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Original poster

When did your DC grow out of their dummy?

42 replies

nouts · 13/02/2024 20:19

My DD is 4. She's going to school in September. She still sleeps with her dummy in every night.

Rationally I feel like it's overdue getting rid of her dummy, but she just seems so young to me still - I feel like I'll be gutted letting it go as much as her

I'm wondering how old everyone else's DC were when they parted. DS was 3 just about to go into preschool and I remember thinking that was quite late!

OP posts:

Hellocatshome · 13/02/2024 20:22

DS1 was 2, we were moving house and throwing out some of his baby stuff and he threw them out as well mu h to the shock of us all.

DS2 was 6 months, he just started spitting it out all the time so we took it away and he wasn't bothered in the slightest.

We were very lucky as I know for some it can be a battle.

THNG5 · 13/02/2024 20:24

The dummy fairy came just after their 3rd birthday. Left them some new pj's and took the dummies away. Was surprisingly easy with all of them.

AnneLovesGilbert · 13/02/2024 20:27

Dentist told me to get her off it before 3 so a month or so before we discussed it and then we got rid of them. She cried a bit the first night, we had extra cuddles, mentioned it the second night but no drama, then it was pretty much done. She only had it for nap and getting to sleep.

With baby DS I’ll get him off it before then if I can I think. He likes it rather than loves it and I didn’t get him on it till 8 months but it’s been a game changer.

Interested in this thread?

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4 year olds Families

YouJustDoYou · 13/02/2024 20:29

MIne never wanted one, but I've seen kids on the school run with one still (they were minimum age 4 as it was the Infants school...)

RidingMyBike · 13/02/2024 20:32

Six months. Thought it would be easier if she was younger and she didn't need it after that anyway.

mogtheforg3tfulcat · 13/02/2024 20:34

From around 18 months we only gave the dummy for sleeping. At about 3 we took them away at night but kept them for naps, the thinking being that the DC would eventually stop napping and the dummy would just naturally go at the same time. That did work but they both napped until they started school at 5 so they ended up having dummies much later than I had expected!

HippeePrincess · 13/02/2024 20:37

Both my DS wouldn’t take them. DD only had them at night after 2 but then got ill and started having them in the day too so just before she turned 3 I said she couldn’t be a big girl of 3 and still have a dummy so the dummy fairy came left her a present and took the dummy. She asked a couple of times about it but there was never a fuss.

Thursa · 13/02/2024 21:03

Neither of mine took to a dummy.

ShiftySquirrel · 13/02/2024 21:18

Both mine had dummies, close age gap too so hard to get rid of one without the other. They only had them for sleeping.

Got rid of DD2's when she was about 20 months as she was less attached and didn't care.

Got rid of DD1's two weeks later and she was just over 3. It had to be that way round or DD1 would have swiped her little sister's!

Took a bit of distraction and a cuddly toy.

Phineyj · 13/02/2024 21:56

She was an utter dummy addict.

DH managed to persuade her big girls in Reception didn't have them...

Phineyj · 13/02/2024 21:57

There's nothing at all wrong with her speech or her teeth by the way.

BIossomtoes · 13/02/2024 21:58

Never had one. No way was one of those things going in my child’s mouth.

Scarletttulips · 13/02/2024 21:58

2 years all of them.

I put them in the bin and didn’t replace them. Couple of nights asking and it’s done.

user1471517095 · 13/02/2024 22:33

Mine was 3, I got sick of the palaver of looking for it on a night when she dropped it. So I offered to get her a Goldfish if she stopped using a Dummy. The little sod literally spat it out and never used it again.

fabricstash · 13/02/2024 22:40

3 - he took a shine to an electric train and we said we would get it if he went 5 nights without dummy. Couldn't believe he did it!

NewName24 · 13/02/2024 22:43

2nd birthdays for our dc

YouCantBeSadHoldingACupcake · 13/02/2024 22:52

Confined to sleeping times when they turned one, gone before they were 2.

Watercolourpapier · 13/02/2024 22:57

4 is way, way too old to still have a dummy. She's not a baby.

Mumoftwo1312 · 13/02/2024 22:59

My dd never took to one and my ds looks to be the same... however my dd's best friend loved his and weaned off it around when he turned 3.

I got the impression he was one of the last kids in the nursery class to use one and the nursery were strongly encouraging him to stop using it.

I think it's unusual to still be using one when in reception. I think the warnings about it affecting teeth are a bit overblown though. However I do think, if kids above 1yo use them when they're awake, it does affect speech development because they're talking less having a dummy in their mouth.

Brandyb · 13/02/2024 23:03

Watercolourpapier · 13/02/2024 22:57

4 is way, way too old to still have a dummy. She's not a baby.

Why? My daughter was 4. She was only using it at bedtime and let go pretty easily when it came to that point, having found it really difficult before. I can't detect that any harm was done (that was 10 years ago).

DiscoBeat · 13/02/2024 23:08

Definitely wasn't going to have a dummy with no 1, and we didn't but he took to sucking sleeves and teddies, so we figured dummies were more hygienic and gave them to no 2. But around age 2 and a half and with negotiation with him the dummy fairy swapped it for a Playmobil police car which was waaay cooler. Not a single request for the dummy!

itsalwaysthesame · 13/02/2024 23:09

BIossomtoes · 13/02/2024 21:58

Never had one. No way was one of those things going in my child’s mouth.

🙄

First child I was adamant they were not having a dummy, I was very much like the poster I quoted above (looked down my nose at parents who gave dummies) until I tried one at 3 months and found i, and my baby was actually able to sleep for more than 45 minutes at a time, she had it until she was 3.

Second child was 2 but had it for bed until she was 4.

Both kids don't resemble Ken Dodd and are healthy - try to stop when they start preschool or reception if you can though.

springtome · 13/02/2024 23:20

I took it off my first at 20 months during the day and 22 months for naps/sleeping. My second never liked a dummy (she used me instead). I would have done the same with her as once teeth are in I don't think dummy's are a good idea.

LilBus · 13/02/2024 23:23

This is why I never gave any of mine a dummy, hated the thought of a 4/5 year old still wanting one

mrsfollowill · 13/02/2024 23:23

I've posted this before but my now 20 something DS had his at night until he was 4. My sister brought her new baby to visit who had a dummy in and was fast asleep.

DS took one look at his new cousin and bellowed- 'what is THAT in his mouth!' 'It's a dummy to help him sleep love they are for babies really' I said.

DS dumped all his (he had about 20!) in the bin- end of story and never spoken of again. Do you have any friends/family with new babies?

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