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Behaviour/development

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Original poster

Weaning a 7 month old off dummies

14 replies

Loll34 · 22/10/2006 22:02

Sorry, another thread on dummies but...any ideas on how to wean my 7 month old dd off her night-time dummy habit? She had bad reflux and it did really help her, but she's mainly over that now and I'm waking up ten times a night to put the bloody thing back in. Am getting severely sleep deprived... should I try and break her dummy habit or just hang on in there until she's old enough to put the damn thing in herself and worry about it when she's 3?

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CountTo10 · 22/10/2006 22:09

If you don't want to remove it fully you could try a clip (avail from Boots) that you attach to the dummy and then to her baby gro so if it does come out she can easily find it.

We weaned our lo off his dummy when he was about 18mths. We never let him have it often - mainly at night and then it became apparant that he was only actually using it at home so we decided to drop it. It was not an easy few nights with plenty of tears but this only lasted for a week and then he quickly got used to it. He has a blankie and favourite bear that goes to bed with him now which is fine and a lot easier to manage!!! We can't remember him with a dummy now and its great now that we don;t have to panic that he has it and he can settle himself 9/10 when he wakes up in the night.

What i would say is if you can do it and don't mind a few difficult nights then you should go for it as the younger they are, the easier it is to get rid of these types of things.

Original poster

Loll34 · 22/10/2006 22:14

It's inevitably going to involve crying if I try and get her off it, isn't it...I'm such a coward. Dd really has a pair of lungs on her. I think I'm going to wait until dh and I have some holiday and aren't too knackered and then just gird our loins and go for it.

The dummy clip is a good idea - if nothing else it will help me find the damn thing as I grope around her cot in the dark.

OP posts:

hairymclary · 22/10/2006 22:18

i remember that phase well, it's a nightmare isn't it?
I have to say, I couldn't bear to take DS's away from him so he still has it.
I don't think he did it for that long though, he now sleeps through even if he loses it in the night.

Olihan · 22/10/2006 22:21

Quickest way is to go cold turkey and just bin the lot but it takes nerves of steel!! We did it with ds at 5/6 months because of the constant waking when he lost it. It was hard for 3 nights then he was okay and doesn't have any kind of comforter now. It depends if you can listen to her cry herself to sleep for a couple of nights really. I was really conscious that as it was me who had taken his dummy away and deprived him of his sleep prop then I couldn't do controlled crying or any of those techniques so dh and I took it in turns to sit by his cot and pat his back and shush him gently. I didn't want to get into a situation where he would only fall asleep while being held or sung to either - I didn't want to swap one problem for another! - so it was a really heart wrenching couple of days.

When we had dd we gave her a dummy in the early days, intending to get rid at a similar age but for some reason I couldn't find the strength to do it so she still has it at 14 months (only at sleep times though!). We solved the constant waking by putting about 6 dummies in her cot so she could find one quite easily and get it back in herself but now we are faced with having to get rid of it when she is a lot older and all the tears that will entail.

With hindsight I'd say get rid of it now because although it's hard for a few days, it's over quite quickly and you never have to worry about the wretched things again.

Toothyboy · 22/10/2006 22:28

Ds2 is 8 months - I tried to do it a week or so ago! It actually started quite well and he was settling himself at bedtime, and had also started settling himself during the night. But he's teething now and a few nights ago was inconsolable, so I'm afraid I caved and gave him a dummy!

It was definitely easier than I thought it was going to be, and once ds2 is over this bad patch I'll go for it again. I think you just have to be prepared for 2 or 3 bad nights, then it should get gradually better!

Ds1 didn't get rid of his dummy for sleeping until he was 3 - but he never really lost it at night, so it wasn't a problem. For ds2 I think it's creating more problems than it's solving - like you I'm in and out of the room all through the night.

Good luck!

mears · 22/10/2006 22:31

I went cold turkey when DS3 was 8 months. He settled within a few nights.

Original poster

Loll34 · 23/10/2006 21:30

Well today dd is teething and has a stinking cold so I'm going to leave it until she's better...this is how kids end up having them when they're 5 years old, isn't it. She actually went to sleep this morning without it (heavily dosed on Medised though) but sucked on a cloth comforter instead. Not very hygenic and the thought of having to wash that bloody thing everyday is even less appealing than the dummy. Thanks all for comments - as I suspected, I think the options are put up with it or have a few nights crying...

OP posts:

saffymum · 05/11/2006 22:14

try the clip, it works. As to stopping my 2.5 boy quit, great idea worked for us by accident, dummy got bitten through and was the last one left, so we cut the chewed end off so there was just a stubb. He looked quite surprised to feel it the first time and kept taking it in and out, he still had his dummy so wasn't fussed about yelling for it. The next day he said 'dummy broken' so I said 'broken things go in the bin' so he obliged and threw it away by himself. Funny that I did precisely the bin thing unprompted when I was 3, apparently. Must be in the blood....

glamourbadger · 06/11/2006 13:41

I was in a similar situation with my twins and decided enough was enough!

Went cold turkey and I have to say it's the best decision I've made. First night was hell (they screamed for over an hour) and for the first two days spent most of their lunchtime sleep crying rather than sleeping. It took about a week and got easier each day until on Saturday night they went down without a peep - and have done ever since. They are v sucky babies so I still use dummies to wind them down before their sleep but take them out when I put them to bed.

Maisiemouse · 09/11/2006 20:36

had almost same thing dd1 (now nearly 2)I realised I had to take it away when I was crawling under her cot night after night searching for damn thing
she had her dummy cruely taken away aged 7 months only to be returned a few weeks later when teething went ballistic then taken away for good at 9 months. i think it went pretty well (I have amazing power to forget the bad bits tho)-I used her favourite teddy as a soother and started by taking it out when she was virtually asleep and gradually took it out earlier and earlier each night..
however, dd2 (5 months) has had colic and realise I'm already going down the same road as her sis with the dummy so am trying to only give it to her in the cot (she falls asleep in buggy and car now without)
hope this might help

estobi1 · 09/11/2006 20:42

Go for cold turkey. I was terrified of weaning my dd off her dummy and she had it unitl she was 16 months. At that time she would scream if she did not have a dummy in each hand and one in her mouth. So I waited for an opportunity when she did not have one and threw every single dummy away. I hadn't planned it - I just did it and within 2-3 days she had forgotten all about it. We didn't have too much crying or protest (even though she is generally a fiesty little one!) she just got on with it - I realised that it was us who needed the dummy and not her. It is important though to make sure that you have exorcised all dummies beacuse if they find one under the cot etc you are back to square one - good luck!

RedTartanLass · 09/11/2006 21:11

Same as most people went cold turkey

1st night OMG..hell.
2nd night...worse.
3rd night, the first time he slept through!! He was 7 months. Sadly that was the last time he slept through for another 2 years

MKG · 09/11/2006 22:08

My ds bit through his and the first day he didn't take a nap at all and he usually naps for a total of 3 hrs. He slept like a log that night, and the next day it was like he never even used one.

Purplelady1 · 17/02/2025 19:42

My DS just turned 7 months and I’m about to try and wean him off his dummy. Wish me luck !

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