Throwing dummy during sleep training

[Sarah8789]

Hey all!
im hoping you can help!

my little one is now 15 months old and, I know it’s crazy, but I’m still rocking her to sleep! So I am currently doing a gentle sleep training technique (as I understand the cry it out method doesn’t work for older babies?)

It’s where I sit on a chair in her room and gradually move the chair further away each night until I’m out of the room. Apparently it helps babies learn self soothing techniques whilst they can still see u!

anyway - she does eventually go to sleep on her own (after about an hour) but there is a good half an hour at the start where she throws her dummy out of the cot and I constantly have to go and fetch it and give it back to her. She sees it as a game I think but as she can’t settle without her dummy, she cries a lot until I do fetch it. I’m not quite sure how to resolve this - especially when I get to the stage when I’m actually out of the room. I worry she will learn that she can throw her dummy and mummy will then come along if that makes sense. I have tried leaving a couple in her cot but she just throws all of them :/

I have thought perhaps it’s a good way to get rid of the dummy at the same time, but I think it would be too much for her and too many changes at once.

I did try cot guards but they r quite flimsy and she just ends up tugging them!

how did others resolve the issue of dummy throwing whilst sleep training?

sorry for the long post and thank u in advance 😊

Erm so by throwing dummy she's getting your attention she's smart...we have twin 14 month olds and a 3 yr old and they all sleep on there own no dummies etc all night. My suggestion would be tuck her in, kiss good night and I love you and leave room door slightly open and a small dim nightlight on landing and don't go back in unless you absolutely think it's life or death. It took 3 nights with the twins and 2 with 3 year old. The 3 did cry first night nothing major and the twins didn't. The quicker you do it the quicker you all settle into she knows when it's sleep time and mammy's time

It doesn’t sound like it’s the best choice of sleep training method if she can turn it into a game, get your attention and then is getting upset anyway, so it’s not gentle, if you don’t play along and give it back immediately.

I’d go out of the room and pop back at regular intervals to reassure and give the dummy back but make it really boring so keep it dark and don’t say anything. We did a variation of that when DS was 18 months but he was in a bed with a stairgate on the door that he was lobbing the dummies over. I left him for 5 minutes then would go and hand it back to him silently. 2 nights and he stopped doing it.

I'm still rocking (and dare I say it feeding!) my 18m old to sleep. But generally he does sleep all night so I figure it can't be doing much harm. You only need to change it if it's a problem for you. If it's working then carry on!

Oops I forgot that bit yes stairgate tho ours now know how to unlock all but one lol..sometimes our girls will actually play another 10minutes then go back into ther beds on there own and fall asleep but as long as they don't need attention other than when not well then all good for us

Could you try a dummy clip then just remove once she’s asleep

Dummy clips. They learn to find it & put it back pretty quick

I found that dummy clips are completely useless if they’re determined as they’ll just pull it off and lob the whole thing. Yes I’m speaking from experience. Their only real use is to stop it dropping on the floor when it falls out once they’re deeply asleep with their mouth hanging wide open, so more for the car or pram. But they’re not expensive so maybe worth a try.

Thanks all. Yes I think she will just pull the dummy clip off as she used to do that about 6 months ago and so she’s much stronger now 😅😩

Haha my DS used to do this exact thing!!

It's because he knew if he threw it out and cried and cried after it then I'd eventually go in to give it him back.
It was around a similar age to yours and I can't remember what point he stopped doing it but it feels a short lived stage now looking back so probably within a couple of months. I now have a 2.5yo who self soothes and falls asleep along OP and he's finally been doing this for around 4-5 months now.
Hang in there love

He also threw his comforter out and then if I still didn't go in his pillow and duvet would go over too 😂

A suggestion for you, My MIL bought a Tonies box for him for Xmas just gone. I swear this was the thing that worked and started getting him down to sleep as it was a new distraction by listening to it until he eventually nods off

Thank u for the suggestion, I’ll take a look!

yes they’re little tinkers aren’t they! So stuck as to what to do about it. Part of me thinks I need to get tough and do the cry it out whether she throws the dummy or not…I think she might learn then…but I don’t feel comfortable with it 🙈 but then again I think it will b a bit like pulling off a plaster and sort it out quicker than this prolonged game we have!

Get rid of the dummy! You're going to have to do it at some point anyway so it may as well be now, while you're in the room with her.

We ditched the dummy at the same time as the sleep training with both ours. All at once. Might as well. You'll only have to do it again separately if you don't and currently it's causing a hinderance.