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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 Grin

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:
Bbq1 · 13/02/2024 23:55

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.

Ds was just 4 and only used it at night. He was /is very bright and understood when the dentist said it would affect his teeth at a check up - he gave up that day. Rubbish about speech delay because ds was an early talker and could hold full conversations at about 18 months. He had his dummy from birth and it never affected his speech - or teeth - in the slightest. At 18 he has great teeth with no fillings or extractions. Still really chatty too!!

SemperIdem · 14/02/2024 00:01

People get so het up about dummies, it’s quite funny.

My daughter was about 3.5 when I stopped her using it. Teeth are great, in fact the dentist has never once mentioned dummy use. I can’t remember how I did the removal now but suspect it was along the lines of “giving it to the dummy fairy so a new baby can have it” or some such.

Shnowdrops · 14/02/2024 06:32

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

Yes my parents thought the same. So I sucked my thumb til I was 10. Teeth are a state.

My son got a dummy the second he put his thumb to his mouth at around 2 weeks old. We'll do dummy fairy when I feel he is ready, around about 3 probably.

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4 year olds Families
Mumoftwo1312 · 14/02/2024 07:26

Bbq1 · 13/02/2024 23:55

Ds was just 4 and only used it at night. He was /is very bright and understood when the dentist said it would affect his teeth at a check up - he gave up that day. Rubbish about speech delay because ds was an early talker and could hold full conversations at about 18 months. He had his dummy from birth and it never affected his speech - or teeth - in the slightest. At 18 he has great teeth with no fillings or extractions. Still really chatty too!!

Show quote history

That's why I said the speech issue is if they're worn in the day. I think you rushed to quote me without reading properly.

fluffyduvetcover · 14/02/2024 07:56

I doubt my DS would have grown out of wanting his dummy. He would have about four on the go, one in his mouth and 3 in pockets! They were also cheap dummies from our local post office and we could only buy them there, such a pain if they sold out. Fully breastfed until about one and adored sucking.
On his 3rd Birthday all dummies and bottles were put in the outside bin with him in full knowledge and with no fuss from us. I can recall him looking a bit tearful and sort of hunting around for the day but it had passed by the next day. Parents ( like me) give the bloody things in the first place so need to take control and just remove them when the child is too old. 4 is too old imo
DD never had one despite being in SCBU for a long time where they were promoted, she just didn't want one and never particularly liked sucking

HouseNoMore · 14/02/2024 08:02

Just after 2nd birthday for all of mine

Cheepcheepcheep · 14/02/2024 08:13

Our rule was that you never have the dummy in your mouth when you’re walking/crawling/running. Based on generally never having anything in your mouth when you’re on the move in case you trip and fall and it goes in. So the daytime use gradually dropped off between learning to crawl (6m/10m for each) and learning to walk (10m/14m for each).

Night time use - DS still has his at 22 months. DD had the dummy fairy come just before her 3rd birthday and while I was very nervous it was a really easy two night job and at 3.5 she proudly will tell anyone that dummies are for babies. 😁 Plan to do the same with DS.

Would have had her off them sooner but there’s 20 months between them and DS was a terrible sleeper for the first 9 months so I needed to make life as easy as possible until she was 2.5!

Like PPs I really wasn’t keen on dummies pre children and I still don’t really like seeing them with them in now, but as a former thumb sucker I’d much rather they were used. They also were one of the only things that would calm my two high needs babies at times - I’m convinced that without them I would have crashed the car at some stage due to the screaming.

Beezknees · 14/02/2024 08:31

DS was 2 and a half. I took it off him at that age, he cried for about a week and then forgot about it. He's 16 now and is in no way traumatised from having his dummy taken away. People make this stuff a bigger deal than it needs to be, at age 4 I'd just be getting rid of it, they're old enough to understand.

TheFiestyFeminist · 14/02/2024 08:34

We took most away and left one. Then when the last one was broken we said the dummy fairy would need to collect it, as they wear out when they aren't needed any more. The dummy fairy rebuilds them to give to new babies who need them, but she leaves a big kid present when she takes it.

Sure enough the following day there was a Sylvanian Families toy which did the trick.

She was about three and a half.

Alalalalalongalalalalalonglonglilong · 14/02/2024 08:39

I see the superior parents of MN are out in force today with unhelpful comments.

OP mine was 4. We were strict about when, she was never ever allowed talk with it or wander around with it in her mouth but it was needed for sleep. If she tried to talk with it we just pretended not to understand and she learned quickly not to do this. I often thought about getting rid of it earlier but decided it was not worth the upset, after years of very damaging sleep deprivation (not just her) it was the best option, she could have kept it til she was 40 if it helped our home life at that time as there was a lot of other stuff going on. I think it was spring before she started primary school that it went, the fairy took it and left a beautiful glass fairy ornament as a thank you. She struggled for a few nights but she was ready and we never looked back.

If your DD is really addicted I'd cut down gradually until its night time only and maybe have a date with a countdown for the fairy to come to give her time and get used to self soothing at other times of the day.

stackhead · 14/02/2024 08:42

DD gave up her dummy a few weeks into reception. It was her own idea and slept absolutely fine. We had to pull her thumb out of her mouth a few times but otherwise that was it. No drama.

She's a June baby so was only just 4 and only had them to get the sleep.

Flatandhappy · 14/02/2024 09:12

DS2 was a dummy fiend, he would cheerfully have one in his mouth and one in each hand. Bedtime only from around 2. Finally gave it up age 6, yes 6! He is now a teacher with a Masters Degree, it really didn’t stunt him for life.

MyBigFatGreekSalad · 14/02/2024 09:14

BIossomtoes · 13/02/2024 21:58

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

Why did you comment on the thread then?

toomanyleggings · 14/02/2024 09:18

Dd is just over 3, I was hoping to get rid of it soon but she’s had a bad run of illness so haven’t tackled it yet. I’m not too bothered really. She’s bright and talks well. She only has it when upset or at night for dozing off

Footprintsinthesand · 14/02/2024 09:22

DS gave his to the easter bunny when he was 3. His idea not mine! I wasn't even planning on introducing the Easter bunny!

I thought I'd never get it off him but it was really easy in the end

jhy · 14/02/2024 12:43

We took my sons on his 4th birthday. Said they need to go to little babies. Never looked back!
I kept a few 'just in case' as I was panicking but it was way easier than I ever imagined

paristotokyo · 14/02/2024 12:47

We stopped DC at 3.5 as it was really affecting his teeth! I work in the dental industry so was concerned it would get even worse. I mainly stuck with it as he was such a poor sleeper and it was the only way he would settle back down. He only had it at nights by then though. The first night was tough then throughout the first week he would randomly cry and wake up some nights looking for it but by the second week it was like he has total forgotten all about it.

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