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Sleep

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Original poster

22 month old chewing through dummies

47 replies

icantdothis2017 · 02/12/2017 15:28

My daughter has had a dummy for every sleep since a couple months old

How ever she has started to chew through them and I am worried as it's leaving holes and one teat has even fallen of all together which is a choking hazard .
However without them she cries and I can't bear hearing her cry to sleep .
She won't be cuddled to sleep despite trying and she won't Co sleep . She takes no comfort from me being there and cries harder if I am.
What do I do ? I can't risk her choking but I don't want her to cry to sleep

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

MonkeyBrainsInPickle · 02/12/2017 16:26

I think most kids do this when they have teeth. Is she teething? I think they are more likely to chew when teething.

I think it’s fine as long as you check the dummies regularly and replace at the first sign of damage. Are you using the dummies aimed at older children - 16 months +? That might help.

Namechangetothemax · 02/12/2017 16:29

Sorry to say this is why we went cold turkey and ditched the dummies completely, it was too much of a choking risk. Surprisingly getting rid of them wasn't too bad, just a few nights of taking a while to go to sleep.

Original poster

icantdothis2017 · 02/12/2017 16:30

I can't afford to replace a dummy that lasts two days .
She has 18 teeth and is teething her 3rd 2 year molar but tbh she still puts every thing in her mouth to chew .
Am using the 6-18 month old ones .
Just worried she'll choke in the night .
I replaced the dummies just two days ago and she's only had them.for sleep and she's chewed through them.

OP posts:

MonkeyBrainsInPickle · 02/12/2017 16:32

m.youtube.com/watch?v=MWlfYHC2Mrw

ImogenHeat · 02/12/2017 16:33

Unfortunately I think you know the safest thing to do is to wean her off them, despite the crying. It won't last that long - promise! Good luck and stay strong

Original poster

icantdothis2017 · 02/12/2017 16:34

Thanks monkey but we'd be buying dummies several times a week and I can't afford that

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TitaniasCloset · 02/12/2017 16:42

Maybe one of those hard chew toys for big dogs would be better? Joking!

boredofmyoldname · 02/12/2017 16:46

Get rid. It's a totally avoidable choking hazard that just isn't worth the risk.

Hearing her cry for a few nights is better than finding her quiet one morning.

Original poster

icantdothis2017 · 02/12/2017 18:21

FATEdestiny

Can I shamelessly ask what you think of this ?

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FATEdestiny · 02/12/2017 18:36

I just replace dummies when they get holes in them. They last around 6 months usually, in my experience.

If baby us biting through them that quickly, I'd question how/when dummy is being used. By nearly 2 I would have dummy limited to only sleep time - so to get your sleep at lunchtime nap and bedtime only.

If baby already only has dummy for sleeping, then I'd say you have a problem with baby going to sleep at bedtime - ignore should only take 10 minutes if baby is not under- or over- tired. Buy yourself a new dummy and try to bite through it. It is VERY difficult to do, genuinly, even with my adult teeth. So for baby to be munching through it, it must take a long time. I'd question why it's taking baby that long to go you sleep once given the dummy?

Original poster

icantdothis2017 · 02/12/2017 18:38

Thanks fate.

She is an absolute night mare to get to sleep honestly.
She absolutely refuses to nap during the day and takes a sodding hour to go of at night.
I don't know how to get her to nap tbh .

I really don't want to give up the dummy

OP posts:

Namechangetothemax · 02/12/2017 18:40

FATEdestiny - honestly, my DS was a great sleeper, went off quickly and only had dummies for naps and bedtime but he started biting through them in a day. I think he just had very sharp new teeth and a strong bite. OP, I'm sorry but you're just going to have to get rid, it won't be as bad as you think!

OutComeTheWolves · 02/12/2017 18:41

We have the same issue- we're spending about £30 a month on dummies.
I've started stocking up on poundland ones for during the day then making sure he has a tough unchewed one for bed. Luckily he's quite good at telling me when they're broken!

