Has anyone successfully taken away the dummy from a 9month old or is this a really BAD age??

[sunshine17]

I'm going back to work soon - DD2 (9months old) has a dummy for naps and nighttime only - I'm constantly plugging it back in - she ends up sleeping with me because I'd be up all the time othewise, now I just do it in my sleep.

She will be going to my mums and I want to try and make naps and sleeping less labour intensive for everyone - I often spend 40 minutes getting her to sleep - I can't see my mum doing this! and I'll end up with a very hyper baby when I come to pick her up.

Has anyone got rid of the dummy around this age? and how??? Can't really let her scream too much as DD1 will wake and interuppting her sleep is then a nightmare trying to get them both off.

[v. tired emoicon]

We got rid of DS's dummy at 8 mo, which involved 1 night of pain, then 1 night of less pain, then sleeping all the way through from night 3.

We had already got rid of it at naps a month or so previously though.

How did you do it Flowery?

And did you notice she slept better or did she still wake up for the dummy but just didn't get it?

Chuck em out, cut em up, whatever your need to do, just go cold turkey. 9 Month old babies have short attention spans and little memory. We got rid of DS's dummy when he was 2 and he was very attached to it. Cried for 20 minutes! That's it. Forgotten. Your 9 month old isn't the one who needs to be strong about giving this up. You are. Good luck.

I got rid of the dummy and night weaned at 9mo using controlled crying -- took two nights until DS started sleeping through.

How old is DD1, are they in the same room? If so would maybe put DD1 in with you for a couple of nights while you sort out DD2?

At that point he was going down without the dummy but then waking for it after a couple of hours, and then 4 or 5 more times during the night.

First night he went down fine as usual, then woke up for his dummy. We went in to him, consoled him, cuddles, strokes, then went out, then went back in, more cuddles, more strokes, then out, and did that for about an hour until he fell asleep again.

Then similar a couple of hours later.

That was it for night one.

Night two, he only woke for it once, and took a lot less time to settle.

Night three he slept all the way through, or at least if he woke, settled himself straightaway.

So really, from waking 4 or 5 times a night, it was better even night 1, then much better night 2, then completely sorted night 3.

I agree that I need to be strong!! She is just so attached to the bloody it! She freaks if it's not in when asleep and as soon as it's plugged back in it's like she goes all relaxed.

I guess I'm just worried that it's the wrong time to do it - cruel?? I think I'd read somewhere on here previously about just let them have it, which is why I'm interested if the quality of sleep improves for them because it can't be good semi waking all the time looking for the darn thing.

DS's sleep was definitely miles better once we got rid of it, absolutely. As was mine....

There's no way she'd go to sleep without it right now - the only way I can see to do it is basically stay with her until she is so exhausted that she falls asleep and hope that if I do it enough she forget it. Hope I'm doing the right thing!

Thanks for you advice

I managed to get my 10 month old off hers using the pick up / put down technique.
It was tough for 3 days, but now she goes off nicely, occasionally chuntering to herself.
We only picked her up when she was really distressed, ignoring the mantra crying, we cleared the cot of all distractions and took her for a walk in the fresh air before hand.
It took an hour the first night, and 45 minites during the night (we did not speak to her after the second pick up as it was too stimulating) and she always went back in her cot.
There was a dummy graveyard underneath the cot for a week after! Until it was removed along with the dust bunnies hiding under there!

Good luck with it, ours sleeps through now and it was all worth it.

We did it at 9.5 months and the same as MegBusset. Took the dummy away and night weaned all in one go. Same progress too. Sleeping through by night 3 and haven't looked back since.