should the dummies go or should they stay

[Shaz2011]

I am a mum of 3.
Ds2 is almost 3 & has a dummy which he has with him at all times.
Ds3 is 13 months & also has a dummy am trying to decide weather to get rid of both their dummies or just ds2 & how to go about it as he is very close to his dummies please help

chuck them out, you might have a few days of them feeling hard done by, but they will soon get over it,

they have to go sometime, might as well be today.

I've been told by a couple of dentists that as long as the dummy/thumb sucking is finished by the time they are 6 it won't affect their teeth (if this is indeed what you are worried about).

However, I recently got rid of my 2.5 year old's dummy simply because she had lost all 1000 (so it seems) that we have bought her and I got sick of spending half of my life looking for a dummy to pacify her. We had a couple of nights of whinging for it, and one complete meltdown where she really wanted her dummy, but with none in the house it wasn't possible to give in to her.

She is now happily dummy free and no longer mentions it, it has been about 4 or 5 weeks now.

Not sure about a younger child, but once they are old enough to "reason" with, you can explain that the dummy has gone off to the fairies to be given to another baby (or some such drivel).

Good luck x

I'm not doing it cos of the teeth problem but his speech as when dose speak without a dummy it still sounds like he has one in his mouth & the fact it cost a fortune

I would just get rid of DS2 dummy, explain that he's a big boy now and get him a small present. It'll be hard for the first few days & nights but it is so much nicer once the dummy's gone, you don't have to keep saying "take your dummy out, mummy can't hear you".

We got rid of DD1's dummy when she was 3 (and her little sister was a baby with a dummy but she kept hers) and then we got rid of DD2's when she was 3 also.

Also the reason I didn't get rid of both at the same time was partly because I found the dummy helped when they were teething, especially when the molars came through at around 2 yrs old, and sometimes helped soothe them when they were ill/tired etc. Also I think it would be v hard getting rid of both together and I probably would've caved in and given it back to them!

I know some people don't like seeing children with dummies but mine had them until age 3, for us it was fine (but annoying when they kept losing them and speaking with them in as they got older).

Ok thanks everyone I think I will get rid of ds2 dummy but keep ds3 for a little longer so now got to get him a little present