Last night I replaced the dummy 73 times

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DD is nearly 5 months, the dreaded sleep regression hit in the last few weeks. Serves me right for my earlier smugness

We introduced a dummy around 3 months to help day time naps, this helped naps and she also has one at night but she doesn't seem to have fully worked it out. When she wakes (every hour or so) and I replace the dummy she usually rubs her head back n forth on the mattress then claws at her mouth, not sure if she is trying to take the dummy out, trying fit her hand in there too or just having a feel around. Sometime she just spits it out like she doesn't understand how to keep it in. Inevitably the dummy comes out and more often than not gets batted onto the floor as she's flailing her arms around wanting the dummy back in. This repeats for a ridiculous amount of time until she falls back asleep.

73 times I put the dummy in last night, 73 times! I'm developing an unhealthy dummy hatred.

She's bottle fed with one feed at night. Should I get rid and persevere without? Co sleeping doesn't work. White noise used to help but she's not keen now.

Any suggestions? I'm running on empty.

Maybe she wants more milk? They have lots of growth spurts at the start. Mine was bfed so I know it's different, but was feeding way more than once a night at that age (and slept with a dummy).

First up attach the dummy to her sleeping bag, you could sew a little loop on and then tie it on with ribbon. At least then you'll find it easier!
Plus 5 months sounds like you're approaching the magical age where they can put it back in themselves!

But yes to PP, is she hungry?

I have offered more milk at night but she'll have a tiny bit then pull away.
She's taking around 1l a day and has gone up a bit on growth chart last time she was weighed.

She might be hungry and want more milk or perhaps the dummy isn't right and a different shaped teat might work better? My dd used to spit out all but those big cherry teated dummies and hated those orthodontic ones.

I got a dummy clip but it seemed to make it worse. Pulling out the dummy every time she moved her head. I'll try a ribbon though perhaps the clip was too short. Thanks!

Yy to attach the dummy to her clothes. Do they still sell those dummy clips?

My guess would be early signs of teething. Dentinox teething gel worked wonders on my dc. And Ashton and Parsons teething powders. Bit that was a few years ago now.

I was just going to say try a larger cherry teat

These were the only ones my dd could keep in

Also, add more dummies to the cot including the glow in the dark ones.

Ditch the dummy, less pain later on

Please be careful using ribbon. Dummy clips are that short for a reason

Well there's no way I'd replace a dummy 73 times in one night-you'll go potty!

5 months is a great age to introduce change-so I'd try all the other stuff like white noise, pick up put down and ditch the dummy.

But YY to Pp about teething and hunger. Good luck!

You can get soft toys that attach to dummies she may find this easier to get back in

Sleepytot. Google it. Lifesaver. All three of mine have loved it

You have a choice - Ditch the dummy. It'll be hard for a couple of days but then you or baby will find other ways to soothe baby to sleep. Either that or ride it out for the next 3/4 months until baby can put the dummy back in themselves. I recommend get rid, but only because I did for both of mine at around 5/6 months. I know parents who say the dummy is a lifesaver.

I would just ditch the dummy now, you have nothing to lose as you're getting up to do this 70 odd times a night anyway.

Thank you all for the helpful suggestions.

I avoided dummies originally but it has been really helpful for day time naps which were getting impossible so I'm hesitant to give up (only use during sleep time)

I'll try offering more milk every time she wakes and going to put a halo of bastarding dummies around her so I can stop pulling my hair out when they get launched out of the cot. I'm sure she has a baseball bat hidden in her sleeping bag.

Teething, hmm no red gums and I can't feel anywhere they are cutting through. She is dribbly and constantly got fists and toys in her mouth, noticed spit bubbles recently too. Does this sound like teething even without any evidence in mouth? (clueless)

Off to google the dummy toys don't think she has the dexterity to put it in herself yet. Will try a cherry soother at the moment we are using MAM and they have no handle

I should add that she's not crying as such, just the rubbing head back n forth, grumbling and 'whinging' for want of a better word. It will usually escalate to full on crying unless the dummy goes back in. The hunger crying is different and I can tell straight away she needs feeding.

