advice on dummy at night

[hettie]

Hi there,
Just wanted some advice form people who have used dummies?. DS is 5 months old and till now wouldn?t take one, he was a huge thumb sucker instead (which I was very happy with as it helped him get to sleep). Anyway the last 4 weeks things have gone very wrong on the sleep front, from 8 hours straight to waking every 2 hours or so. He was ill with an infection and also he had thrush and his mouth was sore and he stopped sucking his thumb. Then when he got better I thought it was a food issue and have been feeding like crazy (breastfed). The last few nights I have realised that from 4.00 am onwards his wakenings are more comfort related and he uses me as a dummy (he still hasn?t found his thumb at night despite sucking it occasionally in the day). He doesn?t really eat ifykwim and wakes again when he can?t get off too sleep. In desperation at 5.30 am I tried a dummy again- it helped a bit and he did take it.
I?d like some respite so am thinking of going with it but am worried that he will loose interest in his thumb. I would prefer him to thumb suck as it is always there and I don?t have to keep popping it back in (which already happened this morning several times). Anyone with had a baby that went from dummy to thumb? And also will I have problems getting him to sleep without it, because I?m not sure I could stand having a toddler whom I have to get up to shove a dummy in 3-4 times a night!

I think a dummy is better than thumb as its shaped to cause less damage to the shape of the mouth. You can eventually throw the dummy away but you can't get rid of a thumb sucking 5 or 10 or 20 year old (I know someone who is in their 30's and still does it!!!) Others are called smokers ;0)

You can get those dummy strings from Boots,Maw etc to keep the dummy close and they get the hang of putting it in quickly. I was used as a big dummy for a while for cumfort until I swopped to a pacifier. Don't forget though that DS is still little and really might just want to be close to you esp after being ill, good luck with decision.

I hate dummies and was adament I wasn't going to use one with ds but cracked fairly early on when he was screaming lots one night. He used it for getting to sleep during the day and at night until he was about 8 months old (never had it when he was meant to be awake). If he woke up at night we'd put it back in and stay with him for a few minutes until he was properly asleep then take it out again. By about 8 months he was spitting it out again and was using it as a toy and didn't need it to comfort him so we just took it away and put up with a couple of nights of him crying a bit more than usual and then he was fine and settled himself. He doesn't suck his thumb either which I am happy about.

Yeah, it won't be long before he can put it in himself although my DD still cries out despite being able to do it herself, she's a lazy so and so. Personally if you've got to 5 months without one I'd try (hard I know) and do without. They do seem to wake more at this age as they're begining to realise that they are alone. I do agree with SM it's preferable to thumb sucking which you've got no control over. It's a tough call but if it gives you peace then do it.

Dd was dependant on her dummy to sleep, and at about the age of your ds the dummy was actually making things worse. She was able to sleep through the ngiht, and did so once or twice a week, but gradually her sleep got worse and worse, as she would drop the dummy when she fell asleep and the cry when she came into light sleep as she didn't have it any more. We cold-turkeyed on the dummy at 6m and she became a fierce thumb-sucker instead. She also became a good sleeper. But the constant thumb-sucking damaged her jaw and we have had to take steps to wean her off her thumb now (at age 4.5y) rather than wait for her to do so spontaneously.

My advice for a dummy at night? Don't!

mme- bloody hell its so tough to kow what to do. I am desperatley hoping he finds a way to sooth himself back to sleep. Maybe I'll give it a few more days before I crack as ti sounds like i could be getting into more problems....

My DS used a dummy until he was 1 (only for sleep) and now he sucks his finger and pulls his ear when he's tired or when he falls to sleep. My DD is far more attached to hers, she is 20 months now. She uses the dummy only at night time and gives it over to me in the morning (reluctantly) but she knows the score! I am going to have to wean her off the dummy I know, but it does give her great comfort. Sometimes she wakes in the night, makes a cry while she looks for her dummy but manages to get it in quick enough and goes back to sleep. I think a dummy may prevent thumb sucking... I still suck my thumb occasionally (and I won't tell you how old I am!)

Ds1 started sucking his fingers at 3m, he had had a dummy since he was 3w old.

DD went from dummy to thumb-sucker at around 5 months, when we got fed up of getting up in night to put it back in, and went cold-turkey.

We were wanting her to thumb-suck so she could self-soothe, and she only sucks her thumb when she goes to sleep, so we are not worried about teeth problems. She's 2.7 now.