WHEN do they "grow out" of dummy use?

[morningpaper]

Does it need encouraging or do they grow out of it?

I think I had a dummy until I was 6. Never needed a brace or anything. I can't remember why I gave it up.

Does giving it up always come naturally? Or does it need encouragement?

My two didn't have dummies (they are still addicted to blankies!) but I have lots of friend who have weaned their children off their dummies aged around 3 or 4. One friend encouraged her dd to leave her dummy out for Father Christmas to take in exchange for her presents which worked very well.

I myself had a dummy until I was about 5 and there was hell to pay when I wasn't allowed to have it anymore!

I had to encourage DD1 out of it, especially at night. During the day, I stopped offering it as a pacifier when she was upset/tired and used other distractions instead. At night, when she just turned 3, I suggested to her that perhaps she didn't need one anymore. After a week (with some tears and having to sit with her while she fell asleep) she got a reward (new toy) for giving it up. She never asked for it again!
DD2 is 'self-weaning' from hers, but she was never as attached to it as DD1.
For my nephew, my sister just told him that, as each of his dummies wore out, she would ahve to throw it away and would not be replacing it. He was OK with this, and his dummy use just gradually faded away as the dummies did.

Dd was about 4 months old but unfortunately discovered her thumb very soon afterwards; ds was a few weeks old.

A friend of mine persuaded her dd to give up the dummy at around 4.5 (Father Christmas took it in exchange for presents)

I had to encourage my ds1. He actually asked where his dummies were last week - he's nearly 10! We told him to put it in his Xmas stocking and Father Christmas would bring him an extra present. We told him he needed them for the new babies (recycling at an early age!)

DD stopped having her dummy completely just befre she was 3, at abut 2y9m I think it was. She gave them to BIL's new kitten who was missing her mummy Really wasn't an issue at all and was much easy to get rid of then I had thought it would be.

Before that she only had her dummy for bed time.

My ds2 who I didn't give a dummy to will need a brace, wheras ds1 who had one till 3 has lovely straight teeth BTW!

My dd was 3 when the birthday bunny took her dummy - for a baby that needed it more- and left her a present for being such a big girl.

She never looked for it again

my ds 3 is 20 months and we would love him to give up his dummy or gucker as he calls it which is meant to be sucker(dont ask) he asks for it all the time and it looks horrible(covers up his gorgeous face).the only thing stopping me taking it off him is that he is teething and it helps him when he's in pain. ds1 went cold turkey at 2 and dd2 wasnt bothered at all when we stopped it at 1yrs old.