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Original poster

How did you get rid of your child's dummy?

65 replies

pinky955 · 16/12/2022 16:59

DD is coming to an age where I would like to get rid of her dummy. She's very attached to it and I'm dreading the whole thing. Can anyone give me any successful ways you've managed to get rid of the dummy? Preferably methods that don't involve lots of tantrums and crying 🤞😂

OP posts:
Original poster
pinky955 · 16/12/2022 17:03

Sorry should have posted on Parenting board!

OP posts:
Hopeyoursproutsarealreadyon · 16/12/2022 17:04

How old? Imo taking a comforter off a dc too young to understand is cruel. At 3.5 ds binned his himself. I stopped replacing the chewed ones until he had 1. Told him he was too old for me to keep buying them! He agreed!

didireallyjustsaythat · 16/12/2022 17:06

I just waited until mine eventually lost them. - my daughter had a habit of hiding them to save for later but then could not remember where she left them. A few might also have been accidentally dropped and ran over with the pushchair so were unsalvageable. I did make it very clear that any lost ones would not be replaced, but I think it only took a few months until there was no more dummy. She was very accepting in the end that dummy time was over and I just stayed strong and saw the first night without through with lots of cuddles.

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MolliciousIntent · 16/12/2022 17:08

My parents took mine at 10m and apparently I screamed for a day and then was absolutely fine. I think cold turkey is pretty much the only decent approach really.

BeanieTeen · 16/12/2022 17:08

DS was almost 3 I think - he only used it for sleeping. The dummy fairy came and exchanged for some toys. Easy peasy.
Taking a dummy away from a toddler who just doesn’t understand is I think not worth the hassle. As a pp it’s a big comforter that we introduce to them - it’s not their fault if they’re hooked on it. Taking it away when they are very little, without them having any input or understanding is a bit mean.

MrsMoastyToasty · 16/12/2022 17:10

We told DS that if he left them on the end of his bed that santa would take them for poor little babies who needed them and he would get lovely presents for being a kind boy. He was 2 and a half then.
DM found them in a cupboard a couple of years ago. DS is now 16.

Freeasabird76 · 16/12/2022 17:14

Dummy fairy here too.Worked a treat.

InvisibleDisability · 16/12/2022 17:14

We used the dummy fairy. Put all dummies in a bag on the bedroom door (she had just turned 2) and the fairy overnight left her a present in exchange for the dummies.

RejectedCitizenOfMoronia · 16/12/2022 17:31

We had the dummy elf coming on a specific day and he was to put all his dummies in a special box and the dummy elf took them and left him a gift.

Madwomanuptheroad29 · 16/12/2022 17:31

My DD was around 3.5. We "forgot" the dummy when going away for a couple of days. We "realised" on the way just before stopping at a large supermarket. So we gave her the choice between buying a new dummy or a "big girls toy" and convinced her that there were no dummys for sale at the place we were going to.
She was a bit annoyed the first evening but the was it (she choose the most garish pinkest glittery barbie ever which she knew I would never have bought voluntarily).

pinkfondu · 16/12/2022 17:37

In an envelope to Santa to give as presents to all the new babies

pinkfondu · 16/12/2022 17:37

She put it in the postbox

StrictlyAFemaleFemale · 16/12/2022 17:38

Ds - last one broke and we stopped replacing
DD - dummy fairy

RheanaT · 16/12/2022 17:40

Lost it and didn't bother to replace. DD was 3 yrs old

StrictlyAFemaleFemale · 16/12/2022 17:40

pinkfondu · 16/12/2022 17:37

She put it in the postbox

😂
I live in Denmark. There are lots of dummy trees and the like. You can even give them to the pirates at Legoland!

skyeisthelimit · 16/12/2022 17:42

DD was over 3 and only used it at bedtime at that point. The dummy fairy took away all the dummies and left her a beautiful new party dress (last minute thought, I had already bought it for a Christmas party).

We had talked about the dummy fairy taking them away before that. She never asked for a dummy again, but she did regress into taking her "na-nights bag" everywhere again, but she was fine. (It was her old soft Iggle Piggle sleeping bag that was really silky).

Mexicola · 16/12/2022 17:44

BeanieTeen · 16/12/2022 17:08

DS was almost 3 I think - he only used it for sleeping. The dummy fairy came and exchanged for some toys. Easy peasy.
Taking a dummy away from a toddler who just doesn’t understand is I think not worth the hassle. As a pp it’s a big comforter that we introduce to them - it’s not their fault if they’re hooked on it. Taking it away when they are very little, without them having any input or understanding is a bit mean.

I agree with this. I feel the same about any routine/habit/behaviour you let form. You cannot then just take it off them/stop when it suits you and expect them to be ok about it.

Username6194 · 16/12/2022 17:47

How old? Dummy fairy is good. Although with Xmas coming up you could leave them out for the baby reindeeer or elves.

Danikm151 · 16/12/2022 17:50

I tried the cut the end off the dummy trick… didn’t work

LutherRalph1 · 16/12/2022 17:51

Ds was quite late giving up the dummy so understood the trade off. He was desperate for a Ryan World spinning wheel thing which had toys in each section. I said we had to post Ryan his dummy though and then he could have 5 spins that night and 5 in the morning if he was good about it all

Worked better than I could have hoped

Fleabigg · 16/12/2022 17:54

DD was 3.5, only using it to fall asleep and I kept putting it off for fear of messing up her excellent sleep, but she just handed it to me one day, said she was too big for it now and I should get rid of it. Went to sleep that night with no drama and no tears, it was all on her terms. I was absolutely astounded.

SallyWD · 16/12/2022 18:22

Cold turkey when she was nearly 2. Tried to reduce it gradually but it didn't work. She was addicted to her dummy! So one day the dummy fairy came and all the dummies disappeared. For a couple of nights she cried on and off and I just sat with her and comforted her, then she was OK. For a few weeks she'd occasionally remember it and would say "I want my dummy!" but I could distract her. It was much easier that I expected.

DementedPanda · 16/12/2022 18:24

Took both dc to build a bear and they put their dummy inside the stuffed toy they chose and cuddled that instead

Nsws2015 · 16/12/2022 19:13

@DementedPanda I love that idea!!

My boy gave his up a few weeks ago, hes 2.5.....well I say gave them up, he was chewing them and I found they all had holes so got thrown away. Grandad had one he had left at theirs so dropped that to me, within 48 hours he had chewed that too so we said no more, nin nin (his name for dummy) gone. He had a few nights where he would wake up and cry but that soon passed and he's fine now.

He only had it for sleep and part of me does regret taking it away, particularly when he's been ill since, he never took to a teddy or a comforter, he loved to suck. And he has occasionally been sucking his thumb/fingers since taking it away!!!

Diversion · 16/12/2022 19:19

4 children (now adults), 2 had dummies, 1 had nothing, 1 was a thumb sucker. The eldest dummies went away with the bin man, we talked about it for about a week and she threw them in the bin and we watched the bin get emptied. I cant remember what happened to my other child's dummies although I am sure she will remember. The thumb sucking was by far a harder habit to overcome and the dentist told her off because it was affecting her teeth, she stopped of her own accord then.

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