Dummies - did you wean baby off them at 6-12 months?

[newmum234]

I’ve never been keen on dummies but am considering introducing one for my LO (9 weeks, ff), for the sole reason that babies apparently find sucking comforting and I want him to be as happy as possible. He also doesn’t sleep well during the day unless he’s sleeping on me, though he’s fine at night. I’m wondering if a dummy could help with his daytime naps?

However, I’ve just read on the NHS website that babies should be weaned off dummies between 6-12 months. I’m now wondering if it’s even worth trying to introduce a dummy if I’ll have to take it off him again in just 4 months time, with all the difficulties that could entail. Am I making a rod for my own back and will I regret giving him one further down the line? Should I tough it out now so I don’t have to worry about him getting hooked on it later? There’s also the thing that he can’t miss what he’s never known in the first place IYSWIM. What to do?

No my daughter had undiagnosed allergies. From 1 year dummies were strictly left in the bedroom before that she would have it while waking up. She was about 2 1/2 before she said she happy for it to go at bed time and it went that night.

Mine were both 3. It was only for sleeping at night or naps in the car. It’s wasn’t hard to get rid of. They both have beautiful teeth and were talking at around 14 months. They aren’t red bull slurping, grunting mutes as a result of dummy use.

Don't introduce one now! My daughter is almost one and has one only when in her cot but I'm dreading taking it away.

Strangely the only one of my dc to not have a dummy likes Red Bull!(adult now!)
Seriously most of my dc had a dummy. Bedtimes and car journeys only from a year old. All binned with dc's agreement around 3 yo. None of the cold turkey, dc sobbing method..

Is the NHS being overly cautious when it says 6-12 months then? So many children seem to use them for longer than that...

No, at 2 years with my one that had a dummy. Frankly 6-12 months is a horrendous time for sleep. It's not the time to be trying something new if what you were doing before is working.

I think what they mean is that at 6-12 months, babies should no longer have them all the time. For naps or overnight, fine. But you see some kids with dummies constantly and it's bad both for their teeth and their speech development. It's fine if it's a few hours here and there when they are asleep and not speaking.

I would say if your baby isn't already used to one, I'd probably persist without the dummy though. Dummies do not necessarily make sleep easier. Mine with a dummy needed to sleep on me more than my one without one (just different kinds of babies!). And they can have more disrupted sleep if the dummy falls out constantly.

I think dummies are fab. Good soothers, help reduce SIDS risk, babies like taking them out and biting them when teething. Having said that DC1 virtually self weaned off them around 8 months when teething badly and refused them for about a week so we took the opportunity and chucked them all. DC2 loves a dummy at 6 months but only has them for sleeping so will continue with that and see how it goes. I think it’s strange when you have kids trying to talk with dummies in their mouths and don’t agree with parents shoving them in for every whimper especially when older but I also don’t understand when people are ‘against’ them. They’re just a dummy!

I cannot stand thumb sucking. It was something I really wanted to avoid. Much more frowned upon to chop their thumbs off than to just take away a dummy.

I think 6-12 months is over cautious! We hot rid of my oldest's when he turned 3. It was so easy! By age 1, he only had it for sleeping.
We plan on doing the same with the others as well.

My eldest was 3 when he came home from nursery, announced that he wasn't a baby, and gave up his dummy. Never used it again!

I tried my best to get my son to take a dummy but he never did. Bought every brand/shape and tried every trick but he just spat them out. So your baby might not like them anyway!

Got rid of mine at 14 months, I reckon it’s really just to stop over dummy use, if you kept it for sleep and sleepy times I’d say fine for longer, at least til 2.

If it helps them sleep, sleep is so important

Dd had it till 3, ds (who has learning difficulties and autism) to 4. Easy and painless to remove. They were a godsend. I did set out to never use them as thought they were lazy parenting 🤣

I used to judge dummies and parents who used them. I will admit it, I thought it was lazy parenting. Then I had three months of my eldest screaming constantly. The dummy saved us both.

I didn't let mine have a dummy other than for sleep after six months. They got to keep them for night time until almost 3. No issues giving them up at that age. Better to do it when they can communicate and understand why it's going.

Yeah, we followed the NHS guidelines, weaned DS off his dummy around 10 months. Dentist told us to. We had no problems.

My son self weaned from his dummy around 7/8 months, I tried to get him to take it to help his ears while taking off on a plane at 9mo and I ended up binging them on holiday as he wouldn't have them. I only ever used at night though, but then I rocked him for naps which was possibly harder to break!

I'd persevere if you can unless you are really struggling with nights / naps. My 3week old isnt interested (have only tried 2 brands) so we probably will have to manage without.

I really wouldn't worry although I completely understand as I did too. My DS had a dummy at a few months old (he's only ever had it for sleeping) and we got rid of it just before 3 (did the whole dummy fairy thing and he got a little letter and a pressie from them!). No tears or upset about it at all - I think he was just ready to have it taken away. I didn't do it earlier because he still had an afternoon nap and I was worried that if I too away the dummy I'd loose that nap 😳! He's teeth as absolutely fine 🙂

My 1 yo only has a dummy for sleep. They don't leave the bedroom (except for washing). I see no reason to take it away yet and I'm quite happy for her to sleep with a dummy until she's well into toddler-hood.

The dummy was crucial in teaching to self settle and I worked at getting her to accept one at about 3 months old. With hindsight, I wish she'd had one from birth (she's bottle fed) - she was very unsettled and I think it would have helped her.

You've posted about this a few times.
Just try it...
He might not even take it (many babies dont) and you're back to square one. Stop overthinking it, it's just a dummy. You can easily manage how much he has it so he doesn't become too dependant.

My DD had a dummy as it was the only way to get her to sleep at night but I wouldn’t give a child one unless I really had to (which I did for my own sanity) as it has been a massive pain to get her off it

The HV at DS's 1 year check said it was easier to ditch it before 1 because the habit was easier forgotten. I didn't ditch his dummy until he was 20 months, was planning to do it by 18 but then his dad left so it wasn't fair for him to not have his regular comfort in such a stressful time.

When we ditched it, we went cold turkey and the first couple of days were iffy but it soon picked up and you wouldn't know he'd ever had one now 😊 he's 2 and 2 months now so we've been 6 months without it

We went cold turkey at 5 months when, after being unswaddled, my baby kept pulling out the dummy and screaming hysterically that it had gone. After replacing it, what felt like 6 million times, one night, I decided it was causing too much upset and just ditched it. It worked for us, he got over it very quickly and forget he’d ever had a dummy and no worries about trying to get it off him when he’s older. Now pregnant with No II and I would use a dummy again, but would also consider removing it around 6 months again as I think it worked well for us - but it depends on how baby reacts.