Dummy driving me mad

[lemonfolly]

My DS is 9 weeks, he didn't latch and seemed a very sucky baby so we introduced a dummy. Something my DD never had. However whilst its a god send in the day, at night it's driving me mad. I've just spent the last hour putting it back in. He's not hungry, but can't keep the dummy in, but then wants it and can't get it back.

Has anyone dropped the dummy at just a couple of months in? Was it horrific?

Any ideas welcome on alternate ideas to placate him!

[Iggly]

Silly question but how do you know he isn't hungry? Did you try feeding? Apologies if you did.

Also the lack of ability to latch and being sucky would possible indicate tongue tie...

[lemonfolly]

Thanks for the reply. He'd just been fed and wouldn't drink anymore, just suck. A few sucks of the dummy and he's off to sleep, it falls out and he roots for it and wakes up, I put it back in and repeat!

He didn't have tongue tie, I have inverted nipples so he couldn't latch, we tried with pump to pull nipple out but he'd fall off and I'd have to use pump again and try and relatch. Hideous frustrating cycle!

[Iggly]

Sounds like a nightmare!

He's only little - how often is he waking at night? It might be that you need to hold it in until he falls into a deep sleep.

You could ditch the dummy but I suspect being 9 weeks old he needs comfort to get him to sleep - be it in the form of cuddles or dummy. So not sure ditching the dummy would help. Maybe have him next to you in his cot so you can lie there and hold it in. Sorry that isn't helpful - I just remember forgetting just how much newborns need you when I had my second - I had blurred it out of my mind!

[lemonfolly]

He's waking 3 hourly still, I'm so tired I don't trust myself to cuddle him to sleep without dropping off too. But I could move his Moses basket right next to the bed it about a foot away at the moment. Problem is, he's about an inch away from being to big for it, and the cot doesn't fit next to the bed... So holding it in night be only a short term plan.

What age do you tackle dropping the dummy? Is about 6 months right?

[Iggly]

dd still has one at 2!

Ds gave his up at a few months but never really attached to it.

You could get your cot flush to the bed and roll up towels and pop them under his sheet to make a sort of "nest" if he doesn't like his bigger cot?

[lemonfolly]

Sorry I meant he's feeding every 3 hours but waking lots for dummy once we get past 3am, before that he's in a deeper sleep and doesn't seem to need it, just wakes for food and drops back off quite easily with the dummy falling out not bothering him. It's the 3am onwards period that's driving me mad

[lemonfolly]

Cross post! Thanks for the reply. So at what age did you find they could keep it in themselves?

We bought a cot bed so there is no way it would fit. I may have to buy a new smaller cot perhaps that's bigger than the Moses basket. Urggh

[hartmel]

You mentioned before that you have inverted nipples.. I have the same problem. I bought myself a nipple shield worked wonders, didn't had to use the pump to get nipples out so DS could latch..

Regarding the dummy, my son is the same he is now 10 month old and still using a dummy. I had to get up a lot a the beginning because he was searching for it at night but the older he got the less I had to get up. I'm not sure at what age that was.

I hope you find a solution

[MexicanSpringtime]

Have you thought of co-sleeping? As long as you aren't drinking or taking drugs, it seems to be perfectly safe and a lot less stressful.

[PetaPipa]

I had that problem. DD would wake for the blasted thing every 45 minutes. I got rid of it at 4 months ish. The initial couple of painful nights was worth it in the long term!

[lemonfolly]

Thanks hartmel, I found out too late about nipple shields helping for inverted nipples, he couldn't be swayed from the bottle. I had bought this torture contraption from boots that you wear for a few hours a day that sucks the nipple out, but it didn't work with any permanence

Mexican - thanks that gives me hope. My plan was to drop the dummy by 6 months, but I suspect easier said than done!

Thanks Peta, I'm giving dummy in day after feeds too, did you have very screamy days too when you dropped it?

[starlight1234]

My DS dropped them himself at 3 months . I have to say it was more luck than a plan.