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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Anyone gone cold turkey with the dummy, with a v determined 3 yo?

13 replies

Jojay · 30/12/2014 22:08

Or is it not worth the trauma?

Dd is 3.5 and loves her dummy. She has it at every sleep time ( she still naps in the daytime as well as night) and will wake in the night if she loses it.

It's pushing her top teeth forward and her bottom ones back, and her speech isn't brilliant. I know that ditching the dummy would help that.

But she is SO attached to it. Whenever I've suggested getting rid if it and giving it to tiny babies or whatever, she just clings to it.

DH and I have both got a few days off after new year and it might be a good time to go cold turkey, but I'm not sure I can face it - she is going to be heartbroken without it!

What do I do?

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MrsDiesel · 30/12/2014 22:14

Yes, ds is 2.5 and went to the dentist last Monday. Ds has his dummy in his mouth constantly, I honestly cant find many pictures without it anyway the dentist said he could see the damage it was doing so we got home and I rounded up all 6 and put them in the bin. I didn't mention it to ds at all.

He has been FINE!! My sister was staying and we were both so nervous of how he would react. He hasn't even asked for them.

The first night he wet to bed ok but woke up at 12.30 and had q full on tantrum screaming and kicking but didn't ask for the dummy. I just put him on my bed and put peppa pig on my phone and let him scream, eventually peppa caught his interest and he crawled over to me, snuggled up and drifted off. That's the only time we have had any trouble.

He wandered about a bit for a couple of days seeming a bit lost but as if he couldn't put hos finger on what he was missing and was a bit clingier than usual bit extra cuddles have sorted that out.

Honestly you may be surprised, I was amazed, never thought it would be so easy.

helensburgh · 30/12/2014 22:16

Yes.

We had a speech and language therapist do a home visit and she said to my almost three year old that the baby birds needed them, so she went outside and out them all out on the grass.

I later put them in the bin.

No probs

HSMMaCM · 30/12/2014 22:17

Dd loved hers. I took them all away and she was fine. I couldn't believe it.

Original poster

Jojay · 30/12/2014 22:17

That's really good to hear, thank you.

Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.....

OP posts:

306235388 · 30/12/2014 22:18

Yes at 3.5 I think. We lost it and just went for it - she was absolutely fine.

2015 · 30/12/2014 22:23

Yes although DD2 was a bit younger - maybe 2 1/2 years. I did it very abruptly and was stunned at how quickly she got over it. It only took a couple nights. I thought it would take ages.

None of my others had dummies but DS1 was a huge thumb sucker. I thought we would never get him to stop but the dentist explained to him that it was ruining his teeth and gave him a magic ring to wear on his thumb to remind him. He went from having his thumb in his mouth all the time to completely stopping within a couple of days. It was a total non issue. He was 4.

I'm a big fan of cold turkey'ing

Original poster

Jojay · 31/12/2014 11:13

Brilliant, than you everyone. You've given me the motivation to give it a go. Wish me luck, we start tomorrow - New Year's resolution!

OP posts:

MrsFlorrick · 31/12/2014 11:21

Yes. With DD. But it cost me two guinea Pigs.

She has been begging for a pet and mostly a guinea pig for months so I had said that if she gave her dummies away to the small babies at the hospital the dummy fairy would bring her a guinea pig.

She was so enthralled with the guinea pigs and so delighted she never once asked for her dummy.

DS is now same ages as your DC and I want him to give up his dummy. Sadly DS doesn't want a guinea pig or any other large meaningful gift so I am a little stuck in the bribery front!

MrsDiesel · 31/12/2014 11:42

Good luck, you will look back in a week and wonder why you didn't do it sooner

Opipjo · 31/12/2014 12:28

I took my ds's away on the day the dentist advised it was damaging his teeth/bite, that was the beginning of August. His bite is now absolutely fine so it's definitely helped.
i just cut the teats off and did a "oh no! what's happened to these...ah well, we'd best put them in the bin" , and he threw them in the bin and said bye to them. We had a few unsettled nights, but nothing tortourous, i just reminded him they were broken.
A pirate ship appeared the next morning as a surprise.

Good luck :)

pommedeterre · 31/12/2014 12:36

Hmm. Didn't work for us, tried lots of things.
Then on the eve of her fourth bday she said she didn't want her dummies anymore.
Now she sucks her thumb - which I think is worse.

Anyway, point of writing was that if it is hard don't despair because they do move on themselves eventually anyway.

ThinkIveBeenHacked · 31/12/2014 12:40

If she only has it for sleeps, surely it isnt causing that much damage? When did she stop having it innthe daytime and was she talking with it in?

We have told DD (just turned three), that if she decides to go to bed without it and sleep the whole night without it, she can have ice cream for Breakfast

She goes to sleep without it, and asks for it when she stirrs in the night, so she hasnt had her ice cream yet but we remind her every night and she has a try most nights. Her dummy stays on her bed though, she isnt allowed it anywhere except bed and it has been that way for at least a year. Thankfully she only naps once a week or so, so that cuts down the dummy time.

Im sure, as I am hoping with Dd, that she will give it up when ready.

ladyflower23 · 01/01/2015 17:13

My ds has just turned 3 and loves his dummy! He had it in all the time until he was about 2 when I thought it was hindering his speech so now he only has it at sleep times. He usually goes without a nap. his speech us brilliant now and there are no problems with his teeth (as far as I can see) so going to let him keep it for a bit longer for sleeps. Trying to potty train and expecting new baby so can't face the cold turkey at the mo. Please come back and tell me how it goes I would be interested to hear!

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