Giving Up Dummy

[Becky77]

OK so I keep reading that the best time to get rid of a dummy is 12 weeks as after that they for dependancy or something! My DD is now 13.5 weeks and uses a dummy to settle herself to sleep only. What I want to know is how long it'll take to wean her off it... How horrible it'll be and is it worth it seeing as she only uses it for sleeping? Oh and how do you settle a baby without forming some other settling dependancy ie rocking, singing, patting?

Thoughts please... Thanks

Pudding - know what you mean about the work with teaching. Am not a 'proper' teacher, but teach English to adults as foreign language. Good fun, but far too much prep etc.

So part-time is good - part-time nursery is ideal I reckon. It will be good for him, social, prep for school etc. Plus good for you to get your identity back. Am planning to put my DS in 1.5 days a week I think. Depends what I can get in the way of placement. Then I have to tout for the work (self-employed). Having problems motivating myself on that score - especially as most of the work is usually evenings, but my maternity pay runs out soon so have to do something.

So not looking forward to going back . I want to take the year off but we just can't afford it. I know it will be good for dd but would rather she went when she was 1. I think mil might do a day. Trying not to think about it too much.

Morning all, how'd your nights go?

Well yep I was feeling a little down about yesterday's naps but Rome wasn't built in a day etc etc. She slept well in her moses basket last night and has just gone down for her morning nap in the cot. Hopefully she'll get more than an hour hopeful face

When did everyone start weaning? Did you wait until 6 months?

Hey Pudding - part-time is better than full-time so don't be so down. My sister is just about to go back to work. She will put both her 5m and 5yrs DSs in full-time 7.30am to 6.30pm (with school obviously for DS1) as she and DH work in London so you are not that bad. And this way he gets a good soc development and a mummy has more energy and is more devoted to intensive "quality time" when she is around, and can then afford to get nice things for him which I reckon is the best of both worlds! At leat you have the option of work too.

Morning Becky. Actually, our night was brill. DS look a long time to settle which was odd (half an hour?) - not crying or anything, but then did not hear a peep out of him (appart from 10/10.30 noises) until 6.45 this morning. How did the morning nap go?

And NOBODY is aloud to be down on this thread, so there. A new day brings new potential for success (or some such crap)! That's what I am repeating as my DS took 20m to settle this morning and only slept 30m!!! Grrrrr. Never mind, I think he has my cold so not surprising. Still, he went down really well lunch-time so I have hope .

Haha you are an inspiration Gabster! Well her morning nap went OK... 45 minutes, whinge, then another 20 minutes... I've just put her down for her lunchtime time I'm hoping for more than an hour!

Seem to have just got through the 45m mark so there is hope over here - I will pass it on to you.

I have been reading bits of another thread about constantly waking 6mnth olds and starting to think that this "he is over-tired and so not sleeping more than 30m" is a croc, and I am putting him down too quick. Not sure. Do yours yawn/rub eyes much? Do you think that is a sign they are already too tired to go down?

Oh, and sorry, missed bit about weaning. We started at 5m. Mother had been nagging since 3m and specialist said it COULD help with reflux, if wanted to at 4m but was our choice. Eventually DS started waking earlier and earlier for feeds and only going max3hrs, and could definitely clear mouth, and final clinchers were that pincer grip (although think I caught DH teaching him this, not sure!!) and could sit for England (hours before he fell). Went straight into highchair after first two meals.

Why are my posts always so long??!!

Well DD has been grizzling for the last 5 minutes since she reached the 45 minute mark Grrr I wonder what else I can do to make the cot more comfy And now it's gone quiet fingers crossed again

My LO doesnt really rub her eyes much and doesnt always yawn... Maybe I'm putting her dow too late but then there are supposed to be benefits to putting them down at the same time each day??

Grrr and just when Thames Water stop digging up the road one of our neighbours decides to get a loft extension

So did you breast feed up until 5 months? Did you go over to bottles at the same time as solids? I'm not looking forward to breastfeeding through teething so I'm gearing myself up to slowly increase the amount of bottles a day she gets (currently on 1 and the rest boob).

