny one...

[BekZ]

When DD1 was 18 months I had enough of getting up through the night to replace the dummy. So one night she had a cold and was distressed that she could not suck her dummy and breath at the same time. I remember at 2am in the morning she was so upset that I just took it away and I never gave it back. Mind you I stopped giving it to her during the day at 15 months and she only had it at night. I had 3 bad nights of resettling with her and from that time onwards she started to sleep all night with no dummy. All in all it did take about a month to completely get the dummy off her mind.

I don't suggest you try cold turkey unless you are prepared to spend a few nights with tears or settling issues. IMO dummies are like giving up smokes...mostly cold turkey is the only way and bub is not confused by reintroducing it.

On another note once the dummy was gone DD started to talk heaps...maybe too much

On the other hand both my SIL's used gentle techniques by cutting down usage, cutting the dummies etc. Both methods worked but took longer.

Good luck...

[Meluchja]

I'm going to do the easter bunny trick. But not that he is taking them for other babies, but that he takes them and in replace he will bring you lots of chocolate. My little girl is addicted to her dummy but if you ask her what is going to happen when the easter bunny comes, and she will tell you, he is going to take my dummies but give me lots of chocolate eggs, very cute. So it's just a matter of time now, bring on April I say
Good luck with what eva way you decide.

[Neenee Jellybeanie]

DD went down late tonight, but no dummy! w00h00! I guiltily let her have it in the day so its not over yet for sure, she had it this morning but I hid it when she wasn't looking lol. I breastfeed DD to sleep and pop in the dummy as she's finishing up. She did wake looking for the dummy and go back on the boob for a little while but so far she's been fine! Hope it stays that way.

[Je$$_84]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Je$$_84
we had it easy with dummies but bottles were hard to ditch here.
Sorry to hijack, but how did you get rid of the bottles? We're not at that stage yet.....but I'm prepared for a battle!...

Long story here. It took til he was 2.5 and felt like everyone was looking at him still drinking from a baby bottle. People were telling me it was bad he was still having bottles. I was told he's have buck teeth etc. I think you just have to go with their pace sometimes. He never had a blankie or teddy and once i took the dummy the bottle was all he had.
We tried everything from new sippy cups even let him pick his fav colour we tried soft teat, the avent spout cups, the cheap hard spout cups to normal cups.

i cut the teats off and he'd get soaked. In the end the take and toss straw cup was a winner with Thomas the tank engine on them then once he got to the cup i just started taking the kid of and just having the straw then i took the straw away and he just used the cup. It was a long battle.

[Lisa]

We took Harrison of dummies about a month ago. We just took them all and threw them out and distracted him with other things when it was obvious that he wanted one.
Yesterday he found one that he's stashed among his toys... he came running out to show us, and I took it from him, cut the top off and gave it back. He tried to put it back together to put in his mouth, worked out that he couldn't and threw it in the bin! He then went back to playing with his toys. We gave him huge applause and hugs when he threw it out because that was a big step for him... we told him that only babies have dummies and he's not a baby, he's a BIG BOY!