It’s now time to ditch the dummy right? Any tips?

[user2466]

Hi,

My DD (18 months) has made holes in her second dummy this week and I believe it’s too risky to buy her another one as it could be a choking hazard if she bites into it.

I’m going to go cold turkey from tonight (she mainly uses it for naps or if she’s really unsettled).

Am I being mean to make her go without one cold turkey?

Any tips as she usually cries at night if she loses her dummy so it’s going to be an interesting night

She’s crying currently for her dummy and I feel so guilty 😢

I’ve seen things like the dummy fairy taking them for the new babies. Tying them to a tree. Also recently saw putting them inside a build a bear. I think going cold turkey is a bit mean. She won’t understand.

@londongirl12i don’t think would currently understand understand a dummy fairy personally or even burying it under a tree. Maybe if she was 2 she would but I’ve had to go cold turkey because I’m worried she could choke on pieces of it if she chewed them off

Well call me mean because I did cold turkey at 20 months for my dd and I explained it very clearly in a way she could grasp, that she didn’t have them anymore and they were for little babies. We got her a special milk cup for night time with a unicorn on. She cried first night and then second night briefly but now is v attached to her unicorn straw cup for her nightly milk instead. She’s just turned 3 a few days ago. In the next few weeks we will wean off bedtime drink of milk and change to water. Her speech and teeth are wonderful. Many of her 3 year olds (and older) friends have dummies and a couple have severely affected teeth, like pushed right up and out in a bridge shape, parents must just not really notice

Have you got a teething toy she can chew on instead? My little one made holes in his but only when teething. He never ended up with chunks out of them though. What dummies are they? I used the tommee tippee ones because they seemed stronger

I told mine that we had “forgotten” the dummies when we went on holiday. And that was that. They were 3 though so I don’t know

My middle son had a dummy until he was 4 - only at bedtime though by that age. He absolutely loved his dummies and always had one in his pocket although he'd never use it, it was almost like a comfort blanket! When he started reception he decided himself that he was too big for a dummy and put them all in the bin. He was fine sleeping without it which really surprised us! I don't know how you'd go about explaining to an 18 month old why the dummy has to go - you might just have to bite the bullet and accept that you're probably going to have some unsettled nights until she gets used to being without it. Extra cuddles and stories at bedtime and lying down with her patting her back if she wakes in the night - hopefully it will only take a few nights before she's dropping off without it. Good luck 💐

My daughter gradually bit through all of hers. We warned her on the last one that the shops didn’t have any more when it broke.
when she hit a hole in it I just said no more. She was upset the first night, held it as a comfort for a few days and the forgot about it.

My little one is 2 in October. He’s had no dummy for 2 and a half weeks. Cold turkey, he loves birds so we threw it to the birds. Just keep telling him he’s a big boy now. Cried on and off for the first day, now if he mentions it I just say you are a big boy and the birds took it away. He’s doing great without it.