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Original poster

How to/ Whether to wean 6 month old off dummy

14 replies

donttrythisathome · 22/09/2010 09:37

I'm sure this has been done to death but can't find a thread.

I've only recently managed to get my DD to go in the cot awake, but have to use the dummy to get her to sleep. have relied on the dummy much more since doiung this, as before I'd often feed her to sleep.

She doesn't have the dummy any other times. Just naps and bedtime (and when she wakes at night).

Now she seems to be waking more often at night. Usually needs feeding but sometimes the dummy will work to get her back to sleep.

I think I want to wean her off it.

Has anyone any tips for how to do this kindly?

Or do you think i should just let her have it?

I don't want to have to put it back in for her constantly though.

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Original poster

donttrythisathome · 22/09/2010 09:37

doing not doiuing!

OP posts:

thegauntlet · 22/09/2010 10:09

No tips- Just watching this thread as I really want to know the answer. Our DD is 16 weeks and we are planning to rid the dummy at 25 if possible!

Myneaux · 22/09/2010 15:43

I wened DS off the dummy at 5 months when I found he was constantly waking during the night. He even had the dummy during daytime naps

He is 15 months now so my memory is a bit hazy but I do remember that it wasnt as bad as I thought. We just went cold turkey but carried on with all the other things we did to get him to sleep (rocking, singing etc).

From memory he took about a day to adjust and never looked back (I think they are more adaptable at that age than later on).

We are still having big issues with sleep but I am really glad DS doesnt have a dummy anymore.

bippyhippy · 22/09/2010 15:51

Well, no tips on weaning off the dummy I'm afraid, but I did have the same problem and we got a Sleepytot Baby Comforter - I am the biggest fan of Sleepytot :o Basically, you put the dummies on it, they learn to find it themselves and you don't have to keep waking up.

Here's a cute piccy so you can see how it works.

browntown · 22/09/2010 19:29

We had a similar problem with the dummy. DD was waking CONSTANTLY - like every hour at its worst. It took a while for the penny to drop, that if we wanted her to sleep we took away the dummy - as this was all it took for her to go back to sleep. But it was knackering me out.

She had it only for sleep times - whether in cot or in car seat or pram. We just went cold turkey. It took longer to get her to go to sleep - we used to just leave her and she'd nod off by herself. We're currently doing PU/PD - DH has been up there for 25 mins tonight. Anyway - she sleeps for longer streches without her dummy - like 4-5 hours at a time so that is a big improvement, and that was pretty much instant.

We only took away the dummy last week so it's still new, but we are making slow progress on the self-settling front.

browntown · 22/09/2010 19:30

Oh yeah, forgot to say, DD is currently almost 7 months.

Original poster

donttrythisathome · 22/09/2010 19:54

Thanks everyone.

Now torn between cold turkey or giving in and getting the sleepytot! I went to a weaning session yesterday and the early years person suggested a comforter instead of the dummy. maybe I could try that.

Hmm...

Any other tips out there please?

OP posts:

PacificDogwood · 22/09/2010 20:50

Absolutely no advice to give as DS1 was 4(!) when the Dummy Fairy came to take his dummies (3 dummies, one for mouth, one for each hand) to the new babies and leave him a present....

And DS4 is taking one, now, finally, and I have NO intention of changing that any time soon.

Not sure why I posted, not really helpful to your questions, sorry....

PixieOnaLeaf · 22/09/2010 22:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

highriggs · 22/09/2010 23:23

No good tips about giving up but have 3 DCS and only my middle one had a dummy. She also had 3 , one for each hand and one for mouth.

I think some children need to suck more than others and find great comfort in it.

We did try to wean her from her dummy and she enlisted her younger brother to plead her case.

" She just needs her dummy "
He had asked her why she was crying.
She just did need it and eventually gave the dummy up when she was about four years old.

I do wish I hadn't tried to wean her from her dummy as there wasn't a benefit from her not having a dummy, it was just me thinking that it was time not to have a dummy.

If you have no good reason for your DD not to have a dummy then I wouldn't rush to take the dummy away.

My DD just needed to suck her dummy and as long as she had it she had no problems sleeping or getting to sleep.

She's now 26 years old and is not using her dummy any more ( as far as I know ) but we still do have a laugh with her about her dummy usage and the enlisting of her little brother in the fight to keep the dummy.

As she said " she just needed her dummy "

Original poster

donttrythisathome · 23/09/2010 11:53

Ah thanks everyone. And PD of course your post was helpful. Comfort in numbers and all that. it's good to know it's not necessarily a BAD THING.

She does love it bless her.

Still undecided. Maybe will try her without it. And then promptly crack and let her have it.

OP posts:

KylieBelle · 29/09/2010 08:38

Hi Everyone,
I have started the weaning process today- cold turkey. My daughter is 6months on the 1st October 2010.
I startred to give her a comforter- i.e lovie aka teddy, a month or two before hand with her dummy and she was angel wrapped also. i also limited dummy to quiet time before bed (5 -10 min before bed) and took it out until she was wrapped n tucked in.

