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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

at end of tether with dummies! help!

21 replies

Clarabumps · 05/02/2009 07:49

I am due to give birth in just over a week and have a 18 month old son. In the past few weeks he has started waking at night shouting for his dummy( which he loses in the middle of the night. He just screams and screams shouting for it untill i eventually give in and go and find it for him. Have let him just cry it out before but it was pretty traumatic and my partner normally does the guilt thing and thinks we should just give him it.
However, i am exhausted!! I can rarely get back to sleep once he wakes and I'm dreading this new arrival as I dont want to be up with a nursing baby and searching around for a dummy.
I am torn as i don't know if i should just take it off him and hopefully after a few nights he should settle. Or wait until the baby is born as all this new baby/ no dummy situation is too much upheaval for him. I have tried putting more dummies in the cot a t night to make it easier for him to find one but this doesnt seem to work either. Has anyone else been in the same situation- what worked for you. I'm at the end of my rope and feeling I dont have any support as all my friends have children that dont have dummies. Really tired!! Sorry for the long post!!

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juuule · 05/02/2009 08:13

I kept a lot of dummies on a chest of drawers at the side of the cot so that I didn't have to start scrabbling around looking for one.
Resigned myself to wandering in, picking up a dummy, giving it to toddler who would then settle down (if it was a good night), then I'd wander back to bed.

pooka · 05/02/2009 08:15

I used to strew dummies around dd's head like rose petals in an upmarket boutique hotel. That did the trick.

Original poster

Clarabumps · 05/02/2009 08:41

i was thinking i could just get a bottle holder pouch thing and attach it to the cot and fill it with dummies?

OP posts:

sockmonkey · 05/02/2009 08:48

I seriously considered glue, or sellotape or some elastic to hold it in place. Hope you find a solution. Would a dummy clip thing help? Keep it attatched to his PJs.

Original poster

Clarabumps · 05/02/2009 08:57

only thing with a dummy clip is that i'd be paranoid that he'd strangle himself with it. He's a bit of a wriggler! I know- i sound paranoid! wish id never given him the thing in the first place. grrr!!

OP posts:

sockmonkey · 05/02/2009 09:09

I often thought SOMEONE must have come up with a solution to this problem... a sprinkling of dummies might have to do!

aendr · 05/02/2009 09:38

I haven't used this myself, but have seen Sleepytot Rabbit comforter which holds a dummy in each paw, and when it's time to give up the dummies, he can still cuddle the rabbit.

hoarsewhisperer · 05/02/2009 09:52

take his favourite teddy, take a dummy clip holder (one of the fabric types), cut it so it is about 5cm long including the clip and sew to the teddy. He will be able to find it always and can't throttle himself with a 5cm length of dummy holder....it worked really well with my two.

wotulookinat · 05/02/2009 09:54

I wouldn't give up the dummy so soon to the new baby coming. My son was 2 when we took the dummies away and it made for a couple of nights of hell, but then was fine.
My son, like yours, would wake in the night because of a lost dummy. Could you put a few in his bed? We used to put 2 or 3 spares on the end of the bed and he knew they were there.

HSMM · 05/02/2009 13:17

we had wooden hooks on the wall by DDs bed with dummies hanging all in a row. either take them all away now (and don't have them in the house), or help him get them himself.

sjcmum · 05/02/2009 15:25

With new baby imminent why make your life more difficult? keep the dummies for a while longer if I were you - and get as much rest as you can, don't lie there awake listening to screaming - you'll have enough of that with baby2!!!

Our dd1 has about 5 in bed with her each night. Also I did used to clip it to her sleeping bag when she got to about 18 months as I got fed up of scrabbling around under the cot. The clip was only about 10 cm long, so she'd have to try quite hard to hurt herself I figured.

Good luck - and remember he'll give up the dummies eventually!!! (at least that is what i'm hoping....)

Original poster

Clarabumps · 09/02/2009 15:31

thanks for all your comments,
I've just scattered about six in his cot for the past few nights and this has definately eased off the night waking. Have decided to leave the dummy battle for the next few months or so.. why make it harder for myself...you're right sjcmum! going to go investigate the sleepy tot rabbit though.
Three days to go. Say a prayer that the next one pops out!

OP posts:

Lotster · 09/02/2009 16:25

Avent have dummies with glow in the dark handles, not sure if they're any good! Good luck!

Milsy · 25/03/2009 22:00

Hi Clarabumps. We had a Sleepytot (still do) and it worked for us brilliantly.

bippyhippy · 30/03/2009 21:18

We also got a Sleepytot baby comforter and the problem has gone. Just pop four dummies on it, show your baby how to find the dummies and leave them to it! I would have spent £100 on it if I knew it would work so brilliantly!

NappyObsessed · 31/03/2009 09:19

does anyone know what age the sleepytot should be used from at night? DD is 5 months and wakes constantly for her dummy - 10 times plus last night alone!!!

BEAUTlFUL · 31/03/2009 10:48

Oooh, I just ordered a sleepytot bunny. DS2 wakes up 3+ times a night looking for a dummy, but they all end up under the cot. Argh.

Tip: it's £12.99, free delivery, and if you add the promotional code FAF you get 10% off!

NappyObsessed · 31/03/2009 11:41

BEAUTIFUL how old is your DS2?

BEAUTlFUL · 31/03/2009 11:58

He's 1.

I'm sure you could use it with a 5-month-old baby. Absolutely. I'd have bought it earlier if I'd known about it!

Are you worried about smothering...?

Maria2007 · 31/03/2009 13:02

I'm following this thread with interesting- my DS is 8 months, really really loves his dummy but these is waking at least 8 times a night (!!) screaming for his dummy. We've put it on a dummy clip, attached to his sleeping bag, but that hasn't helped so far. We've also tried to encourage him (during the day) to find it, but that hasn't helped either. So in 2 weeks (we're now on holiday), when we return home, we'll go cold turkey- as much as I've wanted to avoid that-, because we've reached the end of our tether.

In your situation though, Clarabumps, I would avoid ditching the dummy just now, with a new baby on the way very soon. That's enough of a change for your older child for now. Just tough it out a while longer- and get some help so that you can rest!!- and then after things are a bit more established with the new baby you can rethink the situation (and maybe things then will be better anyway).

GOOD LUCK on your new arrival by the way!

bippyhippy · 08/04/2009 14:24

Did it work for you BEAUTIFUL?

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