Perhaps I introduced one too late, at first it was a miracle - she calmed and slept during the day, but now it's the bane of my life.

There's two issues:
(1) light sleeping
(2) finding and replacing dummy

Your baby is sleeping in cycles. There will be a period of light sleeping between one sleep cycle and the next (about every 40 minutes). Light sleepers wake up in this light sleeping phase. Deep sleepers stay asleep. You have yourself a light sleeper.

Light sleeping is usually a cumulative effect of

• not enough sleep over the whole 24 hour day
• not enough calories over the whole 24 hour day.

Frequent naps and frequent feeds is the answer. Reduce the amount of time between every feed and every nap - so there are more of them per day.

Finding the dummy at night:

• cosleeper cot (remove one side off any cotbed make a s stable 3-sided full sized cot to wedge against your bed).

• see a ribbon onto the chest of your sleeping bag (length to reach ear) with a press stud at end.

You can then lean into the cot, locate ribbon, locate dummy, reinsert without opening your eyes or moving from under your duvet.

Definately don't look at clock or count wake ups. This is no good for your wellbeing.

Thanks Fate for such a detailed response. You've hit the nail on the head with light sleeper, she always has been. If I cough a nap is often over with.

Already use a cosleeper cot but I spend most of the night leaning over as described above. Last night I counted just as I was curious how often I have to put the dummy back in.

I try to get her to nap every 1-1.5 hrs during the day this varies in length from 30mins to 2hrs but the longer ones are rare.

Feeds are 5/6oz every 3 hrs during the day with a 7oz bottle offered before bed then a 6oz during the night she often won't take all of the night feed though. Should I be feeding more frequently than this perhaps 2 hourly? HV has already mentioned overfeeding due to going from 75 to 80 percentile.

If you continue down the dummy route I'd second the pp of sleeptot or dummy bunny as we know it. Attach 4 dummies, they quickly learn find dummy bunny = find dummy.
My two still sleep with their dummy bunnies without any dummies...

Your HV genuinely mentioned over feeding a pre-weaned baby? Jesus Christ, stop seeing her. You cannot over feed a baby milk. It's impossible. They will vomit it up if taking too much.

YY to trying 2 hourly feeds through the daytime.

The phase around 5 months to 9 months is really tricky in terms of keeping up with baby's calorific need. Tons of major gross motor skills developing and being practiced (sitting, crawling, standing , cruising) and The fact that low calorie early weaning foods can sometimes replace calorie dense milk.

Milk intake needs to go up and stay up throughout that phase. Often babies tummies simply won't for a larger volume of milk (as in bigger bottles) so to give more calories, give more bottles per day. That means less time between feeds.

My 91st centile baby was being given 8 8oz bottles per day. She'd drink 6-7oz each feed, usually.

2 hourly through the day meant none were needed over night! 7am 9am 11am 1pm 3pm 5pm 7.30 bedtime 11pm dream feed. 8 feeds a day.

Yes, the HV told me to ensure I wasn't overfeeding and accurately recognising hungry cues as DD weight has gone up 5%
I'll try increasing frequency of feeds, she certainly let's me know when she's full so I was about overfeeding. Very interesting about calorific intake needing to increase and logical when you think about it.

Thank you also to those who mentioned the sleepytot, looks promising so I've ordered for delivery tomorrow in the meantime ALL the bastarding dummies are coming to bed tonight. I can't face another evening scrambling round under the cot.

She was such a good night time sleeper between 9 and 16 weeks so this has been a shock to the system. I feel much more confident now I have some kind of plan. Thanks again, fingers crossed

I have exact same problem and just posted another thread! Please let me know how you get on with the sleepytot. I'm tempted to buy 1 too...but just fear the weight of the toy will pull the dummy out constantly when baby moves his head?? Presumably not tho as they are so popular?! X

I'm with baby blabber. Sleepytot. Attach at least 2 dummies to it.