thread: Ditching The Dummy

  1. #1
    Registered User

    Nov 2009
    Scottish expat living in Geelong
    5,572

    Ditching The Dummy

    Hello

    I am looking for hints and tips for getting rid of dummies. My twins are 22 months old and both use a dummy as a sleep aid. This I have no problem with, except they lose it in the night and wake, crying, for me to give it back to them.

    Last night I was up 6 or 7 times in the night to one or the other of them. The tiredness is getting me down a bit

    So does anyone have tips on how I can get rid of them? And should I do one at a time, or both together?

    thanks in advance

    T
    xx

  2. #2
    Registered User

    Oct 2006
    229

    I have been telling DS that we are leaving it out for santa and the reindeer to take away to the babies that need them...

    I'm sure christmas eve will be a hard one in our house but i don't want to wait any longer. If I had twins, I would get rid of them all at once.

    Good Luck!

  3. #3
    Registered User

    Dec 2006
    Gippsland Vic
    1,686

    If you are going to do it you will have to get rid of both at once otherwise one will steal from the other with mine that had dummies, they put them in the bin as soon as they made a hole in them, or they looked a bit dodgeey I hid others so we only had to get rid of a couple!!! so they put the dummy in the bin then they watched the truck take their dummy away, we waved goodbye to dummy etc. Keep a spare JIC the first night or 3 will be tough but stick with it and remind them what happened to the dummy and the bin man took it away.

  4. #4
    Registered User

    Oct 2006
    Sydney NSW
    4,837

    DH cut the tops of DS's dummies so he could still see them but he couldn't use them cause as he put it "they not working". This was easier as if we hid them he would scour the house screaming for them. The giving them to santa/another baby etc worked on my DDs but not on DS who couldn't give two hoots about Santa/other babies etc he just wanted his dummy LOL

  5. #5
    Registered User

    Sep 2008
    sydney
    254

    Sorry - not much help as I got rid of it (for the same reason) for DS at 5 months. But I was on a mission to get rid of any sleep associations. Only advice I can give you is do it at the night sleep -not aday sleep. GOOD LUCK!!! You can do it

    Love the idea of leaving it for Santa!

  6. #6
    Registered User

    Jan 2006
    The Hawkesbury
    4,505

    We got rid of DS's dummies about 2 months ago.. though he was a bit older and could understand a bit more.
    The only advice i can give you is BE CONSISTANT. Once theyre gone, keep it that way. They will cry and whinge for maybe days or more even.. but you have to just bite your tongue and deal with it and keep telling them theyre gone. Dont give them back. Otherwise then when you do try again to get rid of them again, it will be 10 times harder. DS was rid of his in 2 days.. no whinging after that (again he was older). But once you make a decision to be rid of them.. throw them in the bin.. and stick to it.

    Best of luck.

  7. #7
    Registered User

    Nov 2009
    Scottish expat living in Geelong
    5,572

    Thank everyone

    I think I might try the Santa trick, although they will be only 23 months at Christmas so I don't know how well it will work. Worth a try though, anything to get me to sleep through the night!

    T
    xx

  8. #8
    Registered User

    Nov 2009
    Scottish expat living in Geelong
    5,572

    Quick update:

    I have decided Christmas is a bad time to get rid of the dummies due to visits to family, etc, so I have bit the bullet and removed the dummies tonight, telling them the fairies will take them away and leave a present.

    We spent the whole day looking at fairy books, etc, and talking about saying "bye bye dummy". They were quite happy and looking forward to it.....until bedtime when my girltwin changed her mind and it has taken me hours so settle her. Boytwin is not fussed but I think it will be a hard few nights with my little miss.

    Aw well, almost bedtime for me. Wish me luck people

  9. #9
    Registered User

    Sep 2005
    In the middle of nowhere
    9,362

    From an idea on these boards, DD collected hers up and left them out for the 'Dummy Fairy'. She was going to take them to the sick babies in the hospital. In return the dummy fairy left her a gift to say thankyou....and then one the next night too (just to say thankyou for being such a good girl about it).
    We haven't had an issue since.

  10. #10
    BellyBelly Member

    Mar 2007
    Perth
    2,088

    Hang in there Traveller, we just also ditched the dummy too, my DD is 2. I thought it was going to be an absolute mission due to her being so attached to it, but it was easier than we expected. So hopefully you will be pleasantly suprised too!

  11. #11
    Registered User

    Nov 2009
    Scottish expat living in Geelong
    5,572

    Last night I put the twins to sleep sans dummy at 6.30pm and.........they slept all the way to 6.30am!!! No tears, no tantrums, no waking in the night.

    I feel like a new woman!

  12. #12
    Registered User

    Mar 2008
    Innisfail
    370

    what lil champions you have!! Considering getting rid of DS's - was going to do the Santa thing, than thought I'd wait till bub was born in April but now you have given me the 'courage' to just do it ASAP!!

    he used to do the whole scream in the night if he lost it but than i threw a few extra in the cot so the chances of him finding one were greater - just making sure that rod for my back was solid HAHA

  13. #13
    Registered User

    Sep 2005
    In the middle of nowhere
    9,362

    Well done!!

  14. #14
    Registered User

    Nov 2009
    Scottish expat living in Geelong
    5,572

    Night three and no real problems getting them settled and only one baby woke once during the night. I could get used to this

    Have you gone ahead Tan2705? How did you get on?

  15. #15
    Registered User

    Jan 2007
    848

    Oh wow Traveller! That is giving me motivation to do that here. Currently DD gathers all the dummies she can muster and rotates them while going to sleep. She can manage 5 dummies at once Maybe I will start removing the dummies until there is only one and go from there.

  16. #16
    Registered User

    Jul 2009
    13

    The Easter Bunny takes them

    Hi there. For a couple of months we told our daughter that the Easter Bunny comes and swaps chocolate for dummies and if he doesn't take the dummies then there would be no chocolate. She didn't complain once when the dummies went.

  17. #17
    Registered User
    Add krysalyss on Facebook

    Feb 2007
    on the move.....
    2,745

    We just gave DS lots of warning (at least two weeks) before his birthday that once he turned two we were going to say goodbye to the dummy and put it in the bin. He knows that once things go into the bin they don't come out again. We mentioned it every day and then the day after he turned two we gathered them all up and he waved goodbye and put them in the bin - which went straight to the wheelie bin so he didn't have to look at them. He was at an age to understand and we had no problems at all.