be considering giving dd a dummy 3 months after taking it away?

[ick1efeet]

Long story, sorry. My dd is now 9 1/2 months and a few weeks before christmas she cut her first 2 teeth. Like many babies she found this very distressing and woke frequently during the night and the only thing that would settle her was her dummy.

However after the teeth were through she continued to wake alot during the night and within a few weeks she was waking every hour all night long. I'd pop her dummy in and she's go back to sleep no problem. 10 weeks on she was still waking every hour and I was sure it was not the teething. So dp and I agreed we would take away her dummy to see if it was this waking her all night long.

I used BW's pick up put down to get her to sleep and after 3 nights she slept through, something she'd never done before.

The problem is she's started comfort sucking on her bottle and I've had to introduce milk feeds that she had previously dropped just to get her to take a nap during the day otherwise she refuses to nap at all. She also cries herself to sleep at every nap and bedtime and it's doing me in, I thought that she would cry for a while but it's been 3 months.

She's also started teething again and is waking alot during the night and will only settle with a milk feed, last night I fed her 3 times which is ruining her appetite for solids. She's also started being sick in the night and bringing up all of her milk which I think is because she's over feeding.

So I'm thinking about giving her a dummy again, essentially she's swapped a dummy for a bottle anyway so don't know what to do for the best. She's always been a sucky baby but I thought she'd have got over it by now.

AIBU?

I don't really have any experience sorry, but my first thought is could you put water in the bottle instead? If you're sure it's comfort sucking that is? I fed DS at night till he was much older than this, but you do learn the difference between feeding and comfort.
And if you can help me do PUPD succesfully I'd be so grateful!

My DD is nearly two and totally unable to fall asleep without her dummy. I have often agonised about when to get her to give it up, however she is also a sucky baby and I am sure getting her to sleep without it will be a nightmare.

It is awful when they wake during the night beacuse the dummy has fallen out. Soemtimes DD would be crying for it and it was right in front of her face. I will admit to saying some very unfriendly things about her in the middle of the night on many occasions. However, I now put at least 2 dummies in the bed with her and she usually manages to find them herself.

So, if I was in your situation, I would probably go back to the dummy and hope she learns to find it herself at night. I don't think a dummy used just for sleeping does any harm to the teeth or speach. I also found DD coped with the teething over night much better with a dose of Nurofen at bedtime.

Thanks ladies for coming back to me. I've tried water in her bottle, she refuses it or worse she gags and throws up! And I'm already giving her nurofen before bed and during the night. I've been giving her a cold teether to chew on which she quickly gets bored of and then starts to scream!

She'll only settle after sucking on her bottle, but she'll happily down 8 oz only 2 hours after downing 8 oz then a couple of hours later she'll be awake again. I know it's the teeth but she hates to be cuddled, doesn't like my singing and gets all angry and irrate unless bring her a bottle. Then gets really upset when she sicks it all back up!

If you do give the dummy back, and it becomes a problem falling out again, you can look on the (i think it is??) raising kids website and dummy chain 'train' them. My sister did this with her 8 month old and it worked a treat (it is an Aussie website btw). Basically you train them to run their hand down the dummy chain (which is small and NOT a chocking hazard!) and teach them to put it back in. It lets them find their dummy themselves - saving you having to get up 50 gazillion times.

Let me see if I can find a link for you...

Ok here

Basically, c & P...

Otherwise, consider teaching your baby to put her dummy back in herself when it falls out. From eight months of age, most babies can learn to put their own dummy in.

1. Start by attaching the dummy to your baby?s nightclothes by a chain or ribbon that measures less than 10 cm. It is crucial that the chain or ribbon is less than 10 cm long. Any longer and it becomes a strangulation risk.
2. At the start of her sleep, slide your baby's hand down the chain and onto the dummy. Then guide the dummy into her mouth.
3. Every time you have to replace the dummy, make sure you slide your baby's hand down the chain and onto the dummy. Then guide the dummy into her mouth, making sure she keeps her hand on it.

It can take 3-4 nights or longer for babies to learn how to replace the dummy by themselves.

HTH

thisisnotwhoyouthing this is great, thanks. I'd never thought to train her to find it herself. I'd littered the cot with dummies but she never found them so I thought the only option was to take it away.

Thank you.

My dd is four months old and she does this with the dummy, as soon as it falls out she will wake and cry... this is all new to me because my two year old son was never that fussed with a dummy and doesn't have one at all now. I guess all babies are just so different

I was going to suggest a teether but I read you have already tried that and I would also keep trying with the water as opposed to the milk. I would probably reintroduce the dummy, if she's teething and it helps to sooth her then I would use it.

Thank you all for your replies, I've been out today to buy her a dummy although I'm still undecided if I'm going to give it to her, I'll see how she goes tonight.

My dd is two, and since she was about 9 months old, I would not be the one to give her the dummy...she had to make the choice to put it in, then do that herself. She still has it for sleep times, but I have only had to get up in the night once since she was a baby to help her find it...I have found that because it's not me 'plugging her in'...it is more about HER comfort, not mine, and therefore, she keeps track of where it falls.