Dummy issue... Anyone got same experience?

[angel1976]

Hi all,

My DS is 5.5 months old. All in all, a good sleeper with a few small issues. With his naps, he tend to do the 40-minute sleep cycle thing (wakes up after 40 minute and can take anything from 5-30 minutes to get him back to sleep). Does two 'long' naps a day. Morning, I sleep with him so if he stirs, I stick the dummy in, pat him and off he goes. In the afternoon, that's a bit trickier as I am trying to catch up on housework. A bit of background... After months of not taking the dummy, I gave him one and really tried for him to take it (around this time, he was getting more difficult to settle and the dummy seems to help). So he likes sucking on it but can't hold it in. So we usually hold it in for him, he falls asleep, he spits it out, we remove it and that's it. At night, he uses the dummy to go to sleep and even if he wakes up during the night, it's fairly easy to get him back to bed without the dummy.

The naps are different. He seems to need the dummy to settle back to sleep. Also, he started preferring to sleep on his front, which is fine as he's got great head control. Which means instead of letting the dummy fall out, he is now able to keep it in and I have had to remove it (I don't want to him to get used to it and be up all hours of the night putting a dummy back in IYKWIM)... But then he seems to wake up 5 minutes later crying. Out of frustration this afternoon, I've left the dummy in and he's still sleeping an hour later! I guess if he has the dummy in his mouth, he will be able to get himself back to sleep when he wakes up. Should I leave the dummy in or should I persist in removing it? I am so scared of him used to having a dummy in his mouth and us having to get up all times of the night to put it back in but he seems to sleep so well with it! Argggghhhh... Any advice? Thanks...

Ax

[ajm200]

We gave our lad a dummy at around 5 months as we were concerned about his thumb sucking. His cousin still sucks her thumb at 10.

It became a nightmare very quickly. He would lose them down the back of the cot and cry until they were replaced. He went from sleeping all night to waking every 20-30 mins

We gave up and threw them all out. It took a few days but he soon forgot. I suspect it would have been more difficult if he was older. A week later, he'd learnt to settle himself without it.

It was a hellish week though. Good luck I do sympathise

[angel1976]

Arggghhhhh ajm200, that's exactly what I was afraid of! Put him to sleep tonight, removed dummy after half an hour and he was crying 5 minutes later. Wouldn't settle without dummy, so stuck it in and just removed it and keeping fingers crossed that he doesn't wake now... What a freaking nightmare, we seem to have replaced one problem with another... Ok, going to try and wean him off the dummy. Argh, argh, argh!

[ajm200]

Good luck. I hope you can get it sorted out quickly.

[TheGabster]

Totally sympathise.

Spent 3 hellish days and nights screaming weaning my ds (at 5.5 months) off dummy only to catch DH a few weeks later shoving it in at 6am so he could get a few extra winks at the weekend!!!!!!

[ghosty]

I used to have to 'replug' the dummy until DD was about 8/9 months old. I left about 5 dotted around her cot so I could find one easily without having to crawl around in the dark. At that age she was able to find one or two or all of them and put herself back to sleep and we had blissful long nights from then on. The thing was, she would use at least 3 to put herself to sleep - sucking one and holding the other two in each hand. She would doze off by switching them around and around and around.
She had the dummies for sleeping until she was 3 and a bit and then we 'lost' them mysterously one bedtime and she went to sleep without a bother never woke up during the night.
I think you either get rid of it when they are under 6 months or wait till they are over 2 and half.
It will always be easier to get rid of a dummy than stop thumbsucking.

[angel1976]

Argh.... Bad night last night. First time DS insisted on dummy before he slept. He used to settle fine at night without dummy.... What do I do??? I finally let him have it as I was so tired and he was crying. Will letting them have dummy ruin their teeth????

[ajm200]

You either let him continue or bin the dummies so that theres no temptation to give in and expect a few long sleepless nights until he gets the idea.

The weekend is coming so it might be good opportunity to take them away if that is what you decide. At least no-one will fall asleep at work from sleep deprivation.

Good luck, been there, wouldn't want to go back!

[copperbottom]

Same approach as ghosty here

DS is now 11 months and currently has 6 dummies scattered around his cot to go to sleep with. They stay in the cot and are only used for sleeping, so I'm happy for this to continue as long as he wants them.

To be honest, up to about 6 months we were having to replace the dummy when he stirred at all hours and did rue the day we ever started using them, but then he sussed replacing them on his own and things got better.

They drop out once he's asleep and he reaches out and replaces one if he stirs.

On the lost dummy front - we're sneaky and use a combination of cot books and a bumper minimise the number of dummies lost through the cot bars. (Bumper's on the side next to a wall so no climbing issue at the moment..)

Good luck with whatever you decide to do

[angel1976]

Thanks everyone... It's never easy is it? Was out and about today and he happily sucked his dummy to sleep and it stayed in (argghhhhhhhh...). Finally it fell off and he woke up. It just seems to soothe him especially since he's teething now...

[misselizabethbennett]

Sorry, but I love dummies. DS only started having one at around 6 months and I don't remember having to replace it much. Anyway, replacing a dummy is a lot easier than rocking or giving a comfort feed.