Cold turkey on the dummy - send help!

[Twobecomingthreeplusthedog]

So my nearly 6 month old has had a dummy since birth. He’s always been a super sleeper, however since he was around 4 months he consistently wants to take his dummy out 3-4 times a night. I’ve covered his hands with socks but then he spits it out and wakes up crying for it.

Last night I was at the end of my tether and decided that it was time to go cold Turkey today. Probably should have factored in the fact the in laws are visiting for 4 days and this journey through hell could have been done after.

However he’s done 3 naps today all without the dummy and no issue going down at all. One nap was even an hour longer than normal!

However bed time is currently a different story. We aim for 6.30-7pm bedtime but at 5.45 he couldn’t keep his eyes open so I had to put him down (he’d already been bathed). 6.45 wakes up screaming, give him 4oz as he only had half his bottle at 5.45. And he goes down. Ten mins later and he’s awake again and won’t resettle. Take him downstairs until now (8pm) and in laws are waiting for me to start eating my dinner despite me telling them to go ahead and start!

He has a muslin and new little (safe) blankey but I need reassurance that this will all be worth it. I know I’m about to have 3-4 days of hell but I just cannot go through more months of waking every hour from 2-6am putting a dummy back in.

Send wine.

My DS is 14 months and still has his dummy. He used to spit his out too and I'd spend my nights going back and forth to his nursery putting it back in his mouth.
I can't remember exactly how old he was when it happened but he soon started finding his dummy and putting it back in himself.
I now have a baby (unless poorly) that now sleeps 12 hours solid. Has been for many mo this now.
Perhaps ride it out with putting his dummy back in his mouth until he learns to do it himself.
If you go the distance and ride the dummy at 6 months then I sincerely applaud you!
Thankfully my DS only has his when we are travelling or nap/bed time. We don't give it to him during the day
Good luck! 🍀

Rid the dummy*
I've just read my post back... so many spelling mistakes 🙈

The problem is, at 4 months I said I’d give it another month as he’d started teething. Then at 5 months another month. We’re now 5 days away and another 2 months of repeatedly getting up. He can sleep 12 hours without it and he’s done it in the past. If I don’t cover his hands he repeatedly pulls it out and plays with it.

I’ve persevered and only just got him down for the night, if he wakes me at his usual 5am I might cry!!

Nights got infinitely better for us when we ditched the dummy at 6 months! Was a rough couple of nights combined with some gradual retreat and I won’t say it was a miracle fix but at 9 months now we tend to have only one or two wake ups on a typical night as opposed to every hour. It was worth it for us, hope it is for you too. Or as a PP advised, you could wait til they’re able to find and replace it themselves

I’m fully prepared for a week of hell and I feel so guilty I want to cry that I’m taking away his comfort but he’s taken to his muslin and blankey well. At the moment I just cannot see an end in sight for when he’d eventually be able to put it back in himself.

But I feel more guilt at taking his dummy away than I do putting him in nursery. Am I bad mum taking away his comfort?

Keep the dummy but get one of the toys that you can attach the dummy to so he can find it when it falls out.

The phase of taking the dummy in and out is quite short lived if you don’t mind him keeping it. I personally find it a godsend for teething and not sure what people to without one.

Great idea to do it while dc is still little, if you leave it until they are older it takes days. Keep going you will probably crack it tomorrow night. Get the in laws to look after dc this afternoon so you can have a nap

We’re now on week 12 of him doing this which is why I tried to ride it out thinking it was short lived

Tried that…he finds the teddy and end up sucking its leg then screaming because he can’t find the dummy. I feel like I’ve tried everything :’(

Just let him have it!!!

I attached mine to DD on a short clip. Best thing ever. It took her about 2 days at about 5 months old to learn how to find it herself and then she never woke me crying for it ever again.

@peachgreen yeah same, a dummy clip.

Hi I'd let him have it for longer but only for naps and cot - no daytime, no car etc

We did cold turkey at 18 months and it was over within a day.

Thanks for some of the positive comments, not so much the useless ones.

He did all day at nursery today without it and was fine but this evening I just felt so guilty for not letting him have it. I’ve caved and given it back to him and said he can have it for bedtime and naps only.