Dummies or thumb?!

[Ettylou]

Hi, please help!
My 15 month old has never really been interested in dummies. He has 1 at night & when he's in his pram but when hes on the go hes never bothered. I'm not against them & have always offered him one. Just recently he has started sucking his thumb! So now i dont know if to start offering him dummies when hes up & about?! My worry is you cant take thumbs away!
Many thanks x

That was always my worry and my son does have a dummy, so I would recommend one.

My dd1 is 7 and thumb sucking has wrecked he teeth and she now needs ortho work so I gave dd2 a dummy

I had 1 dummy addict
2 thumb suckers in recovery
1 former finger sucker who I weaned onto a dummy

I would always give them a dummy.

My thumb suckers have to go to bed with socks taped onto their hands, the dummy suckers threatens to suck her thumb if I take the dummy away but I do think she will grow out of it eventually - she has only ever had it at bedtime.

My eldest traded her dummies for a barbie scooter just before her 5th birthday - she was a complete addict but was a very advanced, fluent and crystal clear talker from the age of 14 months (started at 9 months!!)

Thanks all, I think I'll have dummies scattered around for use now :)
I was a dummy sucker & I gave mine to Father Christmas on Christmas Eve when I was around 4 or 5! :)
xx

DD1 (2.5) found her thumb at 4 months & started sleeping through at the same time

I wasn't that bothered at the time because I was getting loads of sleep she only ever sucked it when she was dropping off to sleep & never touched it when she was awake or when she was actually asleep. But she did go through a phase where she was sucking it alot more & if needed I would like to encourage DD2 (1 week) to use a dummy, but DH isn't keen.

Apparently, as well as the nasty tasting stuff you paint on their nails, you can get something that goes over the thumb which stops them being able to get a good "suck" on it. I'm not even going to think about doing stuff like that until she's 3 though

OK - dummy help needed! My dd is 14 months and has always had one. She has it at night and for naps but not out of bed and has started now to tantrum to demand it any old time she fancies it. Am I being evil not letting her have it? Is she too young to learn that it's bedtime only? I'm worried that every time she realises that it comforts I reinforce her belief that it is the only thing that comforts and make it harder for her to give it up.

When is a good age to give them up? Is this too young? HV said she shouldn't have it any more at 8 months but I felt that was too young...

Having a crisis over this and just don't know what to do for the best!

It's your choice Liz, personally I would ignore the tantrums place the dummies in a special box and place it on a shelf near her bed. When my dd was old enough to communicate (she was quite young about 18 months) I told her she could only have her dummy in bed and sometimes she would put herself to bed during the day so she could have a suck (and often a much needed nap)

Alternatively you could just ditch it by going cold turkey.

ok dummy users, my 21 wk old dd has a dummy for sleeping, its good in that i swaddle her and stick the dummy in and she goes off easily BUT she is waking for it more in the night, sometimes not often but othertimes LOADS, at what age do they learn to find it themselves?

also i cant not swaddle her or she just knocks it out of her mouth and then cries

my ds4 sucks his thumb and he was three in march and i am starting to wonder when he will stop, but its his comort and he generally only does it when going to sleep or in the car/pushchair, he has a comfort blaknet as well so am assuming he will grow out of it.

never had a dummy user before so the night thing is new to me, she is in our bed so its not hard to pop it back in but a pita to keep having sleep interupted!

and re the 14mth old, i would continue with the its only for bedtimes rule, if thats what it has always been and just distract etc during the day.