how to lose a dummy?!?

[Caroline2103]

My DS is 8months old and has had a dummy from about 4weeks. He has his dummy when he's tired in the daytime and when he goes to bed. He was sleeping through but has started waking for his dummy two or three times in the night. Other moms I've spoken too have said I need to wean him from the dummy as soon as possible otherwise it'll be really difficult further on. Is this wise? How do you do this? Help! Thanks in advance

hi, my ds had a dummy from about 8 weeks (trying to wean him off chewing on me!) it stayed under his pillow so only had it at bedtimes, (actually he had 2, in case he couldn't find 1) and had them both until he was 2 years. This prob seems quite old but it never came out with us so was only at bedtimes. On his second birthday he gave them to me as an exchange for now being a 'big boy' and woke to find a fab 'big boy' present. He had been using it less and less up to this point so was all quite easy. I think if its just sleep times its defiantly not a problem, its only when you see kids still using them during the day and trying to 'talk' around them! Maybe there is something else unsettling him at the moment so he needs the extra reassurance? I'm sure once he is settled again the waking will stop, most of the time my ds would wake up in the morning without them, having lost them during the night and been too asleep to worry.

The older they get the more attached they get to the dummy. I've found two things work; you either keep dummy strictly in the cot; literally leave it in the cot and don't get in out at all. This way they get used to not having the dummy in the day. But I've found you have to be really rigid about this rule, so even if child crying wanting dummy, don't give it unless nap time. Straight after nap:,dummy stays in cot.
Or
Get rid if dummy completely! Literally throw them away. This is hard, but within a couple of days child will have forgotten about dummy and it'll all be done and dusted! If your feeling strong this is the best way IMO.

I've found if you keep dummy into toddlerhood they become so reliant on it for comfort, sleep, when they fall over etc. Then it's so much harder to get rid of it; mostly because they can talk!!! ; ask, moan and nag for dummy! Having said all that if your not bothered about getting rid of dummy, I've known children get to about 3 ish and then give up dummy. You almost need there co operation at this age! : the dummy fairy sometimes works, as does posting dummies to the babies in hospital!!
Good luck with whatever you decide xx

Thank you for your advice. Gonna try just leaving it in the cot before going cold turkey wish me luck!!!!

My DCs had dummies until they were nearly 5 y.o. Then in both cases we wrapped them up and put them under the Christmas tree for Father Christmas.
Many children need to suck. If they can't have a dummy they will suck their thumb and that might go on until they're much older. I once spoke to a paediatrician who said it was ok but I had to make sure we got rid of it before the new teeth came out.

I say watch for cues and take advantage. dd 1 was 17 months dd2 11months. They go through phases of chucking/ not wanting it as much. Seize the opportunity and get rid. At 8 months stop giving apart from in cot (or dire emergencies like drs surgery). I got rid twice with no issues, honestly.

thankyou. two days now and he doesn't seem bothered about it unless he gets tired. thanks for all the advice

Personally, I let mine keep them. It made for a much quieter life. Handy when you need a back up plan or if they are really poorly .... never could understand the rush for getting rid of them. Interestingly it was always people without kids/very young kids that questioned when they were going to get rid of them, the older mums/grans would pop them back in
Life is toooooooo short.

DS had a dummy until he was 18 months old but it was only for sleeping.

At around 18 months, after a few weeks of talking about the dummy fairy, the dummy 'accidentally' got a hole in it. DS decided that it didn't work anymore and left it for the dummy fairy that night.

I say at 8mo, what's the harm in letting him keep it for night times? If it's falling out in the night and waking him up, you could try encouraging DS to learn to put it back in himself. We now have 6mo DSs dummy attached to his GroBag on one of those dummy clip/strong things, and it's so funny: when we lay him down for bed at night, he grapples for the string with his eyes closed and puts the dummy in himself!

I can only presume he's doing this in the night as well, as he's waking up far less.

Might be worth investing in one of these string things? Obviously make sure it's a short string and that you clip it on in such a place that that it cannot possibly get wrapped around his neck if he rolls over.