Dummy weaning approaching 6 months- daytime use (not for naps)

[Bethymum]

I have no issue with use for naps/sleeping but I’m concerned my baby is using it too much during the day and wanting it more and more. He moans quite a lot even when I’ve ticked off the usual list of what could be wrong but I don’t want his speech being affected by less babbling etc but equally it feels mean to not give him something that soothes him at a fairly young age. Any advice? He also likes putting it in and out his mouth but doesn’t enjoy teethers in the same way.

I simply went cold turkey with my twin boys and the same with my little girl. Granted only one of them really loved their dummy. It was hard, but I just used different methods to soothe them. Have you tried a Sophie Giraffe for teething? It's soft silicone so they might feel like it's similar to a dummy, compared to other teethers.

DD is 26 now and very articulate and well qualified...she loved her dummy so much though! She was 14m when we went to my parents for Christmas and I deliberately left the dummies behind and went cold turkey. She screamed blue murder for an hour the first night, 10 mins the next night, and night 3 went off to sleep like she'd never had a dummy at all.

I went cold turkey, and we used the dummy a lot as it brought DD comfort from terrible reflux. It really wasn’t as bad as I thought, she just got over it. Then when we went from a cot to a toddler bed we did the dummy fairy to take them away completely. She woke up that night looking for it, we reminded her the fairy was coming to give her a present (sylvanian family ice cream van 😆) and that was it. Never asked for them again. I was SO nervous both times because she bloody loved her dummies but it was a complete breeze. Dentist completely happy with her teeth too (she’s 3.5 now) good luck!

To be honest I wouldn't stress about this for now, they're tiny. I would wait until they are around 12 months before trying to reduce down their use. Mine didn't have it in the day (apart from for sleep in their beds) past 18 months. The 6 months or so before it was gradually reducing it down to that and at 18 months they can fully understand the 'rule' too in a way that a small baby cannot. My DC1 then had a dummy overnight til 3.5 and DC2 until 2.5. Now 7 and 4 with no dental or speech issues.

Mine kept her dummy for overnight only until she was 4 years old. No dental or speech issues but I only ever had the Mam perfect range which are thin between the teeth. We gave her dummy to her new baby cousin. I wouldn't be in a rush at 6 months to be rid of it but it basically stayed in her bed so wasn't used in the daytime, just for sleeping. This was after she dropped her naps. Before that I hid it after wake ups until nap time but we aren't a 'nursery nap' kind of family so the dummy had to be within reach or I'd have left it in her bed then too.

I went cold turkey with both of mine at 4 months as I can’t stand having to pop it back in all the time. I noticed my DS would be noisy/loud and took me a long time to realise it was just him talking (even now at 2.5yrs he has a loud voice!)

My DD is going through the same now, providing all other needs are met I will usually get her a toy or change her position.

Take it off. It's bad for teeth long term and much easier to take it off now than later.

I don’t think we stopped day time use til they were walking. And at night til about 4 years old (starting school ).