FuzzyOwl · 02/12/2017 18:46

Get rid. It's a totally avoidable choking hazard that just isn't worth the risk.

Hearing her cry for a few nights is better than finding her quiet one morning.

^ This

It usually takes around three or four days for a new routine to be eastablished and what you are saying, she doesn’t easily settle to go to sleep anyway.

FATEdestiny · 02/12/2017 18:52

icantdothis2017

It's probably more of an issue around getting your sleep (and waking in the night, maybe?)

A non-overtired person (child/adult) should be going you sleep within 10 minutes, so possibly within 2-5 minutes. Then sleeping solidly until morning. If you funny have a "getting to sleep" problem with baby, then the bedtime messing around (Inc dummy chewing) would get much less of an issue.

So you probably need some more sleep training. At approaching 2 years old and given the dummy is creating extra hassle, I'd do that sleep training without a dummy. You gain nothing by pushing gorgeous dummy use at an age when child could self comfort in other ways.

It eons be easy though. Just replacing dummies is the easy option. Personally speaking, if I removed dummy at an age baby still needed comfort, tgsg would probably mean me returning to room sharing to give extra comfort until blankie became more established. I plan on keeping dummy until comfort us more longer needed at all.

boredofmyoldname · 02/12/2017 18:55

Can I ask why you're so reluctant to give up?

Honestly, the longer you wait the harder it will be.

My first had his for bed until almost 3 and would throw tantrums and whinge if he didn't have it. Not because it was any comfort to him but because it was habit.

My second bit through 1 at 16 months and I took it away there and then, cold turkey. She started sleeping better within 3 days, going from me pretending to go to bed in the same room to settle her and having to give her back her dummy because she was dropping/throwing it away for attention pretty much hourly through the night.

With that aside, choking is far more of a risk than crying herself to sleep for a few hours. It's unpleasant, yes but I can't imagine it'd be any better to find her blue and panicking surely

Original poster

icantdothis2017 · 02/12/2017 18:57

Oh I so wish she would take a nap and go to sleep quicker but I dont know how to make this happen .
She honestly takes no comfort from me no matter how hard I try :(

The dummy was the only thing we had that made her happy

OP posts:

littledinaco · 02/12/2017 18:57

What about those sensory/chew necklaces/toys? You could maybe try one if she likes to chew for comfort.

Ropsleybunny · 02/12/2017 18:58

Definitely get rid of them. Any dentist would tell you to do that anyway.

boredofmyoldname · 02/12/2017 18:59

Is it possible she's grinding her teeth in her sleep?

Original poster

icantdothis2017 · 02/12/2017 18:59

Re the dentist
I don't believe a dummy for sleep time only does any harm .
It's when it's in there mouth all day

OP posts:

Original poster

icantdothis2017 · 02/12/2017 19:00

bored no she definitely is chewing it before going to sleep

OP posts:

Ecureuil · 02/12/2017 19:02

DD1 started doing this at around the same age, so we ditched the dummy. Thought it would be a nightmare but we did the whole dummy fairy thing and she literally never asked for the dummy again! She had a 3 month old sibling at the time who had a dummy and she didn’t even ask for theirs. Try getting rid of it, make a big deal of explaining that she’s too big for a dummy now. It might be easier than you think.

Original poster

icantdothis2017 · 02/12/2017 19:03

I don't think she'd understand the dummy fairy tbh .
Her speech is not fab . She only has 7 ish words .

OP posts:

boredofmyoldname · 02/12/2017 19:04

If that's the case then I'd suggest that chewing is her comfort.

I work with children with complex needs and some of them are fixated with the chewing sensation. I'm not suggesting on any way that your DD shares this need but we use a variety of aids such as gummy necklaces and blankets with rubber teethers on the corners which your DD might be able to use?

There would be a period of transition but if she is fixated she will learn.

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