to feel so bad about this?

[tryingtobemarypoppins2]

DS was 3 years old last November and is massively attached to his dummy. I tried so hard to say it was for bedtime only but it has always made its way downstairs!

So this week we have talked about the dummy fairy coming and a bike arriving as a thank-you.

Tonight is the night. 2 hours crying himself to sleep (DH and I giving comfort but having to leave him to it after 90mins), saying "go away fairy, come back dummy"

Tomorrow is going to be HELL!

AIBU to think I should have insisted on bedtime only first and go about things slowley??

:(

I didnt say it affected the mouth, I said it affected the SPEECH. These boys learned to talk around their dummies, hence they still speak like that years later. Why is that so hard to understand?!

I should say that they had them all the time. There was never a time when you saw either of them without a dummy in their mouths, not sure what happened at school tbh, but out of school they had the dummies the whole time.

I understand completely thankyou.
Perhaps all the time would effect learning how to speak I just think they would have resolved this in adulthood.

Northern, not without speech therapy. They would have to unlearn all their speech habits and relearn new ways of speaking with months of speech therapy.

I can totally believe that a child with something almost permanently in their mouth during such crucial formative years can be affected throughout their future.

My DS had speech therapy for a speech delay caused by glue ear and ear infections and everywhere in the speech therapy suite were pictures and notices about dummies and how they affect speech. Not really supposed to use them after 12 months, although ours did until 2yrs. Using a dummy until 6 or 7 just says to me that the parents didn't try hard enough to end dummy usage.

Camerondiazepam can I just ask which kind of dummies you were using (i.e. cherry ones or the orthodontic ones)? Just got me a little worried now...

We have been contemplating the dummy fairy for a while but DD is so attached and I'm just a wimp I guess...

She had the Avent ones, not sure if they were orthodontic (guessing not!). She looks perfectly ok, it's just the dentist that notices. I was a thumbsucker for years so I'm particularly paranoid about it as my teeth are blinking awful despite extractions and years of braces.
HTH

I think the newer avent ones are supposed to be orthodontic (do you mean the clear ones with the flat top?)

They are the ones my daughter use, though the dentist didn't say anything at her first check up...

Yes, think those are the ones, the middles can be coloured or plain.

littlepickle dd had orthodontic ones until she was 5 (again, shame) and her teeth and speech are beautiful.

when we went on holiday when ds was three, we "forgot" to pack his dummies. first night, was after a long journey so he crashed out in his car seat anyway and was transferred to bed. days 2 and 3 he asked for it, but we explained they were all at home and the excitement of being somwhere different and all the outdoor activities wore him out enough to help him sleep. by day 4 he just mumbled about it a bit as he was dozing off but held my hair instead, day 5 no mention. No problems at all since!!

keep going they do forget quite quickly i think!!