Dummy for getting to sleep

[edin16]

I may be thinking too much Into this but I'm thinking of the pros and cons of using a dummy with my 6 week old to get to sleep. He's had a dummy for a few weeks as he has reflux and it chills him out.

So in pros I have: relaxes him immediately and will be easier for other people to get him to sleep

Cons: will become reliant on it to sleep, he'll likely wake up when it falls out.

What are people's thoughts? I'm leaning towards taking it off him but if I don't give it and try to cuddle him to chill him out he tries to fight it.

Dummy are the best possible no crying, gentle way to get independant sleep.

My thoughts are you're worrying unnecessarily.

If it works don’t change a thing! He’s only tiny, you’ve got plenty of time to worry about getting him off it again. DD was and still is a hugely windy baby/toddler and I once spent 4 hours, 4 hours with my little finger in her mouth as it was the only way she’d sleep. As I lost all feeling in it I thought fuck it and bought dummies which worked a treat and she still has it for sleeping at 15 months which I’m perfectly happy with. She only has it then, not during the day, her teeth are perfect, she’s been talking for a few months, no harm done at all. Trust your gut, if it works you’re doing great.

My daughter is 11 weeks old and she has been feeding every 3 hours day and night until about a week ago. She’s a big baby - no problem with gaining weight. I’ve been trying to push her to sleep a bit longer and a couple of times, she’s managed without a feed between 11-6 but she is waking constantly between these times, until I put a dummy back in and she usually falls straight back to sleep for half an hour/an hour each time. Am I doing the right thing getting up more often to settle her or should I just keep feeding her every 3 hours?

@Aimes21

My daughter is 11 weeks old and she has been feeding every 3 hours day and night until about a week ago. She’s a big baby - no problem with gaining weight. I’ve been trying to push her to sleep a bit longer and a couple of times, she’s managed without a feed between 11-6 but she is waking constantly between these times, until I put a dummy back in and she usually falls straight back to sleep for half an hour/an hour each time. Am I doing the right thing getting up more often to settle her or should I just keep feeding her every 3 hours?

You're doing the right thing, don't worry.

What I would suggest though, is having more bottles per day during the daytime. That way baby has the same number of feeds over 24h, but they are in the daytime so not needed at night.

For example:

3h feeds over 24h:
7am 10am 1pm 4pm 7pm 10pm 1am 4am 7am
= 9 feeds in 24h

2h daytime feeds:
7am 9am 11am 1pm 3pm 5pm 7pm 9pm 11pm
= 9 feeds *but with 11pm-7am without a feed

Then in time, as the amount of milk per feed increases in the daytime you can drop the 9pm feed - so put baby to bed after 7pm feed and just do an 11pm dream feed.

Then as daytime feeds further increase in volume, drop the 11pm feed too.

I would strongly say stick with the dummy. I have twin 3mo girls and they both had a dummy from day 1 literally - they were born a week early and both had reflux so the maternity nurse asked, and I agreed, that they both be given a dummy to get them sucking and of course to keep them quiet! I know I have got the "4month regression" to get through shortly but since birth the twins have had a dummy to comfort them both awake and in sleep. You only have to look at their faces during sleep - they are so contented and happy quietly sucking their dummies. Remember that because of SIDS the advice is that you retain dummy use until at least 1yr but most mums I know just carry on using it! - it will be easier (not simple I agree) to remove a dummy at say 2.5 or 3 yrs because at that age they will more easily grasp the reasoning for the removal of the dummy. This is my plan for my darlings. Good luck and enjoy the comparative calm that a dummy brings!