How to get rid of dummy

[fondmemoriesofsleep]

Hi

My LO is 6 months and I believe the dummy is affecting her sleep so want to get rid of it.

I don't like CIO as feel like she'd just stop crying eventually as she's exhausted and will learn I've abandoned her?!

Anyway, trying this morning no dummy and she's screamed for 45 minutes. I've held her hand and picked her up several times and tried shhhing and patting etc but nothing is working.

I say I don't like CIO but 45mins of crying albeit with me next to her feels horrendous?

Any tips?

X

No tips but watching with interest. My almost 6 month old is a horrendous sleeper and I believe the dummy is the problem although the thought of cold turkeying her is awful.

Before too long they can find the dummy themselves!!
No way would I be getting rid yet!!

Why get rid of The Magic Wand in terms of independant sleep? Madness in my opinion, dummies are AMAZING.

That said, a 6 month old cannot replace dummy themselves (but will be able too very soon, it's usually 7-9 months old). So if you have a light sleeper then you will have a lot of dummy runs. Keeping cot in next to your bed makes this manageable.

But if you want rid...

You need to decide what your alternate source of comfort will be. These will ususlky involve you being the source of comfort. So for example, some other ways to get baby back to sleep:

• rock to sleep
• cosleep and cuddle up
• sit by the cot and shush/pay through all the screaming

All of these will take a lot longer to ger baby back to slerp than 10 seconds to reinsert dummy, and will involve significantly more crying, but if you see this as a benefit...

Near Bear in mind that dummy only helps to get baby back to sleep. It has no effect on how frequently baby wakes and how light baby sleeps.

Other factors affect light sleeping and waking frequently. Most notable not enough sleep over 24 hours giving rise to over tiredness. Making sleep more difficult is not the way to solve this.

Ha ha I feel like I wanted to be told not to get rid of it.

We've done one nap without and it was awful and I feel mean that I've taken something away from her that makes her feel better.

I did out two dummies on a sleepy tot last night and when she woke at 5am she found that and eventually managed to put dummy in although she woke 5mins later and couldn't manage it but that was first time.

I'm so torn

I should get rid of dummy as

• I think it's affecting her sleep as when she wakes in night she needs me to help her get back to sleep
• I don't like the look of older babies constantly with a dummy in mouth and it seems to take up their whole face
• I'll have to do it eventually and isn't 6months easier than 2 or 3 year old

I don't want to get rid of it because

• it soothes her when tired, in pain, bored (when I can't play with her)
• it helps her fall asleep quickly
• she's back to sleep in seconds in night
• she only wakes a once or couple of times in night for dummy usually
• when teething comes I think it'll be useful

You are over thinking it. Massively.

• When she wakes in night she will need you to help her get back to sleep regardless of the method you use.
• Dummies are only meant for sleep time. You are right to judge parents of babies with dummies in their mouth all the time. DONT DO THIS. Simple :-)
• Removing her dummy when she no longer needs comfort in order to get to sleep (2, 3, 4 years old) is not difficult, because by then you don't need to replace it with alternate comfort.

Don't give the dummy as a babysitter. That is just lazy parenting, the dummy isn't for when you don't want to play with her. Its for helping her get to sleep.

Use if for just sleep time and you have yourself a sleep association. Instead of battling to get a toddler to bed, a simple call of "shall we go and find your dummy..?" has my youngest running upstairs to her cot. No battles to get her to bed here

Some sanity savers until she can do the dummy herself:

• Don't bother moving baby into own room until this dummy run stage is over.
• Make sure dummy is findable with your eyes closed. Easier for you, also better for baby. Baby wont search for dummy, needs to find it immediately. I use a ribbon sewn onto the sleeping bag with a press stud at the end for this purpose.
• Turn the clock around so you cant see it in your room. And/or just don't open your eyes.

These all together means you can lean over from in your bed, reach into cot, locate dummy immediately, reinsert, roll over and go back to sleep - all without opening your eyes and barely even waking up.

I facing exactly the same thoughts. How did your situation pan out?

I’m facing exactly the same thoughts/dilemma. How did yours pan out?

This is why mine never had a dummy!!!

Before you think I'm being snug I'm not, I was the human dummy feeding back to sleep!

So I think stopping the two are the same. I woukdnt have dreamed of stopping the comfort at 6 months as I was too tired and baby too young. We did it at 1 year though and did the holding hands in the cot. It was like cio but with comfort of hand holding etc. Took 45 mins (not all crying!), 45 mins, 25 mins, 20 mins and bingo, no more crying after those few nights. I don't believe in letting babies cry, always give comfort, but at 6 months holding hands is not going to provide much!

This was 4 years ago. Don't think you will get a reply now.

We got rid of the dummy at 2 years, went cold turkey and two nights weren’t great but after that fine. I would have not coped with doing it any earlier and it was an absolute lifesaver during teething.