Desperate measures - introducing a dummy at 6 months?

[Chocolateyclaire76]

We've had 2 weeks of our little one waking in the middle of the night and refusing to settle for 2 hours. She self settles the rest of the time but just not then. We've tried everything from leaving her, picking her up, feeding her, but nothing works. Her cries have now started to disturb my 3yr old too. Last night it crossed my mind to give her a dummy but am I being crazy? My oldest had a dummy so I know the pitfalls.....but also the benefits!!

[DorynownotFloundering]

I hate dummies but they can save your sanity, go for it, just make sure it's only for settling & stays in the cot for sleeps.

My 2 are now 19& 21 it kept them alive at times!!

[moggle]

You could try it but I'm not sure it'd be as magic at this age if she hasn't had one before? What about another comforter like a blanket or a soft toy?

[Bagina]

Hell yeah, try it. Just get them off it by 2. IMO.

[cakeandteajustforme]

Soon to be first time mum - I'm curious, what are the benefits v pitfalls of dummies? I haven't really thought about it..

[moggle]

Benefits are that sucking soothes a tiny baby so it can help them go to sleep quicker, and often if they stir and you put the dummy back in they may go back to sleep if they are not hungry. Pitfall in the early days is breast/dummy confusion - but usually they won't accept the dummy for long if they are truly hungry, and you soon learn their hunger signs. In those early days a dummy can substitute for long periods spent pacing the floor rocking them to sleep - this was why we started using it - we were both just too exhausted to stay standing and rocking her at night.
The main pitfall is that they may then struggle to go to sleep without it. It's great while they are sleeping close by to you, the dummy drops out and if they stir or cry you pop it back in. It then becomes a pain once they're in their own room but can't retrieve it themselves from within the cot, you may have a few weeks or months of trips to their room to give them the dummy. Then once they can find it themselves (about 6-7m for our DD) it's great. You then get about 6-9 month of guilt free use before you start worrying about how the heck are you going to ever get them to sleep without it. We are at 22m and she is quite addicted, despite the fact that we are fairly strict on only allowing her to have it in bed, while on a long car journey, or if she's ill. She naps at nursery without it which is amazing, but I cannot imagine for the life of me how I could get her to sleep without it at home at the moment.
We're going for the "wait until you can bribe them" tactic. When DD is whining "numanumanuma" for the seventeenth time that minute and cries when I don't give her the dummy, I do have to remind myself how amazing the dummy was in the first six months and how much more sleep we got because of it.

[moggle]

Sorry should have said milk/dummy confusion, not breast. Basically you giving them the dummy when they are in fact hungry. But it does apply particularly to breastfeeding because to establish a good supply you need to feed them on demand in the first few weeks/months rather than give them a dummy. However when they've been cluster feeding all evening, and you know they are just a bit unhappy or overtired and not hungry; or when you're out and just need two more minutes to find somewhere comfy and nice to sit down and get your boob out, dummy is very useful.

[Bagina]

It can also affect their teeth. We said that their dummies had gone to friends' newborn babies: they seemed to understand that, and still talk about how they gave their dummies to baby x.

[minipie]

Um. I tried this. DD wasn't remotely interested. Afraid I think you've missed the window.

Also, it doesn't sound like she's a suck-to-sleep baby, so not sure it would help with the 2 hours awake thing anyway?

I would say it's either teeth (have you tried nurofen?) or a sleep regression (in which case it will pass... just divide up the nights between you and survive... )