Dummy-less!

[MalonsMilk]

After the four month sleep regression and the fact that my lo has discovered the joys of pulling her dummy out, then putting it back in, then pulling it out again, throwing it around her crib and then crying when she couldn’t find it I made the decision to throw the dummies away for good and get my 5 month old to sleep without one!

It’s day 4 now and she’s getting there, she woke me up 3 times last night instead of 5+(yeah this was life with a dummy) and woke up at 6:20 rather than 5am so I think it might be working. However I never realised exactly how much the dummy played in getting her to sleep. She only had it from 3 months as she was slicing her own face with her little claws and would wake up covered in blood as she tried to put her thumb in her mouth and I admit I got lazy as this miracle object went in my baby’s mouth and magically made her drowsy.

I’ve replaced the dummy with white noise and cuddles instead and this morning she fell asleep in about 15 minutes. It would sometimes take her 40 minutes of spitting the dummy and playing with it to get her to sleep.

I just wondered if anyone else has braved it and has done away with the dummy. What were your experiences and how did you make it work for you. It’s so tempting to think the dummies are just hiding in the drawer and could be soothing your baby very quickly to sleep when they’re being difficult!

We took the opposite path and chucked about 10 dummies in the crib so she could always find one. Dc2 wouldn't take a dummy at all.

I got rid of the dummy at around 7/8 months. He was waking every hour or so for it all night and didn't know how to sleep without it. I tried my best to teach him to put it back in for himself, but he couldn't/wouldn't. We used controlled crying and were fortunate that I don't think it ever took more than 15 minutes (but we already had other things in place like sleeping in own room and not having dummy during the day). 5 months is very young still and might still be part of 4 month regression, but I also think it is much, much harder to take a dummy away from a 1 year old for example.

There are better ways to manage the situation to give good sleep habits, that involve working with the dummy @MalonsMilk.

You're replacing independent sleep (going to sleep with a dummy in the cot) with dependant sleep (going to sleep cuddling, requiring you). Which could well create you longer term habits that are more difficult to deal with.

Dummies are magical. Because dummies are absolutely ace for helping baby to learn to sleep independently. There is simply no better method if you don't want baby crying to sleep but want baby sleeping on their own.

I always, always recommend dummy use as a way to get independent sleep.

Are you really use you want to replace independent sleep methods with dependant sleep methods? Think through what you're doing here, it will involve a lot of crying or a long time to get baby sleeping independently without a dummy. Are you OK with that?

There are loads of ways to get through the tricky dummy phase, before baby is able to manage their own dummy without help at around 7-9 months old.