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The Dummy Diaries: saying bye bye to the dummy

14 replies

kitcatcandy · 01/05/2012 14:59

My little boy has used a dummy at nap time and bedtime since he was about four months old. It started as we co slept, and he would go to sleep sucking my little finger. This got rather inconvenient, so the dummy was deployed.

Fast forward to 2.5 years old and he was still using it at bedtime and nap time, untill yesterday. I thought would post what I have done, and hopefully if I start to bend under pressure can help me keep it up.

Yesterday after his afternoon nap I took him out on his balance bike, while he was faffing with his hat I put a hole in the dummy he had put on the stairs with 'cuskie' his comforter. On return from the bike ride he bobbed it in his mouth and declared it broken. A request was made to fix it, or to swap it. He tried looking in his bed for a dummy to swap it with, only to find these ones were 'broken' too. Wonder how that happened?

At bedtime he went to bed ok, put he broken dummies in the corner of his bed, and then tried to go to sleep. He didn't cry, he just kept getting up, looking forlorn and requesting a song.

He went to sleep at 9.00 with no dummy.

In the morning he told his daddy he was a big boy, and dummies are for babies. I have taken him to town and got him a 'big boy' present.

Some requests have been made at nap time for the dummy, I offered him a broken one again. He cried a bit and went to sleep in his buggy anyway.

He's asleep now.... I am really hoping bedtime goes ok.

Anyone else broken the dummies like this and had success? Or is it all going to blow up in my face in a couple of days time?

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WhispersOfWickedness · 01/05/2012 17:03

Watching with interest as my DS is 2.4 and I am desperate to get rid of his dummy! He only has it for sleep as well. The only experience I have seen with 'broken' dummies was my Dnephew who gave his up at 3 ish, he had a sore lip and one of his dummies had a hole, so my SIL told him that it was the dummies fault that his lip was sore and that it was because he was a big boy now so didn't need them any more. Seemed to work!

kitcatcandy · 01/05/2012 17:31

Well he woke up and cried for fifteen mins, which is not usual after his nap, but has happened before on occasion. Has asked for it a few times, and gone rooting through the kitchen drawer, only to find one that is also broken. He's ok now and eating his dinner, so we will see how bedtime goes at seven!

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kitcatcandy · 01/05/2012 17:32

I will just add that we have been priming him for months with the idea that dummies are for babies, that he's a big boy, and he doesn't need them.

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WhispersOfWickedness · 01/05/2012 17:37

Yes, so have we Smile Although I'm not sure it makes much sense as then he asks if baby dd has a dummy (she doesn't) Hmm

kitcatcandy · 01/05/2012 20:35

Well there was a bit of fussing at bedtime, and a few requests for a dummy. I deployed a broken one, which was sucked and then removed. He's gone to sleep now, after pottering around since seven and two rounds s of me popping up and singing him a bedtime song.

Things are looking ok!

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theplumfairy · 01/05/2012 20:49

Oh crap, my DS is 2.10ish and still has a dummy for sleeping. Have been studiously ignoring the thought that I should wean him off it but is it time??

He loves it so much but it is his last baby habit to go...

kitcatcandy · 01/05/2012 22:06

Theplumfairy I think it's personal choice, and depends on the child. I just felt it was time for us, and my son seemed to be ready. What really told me he was ready was that we went to a party where there was an older boy my son really looked up to. We stopped over at the party and in he morning my son willingly gave up the dummy before going downstairs, as I said the older boy would be down there and he didn't have a dummy. At home me would normally hang onto it a bit in he morning while waking up.

I think it's up to you, I just wanted it gone before he was three, and I could see signs that it was just a habit now and not actually needed to get to sleep. I think before he did really need it, and he wasn't ready.

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kitcatcandy · 02/05/2012 10:34

Well we have passed another night with no dummy, but he is sucking his cuskie a lot instead, and keeps trying to suck his tshirt too...

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homeaway · 02/05/2012 17:44

I have heard of people deploying the dummy fairy who comes to collect all the dummies that have been left out for her and replace them with a present ! :)

kitcatcandy · 03/05/2012 12:13

We are still dummy free I'm pleased to say, and he has placed a load of them in the bin as they are broken. When asked where the dummys are he says 'put them in the bin' because he is a 'big boy'. He's been quite pleased to tell people this and receive the congratulations and handshakes from people for being such a big boy.

He didn't nap yesterday, but I kind of expected naps to be hard to come by with no dummy, but he went to bed very easy last night as he was so sleepy.

I did try the dummy fairy, but he didn't like the book that put forward this idea, or the toy dummy fairy that came with it. He did quite like 'no more dummy for piggy', but on the back page of the book piggy has his dummy again, which he often pointed out, so I don't know if that had any effect. I borrowed both from the children's center so need to return them now. I'm sure they will offer him plenty of congratulations there too.

Braking the dummy's is what really did it, though do be careful if you do it that you don't make them a choking danger, I only put a very small hole in the end of the teat. They were mam air dummies, so very strong.

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WhispersOfWickedness · 03/05/2012 19:23

That's really good :)

One thing that is stopping me is that we are going to start potty training next month and I don't want it to make it look like being a 'big boy' is not a good fun thing to be, does that sound mad?! Confused

kitcatcandy · 04/05/2012 10:57

I don't think that sounds mad, I would do one or the other, both together sounds like a recipe for disaster.

He only napped twice this week, I miss the naps :(

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WhispersOfWickedness · 04/05/2012 15:41

Ugh, not sure I can lose the naps either, I have an 8 mo dd, I neeeed the naps!

kitcatcandy · 04/05/2012 17:31

He has been a monster today, but has had a power nap on the sofa thankfully. He was up silly early, which isn't like him, and then has been demanding and aggressive all morning. Thankfully the nap today has improved his attitude a bit!

It has taken strong will today not to return the dummy!

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