Dummies - do most babies become addicted?

[baffledbybaby]

Can't find the answer to this question in the archives. DD (11 weeks)has a dummy which is really useful at the moment basically being used to get her to sleep day and night. I keep reading that I should try and wean her of it before or around three months. If I don't is it almost inevitable that I'll be up replacing it several times a night or does this only happen with a minority of babies?
I know this is a bit of a neurotic first time mother question but I admit it at the moment I am a fully paid up member of Neurotic Mothers anonymous.

[NineUnlikelyTales]

Hi

I don't know about most babies, but at the same age as your DD my DS used the dummy a lot to sleep and for comfort. He used it in the pram and carseat too. Now he is 5 months and spits it out if I offer it, and has done for about 6 weeks, so it has not become a problem for us.

[totaleclipse]

DS had a dummy but only for a few weeks before diciding he did'nt want it any more. For dts I had dunnies on standby, but they would'nt suck them for love nor money

[issyissyissy]

Hi there. Think I must be a member of neurotic mothers too!!
You could try weaning her off it soon before she becomes "addicted" but if she finds it comforting why bother? I dont know if all babes wake up several times a night looking for it or not. My dd is now 5months and may wake once or twice, I am not sure if she wakes for the dummy or wakes anyway and the dummy gets her back to sleep quicker, if you see what I mean!
My ds had a dummy and I used to put several in his cot so he could always find one if he woke,which he did frequently as he had some breathing problems at night (not because he was looking for his dummy!) I worried that I would never be able to stop him using it, but one day when he was 2.3 he brought them all to me to give to the binmen as he did not want them anymore and has never asked for one since!! He still wakes up a lot so givingthem up has not improved his sleep!

[WeaselMum]

my ds loved his dummy from 1 week old - but stopped wanting it at 4.5 months, so v similar to NineUnlikely Tales' ds.

[PrettyCandles]

My dd's decent sleep habits were destroyed by her dummy. She was going through the night once or twice a week from about 10w, and never waking more than once for a feed between adult bedtime and morning. But she started looking for the dummy more and more, eventually we let her sleep with it - big mistake. When the dummy fell out of her mouth she couldn't go back to sleep without it. If I went to her she smelt 'the milk' and wouldn't settle without a feed, so dh had to go to her, but he didn't wake until she was reallys creaming, so it took longer to settle her. By 5m she was waking more often than at 3m. At 6m she went through the night two nights in a row, so we went cold-turkey on the dummy and she was back to sleeping through within days.

[adath]

DD never got up loads in te night looking for it sometimes once but never loads. I think if you keep sticking it in everytime you go in to see them they become more addicted than if you leave it out when they first spit it ou. DS who is a rightsooky boy on his dummy in the day stirs in the night but only ever wakes for his dummy once.
I think see how it goes and if you feel it is getting too frequent in the night then make your decision, realy ignore the books and do what makes you and your baby happy.
If your baby finds comfort in a dummy why take it away?

[bethw]

Apparently, stopping the dummy by 6 months is the way to go. Both of mine had dummies and I didn't find waking in the night because of it falling out was an issue. dd stopped hers before her 2nd birthday and ds is 23 months and using it less and less.

The important thing is this....don't be pressurised into either giving it up or carrying on...do what it right for you.

[baffledbybaby]

Thanks everyone for replies. They are reassuring.
I should probably stop worrying about this for now as things are on a pretty even keel with DD at the moment and DP is going away soon for a couple of weeks and I'm going to my mums so it would be the wrong time to try and wean her from it anyhow.

[kandi]

DD is 15 months and still addicted to her dummy (I only let her have it at night). I do keep thinking I should wean her off it, but when it comes down to it I always opt for the easy life, I'm afraid. I'm v. encouraged by the posts here saying that they grow out of them eventually. Good luck baffled.

[JillyBeansNW]

My first two both refused dummies, but DD (Now 6 months) has one. I found it really useful when she was basically comfort sucking at about 2 weeks (cracked nipples and oversupply so didn't need the pain). She never had it so much at night. She now only has it in her car seat or buggy, and seems to have decided that it is partly a toy. She doesn't have / want it at night.

I wish she would have it at night at the moment as her sleeping, which was fine, is now lousy, and it is cutting into my Isketch time

[Piffle]

My dd had a dumy to space out feeds as she had reflux and low weight gain
I think using it not to get them to sleep makes it easier to give up BUT that said my dd found her thumb at 4 mths and has used that ever since (she is now 4)She was off the dummy by 5 mths

[Themis]

Ds1 was never interested. Ds2 needed to suck on something ( maybe helped his reflux ?) so he had a dummy , when used to help him sleep I used to wip it out just as he was dropping off. By 6 months he didn't want it at anytime.

[baffledbybaby]

Perhaps i should be more worried about my potential addiction to mumsnet!
Seriously though these replies have been really helpful - obviously a problem could occur as I knew and as prettycandles has experienced but I think i should continue using dummy for now and think again in a couple of months or if a problem is developing.
Thanks