Dummy woes

[Spoonsmum]

Ok so I know the problem here. I know I’ve made a rod for my own back but I still need advice please! Dd has just turned four and still has a dummy at bedtime. (I know I know)
She doesn’t have it at any other time, but I feel like I’ve left it far too late to take it away. We discussed the dummy fairy, which is something I’d never done with my other kids (they all had dummies up until about two, then I just took them away with literally minimum fuss- I don’t remember it being an ordeal at all)
And we said that a four year old definitely doesn’t need a dummy, so we told her that when she was four the dummies had to go. She wasn’t happy but there you go. Fast forward to her birthday last week, it was a nightmare. She has had a horrible virus, been coughing for weeks, made her very poorly, didn’t sleep for coughing and it made her sick. All very awful. So I felt like I couldn’t take away her comfort of he dummy when she was feeling so rotten. She’s on the mend now and I know it needs to be done but I know she is going to be awful at bed time as she’s told me she can’t sleep without it. I am aware I sound ridiculous. What I’m after is advice from people who left it far too late and have survived :)

Write a letter from Santa to her telling her what a good girl she has been etc and that he got her letter and is looking forward to bringing her gift. Make up a story about Santa needing her help as he has ran out of dummies and he knows shes a big girl now as she has asked for a big girls present so can she leave her dummies for santa next to Rudolphs carrots and he will pick them up when he delivers her big girls toys. My mum used to make me throw my letter to Santa in the fire every year and told me it went up the chimney to Santa. I can still remember the year she told me santa needed my dummies and got me to throw them into the fire along with the letter on xmas eve. If i asked for the dummies the next day i was told santa had them. End of.

DS1 we did the dummy fairy thing at about 3.4 and it was easy- swapped dummy for exciting toy, end of.

DS2 is 3.10 and we are still wobbling- we moved house a couple of months ago and I didn’t get round to sorting the dummy situation what with all the upheaval, new room, new bed etc. However it is now really getting to me so just this morning I told him that santa is going to collect his dummy and give him an extra present. It’s happening and that’s it. He can leave it out on Xmas eve, I’m pretty sure he will make minimum fuss given that the stakes are so high on Xmas eve 😂

Then when it’s gone it’s gone. Stay strong OP! We can do this! 😂

Thankyou :) your responses much kinder than I expected! Actually the Santa thing sounds like a good idea, I definitely think it’s gonna have to be done. I don’t know what I’m so scared about!

Hiya, same position here right now, DS is 4.5, still loves his dummies. Last night was night 5 of operation no more dummy, but I caved and gave it back to him. We had the elf take them away in exchange for a small toy, that he would get on Christmas day. He wasn't best pleased with the trade, but by that time it was too late. He starts school in August, so that's my new deadline. Unfortunately no advice from me then, just don't be too hard on yourself, you are far from alone.

I feel your pain when it comes to children who don't sleep. In our case it's not dummies but having to sit next to them till they sleep (or co-sleep if we're too shattered). Having done this with our eldest I would say don't delay it!
At 4.5 your DS is big enough to understand what you say so waiting till August will probably not help much. And starting school is stressful for them. Ours really regressed so I think you will want to have the dummy well in the past so he doesn't ask for it when he's feeling overwhelmed by school. Also a lot of kids start losing their milk teeth at the time and dummies are supposed to be bad for teeth growth!

Sorry! That post was supposed to be for @Namechange454

I would just like to say, I was a child who had a dummy for far too long, around 6 years old! (but only for bedtime)

We went on holiday and had forgotten all dummies, my mum said suck your thumb instead. Got me through the holiday and off the dummies completely but then became the new thing - didn't stop that until I was 14!

Nothing terrible happened, had a retainer for a little bit but speech etc all fine and normal

Your plan sounds fine

Don't sweat it! Our DCs have all had comforters. They grow out of them when they're ready. Society is full of pressures about starting this, stopping that, why aren't they doing this, why are they still doing that... Its crazy.
I had a blanket and sucked my thumb in bed until I was about 13. I am now a fully adjusted, successful adult. (but I do still have the tiny remaining scrap of my blanket in a little bag, like a relic 😁)