I think I beat you on the length this time

Did she re-settle in the end? She is just getting used to new surroundings I am sure. I think it sounds like it was a good move not putting her down in the cot last night. I would repeat tonight if it was me.

Well, DS has been asleep nearly 1hr30 so I am happy no matter what happens now.

The breastfeeding did not last past 6 weeks . Had lots of problems, some of which you mentioned before, some caused by the CS, and others all of DSs doing! Won't go into details as still very upset it failed. Ho hum. My sister can feel for you on the bf whilst teething thing. Oooh - your DCs must be the same age too. She has just introduced the second bottle a day, winding down ready to go back to work soon.

Sorry for abrupt end to post. Distracted! Have you had any success with bottles or not tried yet? Could always try straight to sippy cup? Took baby friend ages to get DD onto bottles so she could end the boob so think it is sometimes another case of hard work but worth it in the end. I don't see anything wrong with trying food and bottle together, but perhaps am quite forthright on these things as my DS is such a coper on this score - will do/take to anything (appart from crawling, apparently ).

She grizzled on and off for another half an hour... I've just gone in there and put some toys in and switched her mobile on and she's happy with that... so hopefully one more day of this and she'll be ready for the night switch over... although she looks so happy in there with her toys I'm tempted to just go for it... Arghhhhh decisions decisions

Awww I really feel for you on the breastfeeding front... Mine only got better at 10 weeks and God knows how I kept at it... sheer stubborness no doubt... But my life was hell... It was only at the point when I decided enough is enough, I'm gonna mix feed... suddenly DD got the hang of it rolls eyes So I completely understand where you're coming from... It does rather annoy me when you get the breastfeeding evangelicals telling you to just keep going, when in reality it can be a living hell and it's not doing you or your baby any good.

Oh dear I appear to have gone off on one!

DD has taken fine to a bottle... Due to all the BF agony she was getting EBM from pretty early on just to give me a break etc etc and now she gets a bottle of formula day It will just be a case of upping the amount of bottles gradually although I'm already faffing about which feed to replace first and not get all engorged or completely dry up... All this time on my hands plays havoc on my brain

WOOHOO - we managed 1hr 50m -

I think my sister has given up the 10.30pm dream feed and 11am feed to bottles - but then she is a devout follower of the routine in that book by that person who must not be mentioned on MN! (IYKWIM)

She has started weaning too and its important whichever feed is nearest to lunch is the first to "go" as milk and protein foods means reduced iron intake, and most people give protein with lunch, so I think she figured it was easier to control this with the bottle ....if that helps?

I would do the 3am one first if it was me - get DH doing a few then, but I am just crewl!!! he he

Congratulations on the nap

I think I'll probably drop the midday feeds first... She already gets a bottle at 1pm so it's either 10am or 4pm to go next... I think it'll probably be 4pm as I usually stay in until after her lunchtime nap and if I go out in the afternoon it'll be easier to take a bottle out... I'm not really one for BF in public and DD gets really easily distracted!

How old is your sister's baby? I don't think old Gina Ford is all THAT bad but I think her routines are just way too complicated... half a feed here... half a feed there... My DD just sleeps every 2 hours and feeds every 3 hours... That's about as much as I can manage

Hi everyone. Well done on the lunch naop gabster.
DD had a good night. 7-7 with 11pm dreamfeed. Morning nap was good and lunch nap rubbish!! She slept for 40 mins. Howled on and off for 10 mins. I went in for 5, left her for 5 and then got her up.
After 30 mins of being up, I have just put her back down again!

She is 4mths and nearly 2wks. She is only just over 13lbs and does not eat that much so I am going to hold off weaning her for as long as possible.

I am still breastfeeding but she has 2 bottle a day. One around 11isham and one at the dreamfeed.

