Dummy advice needed please.

[lots33]

Hi, I am looking for some advice/views about my DS, 20 months.

Up until about 3 weeks ago, he was dummy mad! He wanted to have it all of the time and whinged for it when he didn't. We were concerned that it was affecting his speech so after searching some old threads on MN (thanks all!) we decided to go cold turkey barring his nap and overnight.

It was really tough for 3 days but he has done brilliantly and now waves 'bye bye' to his dummy and puts it in a bag every morning....we are so proud of him!

Only trouble is (if you can call it that).....before all this he slept from about 6.30 to 6.30 (I know we are very lucky!). However, now, he asks to go to bed (rattles the stair gate and says ta) at the usual time and goes down happily (with dummy) but instead of going off to sleep he chats to his toys for a couple of hours and chills with his dummy and then sleeps in the next day if he can on weekends.

I know that this all sounds great and I suppose it is but I can't help wondering if we should let him have his dummy after tea when he chills before bed. I think he's a bit less up for cuddling and chilling before bed with us as he is keen to go up and get to his dummy! BUT I don't want to give him mixed messages about when he can have his dummy and his speech has come on since it has gone.

I would really welcome any thoughts or experiences.

TIA

If he's not tired the next day is it a problem if he is awake playing happily for a while?

Dummies are fantastic but not if the child has them all day and night, you've done the right thing, stick with it and it'll become the norm. Sleeping needs and patterns change almost constantly when they're very little, it might just be coincidence that this phase has happened at this time. A strict dummy in bed only rule worked really well. Our DD loved her dummy and kept it until the dummy fairy visited when she was nearly 3.