To introduce a dummy at 9 months?

[sittingonacornflake]

So DS doesn't sleep well. Like reeeeally doesn't sleep well. Wakes multiple times (I'd say about a third of the time his wakings are so frequent I don't even have time for a cup of tea downstairs so just give up and come to bed with him). Sometimes shush and pat can get him back off but this is unusual. Mostly he just wants to breastfeed.

This isn't the end of the world except that twice since DS was born I've gone out for a meal in the evening leaving my mum to babysit and it's really not very fair on her because she has to (what feels like endlessly) rock and comfort him to get him back to sleep. And he cries so much

Not interested in any type of CC or CIO techniques and he has a set routine, white noise etc so am now wondering whether it would be crazy to introduce a dummy at this age? I did try once when DS was 6 weeks old but he just thrust it back out his mouth and I never tried again.

Does anyone have any experience or tips they could share please?

@huffabook did you try the nail varnish that tastes bad with her?

Yes I tried that. It's difficult now she's a teenager and not really willing to listen to me very much 😬
She is due to have her braces off soon and I have said there is no way that can happen if she is still sucking her thumb 😫

Instead of a dummy how about a blanket or comforter? My DS had a dummy for naps and sleep from birth but we replaced it with a comforter when he was 1. Mainly because we didn't want him to start wanting it more as he got older and obviously the older they get the harder it can be to take it away. He now settles with a comforter or a blanket which he puts in his mouth and chews on to settle himself to sleep, if he's unwell or just wants some familiarity. By all means try a dummy but I think there's less of a timeline on getting them to give up a blanket or comforter.

Good luck

I introduced a dummy at a year! when I had to stop breast feeding and go back to work. She comfort suckled a lot so the dummy was to let DH take some nights.

I've found with our daughter at least I often have to offer her something (dummy, toy, teether) multiple times before she actually wants it. Then suddenly the 6th or 20th time I offer it she wants it and will want it anytime I offer it after that.

We had to introduce dummy for other health reason early, despite not wanting, He is actually fine and hardly uses it during the day, unless hes not well, and at night he uses it to fall asleep, and then sometimes I put it in his mouth if he wakes up once or so. I know some Mums/health professionals are dead against it, but I think it is a very narrow view. You do what you got to do. Some babies sleep well at 4 weeks, and some bloody never, so if you have an easy baby, it's all well telling other people not to use it.

@Huffabook, if it's any consolation, I sucked my thumb until I was 17. No amount of peer pressure/pleading from my parents would make me stop. Then one day I just decided not to do it any more and that was that, stopped literally overnight. Hopefully your daughter will be the same . If she's anything like me, she needs to make her own decision to stop. If anything, people telling me to stop just made me do it more (have always been a bit contrary). Fingers crossed for you!

Thank you Nut - I think that is exactly the problem. I hope if the braces come off, she make the decision herself to stop. I remember doing the same, but I was 10 🙄😆

Just to keep the thread updated - I didn't manage to try the dummy last night but I will tonight so will report back!

Ok to report back on first bedtime with dummy:

If DS wasn't biting it, thrusting it out with his tongue, throwing it on the bed or at my face he was laughing hysterically at it to the point he gave himself hiccups....

I had 4 kids; none took the dummy at birth.

#1 took it at 6 months
#2 took it at 5 months
#3 took it at 11 months
#4 refused right up to 21 months or so. Once she started taking it my life and her sleep was transformed.

All weaned easily enough at about age 3.

Also - all mine preferred a latex teat to a silicon. Apparently breastfed babies (which mine were) often do as latex is softer and closer to breast tissue in feel?

Having a dummy isn’t really self soothing is it? It’s just relying on something you will eventually have to remove.

Try a blanket maybe? They're well known as comfort items for a reason and there's no rush to get the blanket away from them.

I've nothing against dummies, we used one up until 1 for sleep with DS and they were fantastic! But they can cause issues with speech and teeth so if possibly see if some alternatives may work first.

Hope you find something that works for you

What is it then crispy? Of course it is self soothing. Why do some people just let their babies cry when something so simple could give them comfort? Not Talking about you OP.

I suppose, unicycle, that the argument could be made that it's soothing rather than self soothing? If BF to sleep requires you to give them a nipple, dummy to sleep requires you to give them a dummy. If that's the definition you're using, sucking their thumb or rubbing their ear etc are the only true self soothing techniques. Unless they're old enough to fetch their own dummy or blanket, in which case they are soothing themselves. I agree it's a somewhat pointless argument but it could be made.

Why do some people just let their babies cry when something so simple could give them comfort? Not Talking about you OP.

What memory said! It’s soothing, not self soothing.

just because they don’t have a dummy it doesn’t mean you should leave them to cry btw - DS doesn’t have one because I prefer to soothe him myself. I just don’t like people suggesting a dummy is self soothing, as memory says, thumb or holding ear or something is self soothing.