8 year old refuses to give up dummy!

[Throughthewardrobe664]

Ds is 8 and still has a dummy at bedtime. I think that he's far too old for it, it has had an effect on his teeth causing them to grow in squint. OH however doesn't find this a big deal and says "just let him have it," "it's not that big a deal" "he'll lose it in his own time." Well so far he hasn't lost it, and it's beginning to get ridiculous. I have butt heads with him and MIL over this before, neither of them see the problem.

I've posted about this same thing about two years ago, when MIL helped a lot with child care. She no longer does this often but still very much backs up OH in saying that it can stay. Every time I've tried to get rid of then, OH or MIL caves. This infuriatesme, but in the end I always accept it.

Is this more normal/acceptable than it seems and I'm making a mountain out of a molehill? I feel terrible for taking away his comfort, but it REALLY needs to go. And support or strategies anyone out there has?

MyDN was about 7 when she finally let it go - think a degree of bribery & 'you're such a big girl going into yr 3G' was involved, so her DP went back to a sort of reward chart, where for every x nights without it (or midweek or whatever) meant she got so 3 sort of reward which diminished each week without it.
Another friend took their DD to build a bear & they put the dummy inside the toy so they could still hug it at night.

Also, really helpful comments about how 8 is way too old - OP can't turn back the clocks, she has asked for help now, not 4/5 years ago!

My DS2 had a dummy until he was was 11.
But he has autism and learning disabilities. However from age 3 it was only in bed at night..they weren't allowed downstairs and once he was asleep it dropped out .
He's 21 now and has the best teeth in the family..no braces, no fillings, nice straight teeth albeit a bit jagged from his habit of eating wood/plastic/paper and clothes!
The other three never used them...one had extensive dental work and braces for years !

8 is wayyyy too old. Bin it one night, he can’t be upset forever.

I would suggest a visit to the dentist where they can look at your child's teeth, this can put your mind at ease if you had any concerned about damage done to the teeth. They can also advise you on this problem and can explain to your child themselves.

Make a big deal out of the no dummy from now on thing. Exchange it for a hot milk chocolate hour before bed. Nice hot bath.

A dummy is for comfort but also is a habit like many adults have unwanted habits so it's a process but you will be successful!

Reward chart ? Day out treat for the family to when one week two week month milestone without the dummy is hit.

And DO NOT give the dummy back.

Do a goodbye ceremony whatever it takes but the problem needs to be resolved now.

My child is 3 and 8 months and only has a dummy at night. I am finally in the process of telling him it's time we say bye bye to the dummy lol.

Good luck

Throw it out when he's at school. Throw every dummy away, yeah sure you'll have a few days of kicking, screaming and your DS losing it but at the end of the day you need to be the one to step up and get rid of it

I'm glad that you have got rid of it OP, but you should really think about ditching it for your other two. Or atleast limiting it to bedtime.

My DS is 3 and only ever has his dummy at bedtime. I'm planning to get rid of it fairly soon.

Good luck though, and make sure that the dummy stays gone for your eldest.

Do you think dummies affect a child’s speech development?

^Feeding, dummies and SIDS

Breastfeeding your baby reduces the risk of SIDS.

It's possible using a dummy at the start of a sleep also reduces the risk of SIDS. But the evidence isn't strong and not all experts agree that dummies should be promoted.

If you do use a dummy, don't start until breastfeeding is well established. This is usually when they're around 1 month old.

Stop giving them the dummy when they're between 6 and 12 months old.^

That’s months not years. According to nhs guidelines ALL your DC should have been off their dummies for years now

Sorry but your the parent... Well done on parenting!!

So what if he doesn't want to give it up. Grab all the dummys and chuck them out!!!

He’s about 7 years to old for a dummy, and getting rid is going to get harder every day.
Sorry, you and your family gave him a dummy for peace and quiet when he was little, now its time to pay for that

Please learn from this and do not follow suit with any further children. The only thing you can do is take all the dummies away immediately and keep it that away.

Really just throw the damn things out. You should have done it years ago.

RTFT ITS A ZOMBIE!

The OP got rid of the dummy a year ago FFS.

I don’t think the OP needs advice as this was a year ago... unless you caved in? @Throughthewardrobe664?

Zombie was raised by the author of a dummy dropping book.