Dummies -how did you get rid of them?

[Amanda3266]

Hi

My DS is approaching 26 months and still has a dummy. This has not really been a problem to me although I hate using them during the day.
He has one at night for sleeping which I have no problem with. At times he also wants one during the day - usually if he's tired etc. Going shopping without one is a nightmare and yetI feel so embarrassed about him using a dummy in public - but too weak-willed to stand the screams. The use has declined during the day (thankfully) and I am hoping this will continue but just wondered...

How did you get rid of them?
Is it worth me biting the bullet on a few days off and just binning them or is that too drastic?
Don't want him to still be using one at three.

I know I should have dealt with this long ago but was too chicken.

We exchanged them for a present on ds's 2nd birthday and told him the dummy fairy needed them for all the little babies he accepted it especially when he woke up in the morning with a huge fire engine to play with After being virtually glued to his he never mentioned it again and we were convinced he'd never give it up Worth a try maybe HTH

We went cold turkey on them.
Ds1 dropped his, I siad it was dirty and he put it in the bin, end of dummies.
Ds2, similar IIRC. He loved rubbish lorries so we made a big song and dance about it going in one.

(Sorry I have to say, I know you're a HV Amanda.....it seems wierd advising you on stuff....LOL...)

Yeah! A HV who definitely doesn't know it all. In fact having a baby showed me just how little I knew .

And I am a total wimp about the dummies - I just feel dreadful using them out of the house. At least if I bump into any of the Mums from my caseload when out shopping (and DS is screaming for a dummy) I can say "Yes - the HVs child is badly behaved too)!

Hi Amanda - Ds1 had just turned 3 when he gave his up. He did it himself - he worked out that none of the other children at his nursery had dummies (largely because the nursery staff kept them so busy that they didn't have time to wonder where their dummies were!). Once he realised that none of his little mates had dummies he quietly gave up.

We tried lots of different tricks - the best one was one I got from someone on mumsnet. We said that Father Christmas had asked for dummies for the baby reindeer and could they please have his. It very nearly worked. Cold turkey was the next step but in the end he gave it up for himsefl.

Thanks everyone - this is all helpful and gives me a few ideas. DS is due to be promoted to the next room at nursery soon and I don't think they routinely give them their dummies during the day there - so hopefully they may help. What a lazy mother waiting for the nursery to sort it all out.

Also mine were a bit older than 26 months which I'm sure made it easier. The hard work only lasted a few days and they both forgot about them.

I stopped Ds2's when Ds3 was teeny weeny baby. I remember one day DH had been at work as DS2 really wanted his dummy but I wouldn't let him(evil mummy) DS3 was just a few weeks old so I was knackered........DH got home and I swear I would have killed him if he'd given in with the dummy. He'd been home minutes whe he said " where's his dummy?" he would have given it to him I'm sure, after all my hard work and ear bending all day.

It really does only last a little while.

We ditched ds's dummy a few weeks ago without meaning to. he left it at the childminders and at bed time we couldnt find another. We thought we would be in for a night of hell as he is so attached to it for sleeping. Anyway - we just told him it was at childminders so he couldnt have it. No arguments and he went to bed fine and hasnt asked for it since!

He is 2 years 6 months and we were too chicken to bite the bullet too but it was taken out of our hands!

We ditched ds2's just after his 3rd birthday. I'd tried talking him round to getting rid of them - offering incentives etc., but he was having none of it. So in the end I searched the house for dummies and gave them all to my friend to bin them (I thought I might get them out of our bin if he really kicked off!) At bedtime I told him I couldn't find one and we would get one at the shops the next day. didd the same the following night ("oh...Mummy forgot...silly Mummy!") We had a bit of grizzling but really nothing major. He was also a bit whingey in his pushchair because I had got into the habit of giving him a dummy just to keep him quiet when we went shopping (I know...bad Mummy!)

After about a week he was fine and in that week we really didn't have any major melt-downs and I didn't feel at any stage that I was going to give in and get him a dummy.

All in all, much easier than anticipated!

Ds1 gave his up at 3 too but was more involved in the process that ds2 - we gathered up the dodies together and gave them to a friend who'd just had a baby (mmm...here have these second hand dummies for your precious newborn!) Then we went to the shop and he chose a present. He never mentioned them again. But ds2 is a lot more stubborn than ds1

My DS had his til he was 3, 3 was my cut off. We asked him what he wanted for his birthday and he said a train party so we said big boys don't have dummys when they have train partys so you will have to leave your dummys there for the smaller children. He lapped this all up and we mentioned it regularly to him when we were planning the party. On the day of his birthday he waved goodbye to them and never looked back

we asked ds if it was ok that we sent all his dummies to little babies who didnt have any. he agreed and that was it. (had been having a night time dummy for a little while beforehand). he gave them up without a problem though.