I also read the Tizzie Hall book and i liked her suggestion of settling them with their normal bedtime/nap routine but remove dummy from this process. A month before till this morning she had her dummy after she was wrapped and tucked in. I also placed 2 teddies, one on either side next to her head (she likes to snuggle into these as i used to hold her my arms for her day sleeps and i did this for the first 15weeks). I then follewed the Elizabeth Pantley no sleep solution which suggested as I put her down (sleepy) leave my arm under her head and slowly move it out bit by bit and if she cried i would pick her up and do it again until she went to sleep. I then bit the bullet and put her on her side whilst holding her and placed music on to soothe her whilst shhhing her.i then slowly weaned her from the music turning it down lower and lower. I alway made sure after she sleeping to place back on her back. I then weaned from shhing and would slowly move out the door going shhhh. Up until today all i had to do was sleeping back in family room, then wrap in her room in her cot, teddy near face to snuggle, blanked tucked in and then dummy. She never wanted me to stay in her room since i weaned from shhhing. However I had the same issue as everyone else and had the constint night waking. i had to stop looking at the clock as i felt like i would have an emotional breakdown if i knew how much sleep i was actually getting.
Anyway i have started the Tizzie Hall method. Which is do normal routine minus dummy. Let them grizzle(cry which is a protest she says it is this due to the pauses thast occur, from there they will peak to a new high level of crying and she says most parents havent heard this and get upset and go to the baby-DONT as they are testing you and this peak means u are winning the sleep battle. She recommends leaving the room for min 18min(for six month olds) before trying to settle if u can stick it out longer do but if u cant go in and try and settle for 46 minutes- patting, shhing ect- dont get out of cot. If after this time bub is still not settled get them up for ten minutes- no dummy or bottle and try again repeat 18 minutes until sleep. if at night sleep- try n leave the bub as you are seen as a play thing. During day even if bub sleeps only one sleep cycle (40min) after all that get them up and praise them.and repeat.

I started with my daughters first sleep- she cried for five minutes before settling and sleeping-she woke after one sleep cycle but was crying (she usally wakes talking) so i left her after 3 minutes she was asleep again, next sleep took 6-8 minutes on off crying- then two minutes to resettle, third sleep she took five minutes again to go to sleep and she cried out once and im still waiting for her to wake up.

tonight will be interesting. fingers crossed.

please no i tried to teach her self settling at 4 and half months, i made the mistake of giving her the dummy to sleep but i expected her to resettle without it. I now know this was unfair and i was giving her the wrong message.try and stick at it think of it as a horrible game that you have to win.

i keep telling myself it is for the best as she is getting older and i dont want her to rely on it.

i recommend elizabeth pantley no cry sleep solution if u r rocking or co sleeping and want them in their own cot. worked well for me- i noticed it takes her a few days to a week and i did each step one at a time. and Tizzie hall- tizzie has alot of routines she believes u must follow for this book take out the self settling bit and what ever else u want but with a grain of salt.

Hope this helps- i cant really talk as its day one but the above got me here

KylieBelle · 29/09/2010 08:39

sleeping bag not sleeping back

KylieBelle · 30/09/2010 00:24

hi girls,
i wanted to let you know how i went last night, first overnight sleep no dummy.

We usually put our daughter down around 8:30pm-8:45pm. Her last sleep last night was finished by 6. I tried to put her down at 730pm as she would have been up 2 and half hrs. I put her down but she cried and cried, i decieded she obvisuosly wasnt tired and after 20min i got her up. but i waited till she was in a quiet moment and acted like she had woken up and i was really happy and saying good girl and well done-lots of praise, she gets this everytime she wakes up.
Anyway i put her down at 8:45pm after our usual bedtime routine. She cried for five minutes and then fell asleep. Then woke at ten cried for five minutes again, i didnt hear from her till 6am- she cried for a minute and slept till just before seven. I dont get her out of bed till 7am.

I have learnt that she will carry on if she is not tired so i have been keeping her up longer,she used to be up for only an hr n half but she is now wanting to be up hr and 50min or 2hrs. when shes starts getting cranky i sit with her on the couch and give her something like a toy to chew on, when she starts getting more cranky n the toys is no longer doing it- i start the sleeping bag and the rest of my bedtime routine.

this morning i kept her up 2hrs which is massive for her as until yesterday she was going down after hr and 20min- but Tizzie hall said that if they are waking around five its cause their cold around six is to do with the time they are put to bed first thing. so im giving it a try.

my daughter is now on her first sleep for her second day with no dummy. she cried for less then five minutes.

but last night was the first time in a month that i have had a whole night with no interuptions. BLESS. i hope tonight goes well. the last few months i have been getting up out of bed up to 15+ times a night. a good night was counted as 4x. so u can imagine my pleasure.

i now think why didnt i try this sooner. fingers cross its not just beginners luck.

all the best, will update soon

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