How do your little ones without dummies sleep?

[sassyx]

My first baby has a dummy and Muslin to sleep, she's always been great at sleeping. She's 2 now and has slept through since she was 6w and always gone straight to sleep when put down in her crib for all naps and bedtime.

My second is a brilliant sleeper at night (only 11 weeks so don't want to jinx it!) we're not on a routine yet so naps are whenever are whereever we are.. she falls asleep in car seat/pram etc at home either on me or in her bassinet which she will need rocking to sleep for as she will not take a dummy! no matter the brand I've tried loads because she likes to suck so Id of thought she love a dummy! She takes bottle and boob but I and have now given up trying with the dummy with the realisation that not all babies like them! she's too young now to self settle but im just conscious of the future.. how will she settle without a dummy? do they ever self settle without anything?? When she's a bit older il try her with a muslin for comfort but just curious to those without dummies.. how do they get on without it?? And what do they use instead?

I really don't want her to be a thumb sucker.. she hasn't tried yet but it's early days. My only experience so far is my first who has a dummy and i realise now how easy it is just put it in when she's kicking off🙈 the only good thing about is that atleast i won't have the battle of taking it off her when she's older!

I was fairly anti dummy prebaby but offered one in the hope she'd sleep with one rather than feeding to sleep. She was not interested and gave me the most disgusted look each time I tried. She was never a thumb sucker, nor had a favourite cuddly toy, until she was 2-3 - preferred to cuddle me. She didn't sleep through until she was over 2. I tried sleep training for about 15 minutes then decided I just couldn't... now (aged 6) she's a brilliant sleeper and has been since a bit over 2.

i stopped the dummy at 3 months. Mine does thumb suck to sleep but sleeps like a log. Try a toy that you take everywhere and to try and get her attached to it? Or maybe she’ll just learn to self settle, hard to say really.

DS 15 months hasn't had it at bedtime since 4 months. at first he would do other normal settling behaviour like turning head back and forth, slamming legs. Then he moved to using the bottom of his sleep bag as a comforter. at 10 months we introduced a small muslin square as a comforter for naps and nighttime. he now uses those when he sleeps no problem. he does still have the dummy for naps too.

Mine had a dummy until 14 months and then took it out one day and didn’t want it again. He found it funny after that.

He just lies down and goes to sleep. I sit with him and read if he wants me too, or just keep him company, and he just lies down.

My second son is 4 now never took a dummy,I tried as my first loved his but he was preemie & used it to help his suck,but my second has always slept well (on & off) he has a fluffy blanket that is his comfort & he will have a drink before he sleeps & snuggles up with his blanket & off he goes

Neither of our girls have had dummies, and I’m a huge advocate for safe sleep so neither of them have had any teddies or anything like muslins in their cots.

I just always fed to sleep and then when they got older, say 20+ months DH did bedtime and they just fell asleep on him and he transferred to the cot.

I’be always been anti dummy and hate the whole shove a dummy in their mouth to shut them up thing. They’re making noise for a reason.

We never used a dummy for either of our two - we did offer one to DS1 but he didn't want it. DS2 is 14 months and sleeps just fine. Before he could roll, we could just put him in his cot on his back and sing him a song and he would fall asleep. Once he could roll (pretty late) we would need to pat him gently on the bum to get him to sleep. We're just weaning him off that now by continuing to sing to him but gradually moving further away.

What might be worth trying with your DD2 is trying to swap rocking/motion for patting, because it'll be easier to gradually withdraw that and teach her to self-settle.

When DD was a baby she didn't have a dummy and slept just fine. Had no inclination to suck her thumb or anything like that. She loves cuddly things in bed now she's 6 but was 2+ before that really started. I think if they've never had a dummy they just don't know any differently.

Neither of mine have had dummies. Both were good sleepers from early on, 7 or 8 weeks. We’ve fared pretty well with sleep regressions too, with the struggle being getting to sleep rather than staying asleep.

My DS1 was not offered a dummy and just settled on his own. He did latch on to a special blankie when he was maybe 1yo (sleeps with it to this day, he's 6).

DS2 was in love with his dummy and used it until he was 2, taking it off him was a bit tricky but we managed.

DD never accepted the pacifier despite being offered it multiple times. She settles just fine without one, she doesn't replace it with anything. I think it's mostly a matter of what they're used to.

If you LO is 11 weeks he's not far off being able to settle on his own actually. Generally most babies are capable of sleeping through the night from around 3 months (some do it earlier, some later). My advice is :
Don't wait too long to implement a routine. You know your baby best obviously but the longer you wait the harder it's likely to be to implement good habits
Putting baby in their cot while sleepy but still awake is a great way to help them to self soothe and settle. I always put mine awake in bed. (obviously if they fall asleep before I put them to bed I won't wake them but I try to put them to bed still awake so they're used to going to sleep on their own).

Honestly they're all so different you'll just have to see how it goes

Of our 6 three had dummies (2 would suck it til they fell asleep then drop, 1 almost had to be prised away from it), 1 was a thumb sucker despite all my attempts to dissuade him, and the other 2 one had a cuddly toy that they sucked the ear of (that was grim - if they show any sign of that being their thing buy LOTS of the toy and get into the habit of swapping and washing weekly) and 1 was a self settler from 4 months.