Getting to sleep without dummy advice please

[scaredofbabies]

Hopefully posting in the correct place... my 2.5year old gave his dummy to the bin man last week (reluctantly). He's mentioned it every night at bed time but apart from the first night when we had 1/2 hour of crying, he just pulls a sad face when we remind him he gave them away and moves on so I don't think he's really upset. But it is now taking him such a long time to fall asleep! For example he has had no nap today and would usually be asleep within 15 minutes of being in bed but we are currently 45 minutes post bed time and he's still tossing and turning. He's also waking a little bit earlier in the mornings making his behaviour pretty horrendous as the day wears on!

So... any tips for how to relax him and get him to sleep now he hasn't got his dummy? We've got the usual bath, book, bed routine but it's just the drifting off I'd like to help with. Any advice appreciated 😊

Why did you have to take it away? He obviously still needs it even if only at night. They usually decide for themselves when to stop using it

This happened to my dc when they stopped with the dummy, and they decided they were giving it up. It's about helping them find a new way of relaxing. We now leave an audio book playing for them to listen to (they currently share a room) and they both have a special snuggly that they cuddle which we put 'magic potion' (a couple of drops of lavender oil) on when we say good night. The rest is just practise. Good luck! Don't go back, if they are able to accept that the dummy is gone with only a sad face then I would keep moving forward, it doesn't take long for new behaviours to form :)

White noise....it's not for everyone but something like 'babbling brook' or 'rain on window' noises are really quite relaxing. As easy as playing a YouTube clip or you can go all out and have a white noise machine. We use it still and it helps.

Thank you all, I will try some music / white noise tomorrow and see if this helps.
Regarding taking the dummy away, I guess I just thought he was too old and was worried about the effect on his teeth. He only had it for bed time and nap time and thought if not now, when?! I'd love to give him it back but then I think I'll end up with a 10 year old who still has a dummy, do they actually grow out of it themselves?

thought if not now, when?

I use dropping the daytime nap as a catalyst for getting rid of dummies.

Otherwise, as you have found, daytime sleep is profoundly affected by suddenly having no dummy. This has a knock-on effect on night sleep, being overtired.

If you wait until daytime naps drop naturally (with dummy), the pressure to go to sleep is the evening is much greater and so the whole process easier.

do they actually grow out of it themselves?

Yes. It may need some gentle pressure, but yes. Start the "dummies are for babies" offensive now, so he starts you make some slightly negative associations with dummy use (but in a gentle way, whilst keeping it his choice to use). Also religiously stick to 'dummy at sleep time only'.