Dummy: persevere or ditch? help!

[beemay]

DS aged 6 weeks takes a dummy at naptime and bedtime and it soothes him to sleep. I was amazed at how effective it is - DD was a total dummy refuser. However he then wakes every time he falls asleep is about every 15 mins...! He won't settle any other way unless in the sling or lying on me tummy to tummy.

Should I stick with the dummy in hope he will get hang of it, or give up now and somehow get him to settle in his crib another way? Am I missing a trick?

[FATEdestiny]

I was amazed at how effective it is

Dummies are amazing and 6 weeks old is still tiny. He's still learning.

"However he then wakes every time he falls asleep is about every 15 mins."

You mean his naps are short? That's not unusual. Newborn fourth trimester time is so different, it's hard for baby to adapt to.

As well as dummy for comfort sucking, recreating womb-like conditions may help. Primarily:

• swaddle to give that tight, enclosed, safe feeling
  
• rocking, swaying movement like when you were walking around and baby was swished around in your womb. I favour the bouncy chair for this but you could also use the pushchair, car seat, sling walks, rocking in your arms.
  
• full tummy. Remember 6 weeks ago baby didn't know what it felt like to be hungry. This is a new and unpleasant feeling for him.
  
• background noise can help. Baby rarely experienced silence in the womb.
  
• darkened, calm, not too stimulating environment

[beemay]

Thanks FATE. My fault for typing in haste. He wakes up every time the dummy falls out - which it does as soon as he falls asleep! Mind you, same thing happens without the dummy - he starts up flailing and screaming a few minutes after being put down. Same thing happens whether nap or night time.

I'm doing all the things you've suggested too! White noise, swaddling, sleepyhead in crib or sling during day, darkened room...

[FATEdestiny]

The dummy is meant to fall out when baby falls asleep. As he sleeps his mouth and jaw muscles will relax and dummy drops out.

Having said that he is still tiny. His jaw muscles will be small. He might need a little help holding the dummy in until asleep, especially at that 'just going to sleep point'.

But babies don't keep their dummy in while actually being asleep. The dummy will come out.

If you have an issue with light sleeping and waking easily, that's a seperate issue to the dummy. The dummy is just for getting to sleep, not staying asleep.