Up over 14 times each night to put her dummy back in

[Freyfreysmum]

Help! LO is 13 weeks, and a thriving girl. We've done Gina Ford, and the sleep patterns work, well, in the day. She goes off to sleep well at 7ish, and Im still giving her a 1030pm feed as she is a very big girl, and yet she wakes up almost every half an hour for her dummy, which she falls asleep with. If I go cold turkey, or try any other tactics, she just screams - and screams, until she has woken up DD2 who is 2 and just getting over swine flu, and reduced me to tears. What do I do? x

Cold turkey is my advice. DS1 had dummy until 5 months and I was doing the getting up to put it back in malarky. Took it off him, he screamed for 5 nights solidly, MIL said I was cruel but very glad I did it. Didn't even start DS2 on one. However I was still doing nightfeeds at about 11pm till they were both about 10 months - they were dreamfeeds though. Agree with Pavlov though not to let her scream on her own as that's distressing for all. DS 2 liked me to put my habd on his chest quite firmly so he knew I was there and do long 'ssshhhhhs'. It will be pure murder for a week but worth it in the end.

Thank you - here goes......... x

[realises that we should have done this with DS at 4mo]

bugger

[goes up to stick in dummy at 2.2yo]

didn't want to agree, but if you can handle 3-5 really bad nights, you will likely save yourself months of horrific ones.

Obviously great if you can ditch the dummy as constantly going in and out to pop it back in must be driving you insane, but on the other hand dummies can be great and v useful, so just one other thought if you are not 100% ready to ditch it: with all three of mine I used the dummy to settle them with but as soon as they were asleep i popped it out of their mouth. This seemed to get them used to not sleeping with it plugged in and so I never had to do that in and out thing to put it back in.

sorry for not coming straight back freyfrey's mum. With shush pat you just sit by the baby's cot, they stay in bed and you pat their back rythmically while quietly shushing. In theory they are then able to settle off to sleep without the dummy. Gradually you can reduce the patting and sit near the door just shushing. Within a few wakings they should go off with just a quick pat and a shush and then you leave the room. Worked a treat for dd in just one night (bedtime plus 2 wakings)

Know how tough it is so FreyFreysMum - just wondering how you are getting on?

Pants. From 0230 I literally cannot settle her now. I even have offered her a bottle, which she guzzles in an instant, and then will not feed at 7. God.

I would have a few scattered around the cot so hopefully baby could find one. Put them in her hand rather than in her mouth for her and the same during the day to get her to do it herself. Also put it in front of her in the day where she can see it & pick it up herself. Sounds extreme but once she has one in her mouth put another one in her hand so there is another one ready! you might not have to get up as many times, and she will become better at finding them herself when she gets older.