We have used Gina Ford to an extent. I quite like the split feeding. I feed her before her bath and after. GF gets slated so much but her routines give a really good outline of what to aim for. I just think you need to be realistic and realise it may take a few mths for things to work the way you want them to!

My DD is 15.5lbs already and she's just coming up for 15 weeks she was 7lb 10 at birth, so has already doubled her birth weight, holds her head very steady and there are no food allergies in the family so depending on how she goes we may put her on solids early.

I'm just thinking maybe I should give her her second bottle at 11am-ish actually as that may help with the lunchtime nap

Pudding25 - when you introduced a new bottle did you do it gradually or just swap it completely one day? Did you have to express to avoid engorgement or not?

Thanks guys - am definitely a happy chappy on the nap front today (at last). First day DS has not needed an afternoon nap for a long time. Put him down a bit early tonight just to make sure but he was great. Bless.

Good idea about the bottle before lunch-time nap Becky - sounds like a plan to me.

Dead right about GF Pudding. At 7 weeks I was suddenly FF (not so easy to demand feed all of a sudden) and had no idea how much to give etc. And then there was the puking of course. Routine definitely makes FF less stressful, and the split feeds really helped getting milk to stay inside him. We only stopped these a little while ago. Adpted it to suit once I realised what was going on. I used the bit in the back as a guide for weaning too, and it has gone really well.

Think DS was also about 7lb 10 (3.46kg) at birth and had more than doubled weight when we decided could not wait any longer to wean. He was taking around 1300mls milk a day too (not sure what that is in ozs, sorry) which horrified the doctor!! He he. Have you looked at the weaning area on MN? Lots of good advice there.

Oh blimey, another long post

DD was 7lb 11 oz at birth on 50th percentile but now on 25th! She puts on 4oz every single week so I am not worried as she is so alert and happy but I did stress at first. She is on 91st percentile for height -tall and slim - doesnt get it from me anyway!

I have got the GF weaning book ready and waiting on the bookshelf.

WOW 91st percentile. That's tall. You must have a bugger of a job with baby clothes.

I'm a complete short arse but DS is 75th percentile, height, weight, head (slightly less at 72nd) so no guesses where he gets that from either. However, head was 85th percentile when born. Think you can work out why I had a CS then? LOL

Yup, sister has GF weaning book and started last 2 weeks ago. Said it is very confusing but working. Good luck!

Congrats on the naps today!

Ours were pretty poor and DD went to bed at 6pm as a result She was up at 6.30am though... What do you do napwise if yours wake up early??

I have had a sneaky peak in the weaning section... I'm always get one step ahead of myself!

If DS wakes early I ignore him!!!!

No seriously, I flat refuse to start the day before 7am unless he is really crying or something. And quite often he will re-settle, even if it takes half an hour and is only for 15m. Otherwise I am in permanently foul and horrid mood all day.

I do put him down for the morning nap as soon as I think he is tired, whether it is "time" according to GF or not (like we have been able stick to a routine lately - I wish!). I always used to make sure he was back in bed max 2hrs after I think he woke up. We are not talking the dozing thing here, but most definitely absolutely awake, positively "shouting" or cooing or kicking so much (his favourite) that the cot starts banging on the wall that divides our rooms . However, has sleept so badly lately that rarely goes more than 1.5hrs after waking before his morning nap. Think this probably means I am the wrong person to answer this question?

Pudding?

Hello, thanks for comments not had chance to check since yesterday. Had a rubbish night last night, he went to sleep at 7.30pm (without the dummy) but started waking at 1.00am, settled him with dummy but it then continued every hour until I finally got him up and fed him at 4.30am. He had a full 9.5ozs and then went back to sleep until 7.30am, so I'm thinking maybe he is starting to feel a bit peckish and so won't fully settle back to sleep. Am going to try him with a dream feed tonight about 11.00pm, feel a bit apprehensive as don't like waking him but it's worth a try. The alternative is to wait til he first starts to stir and then feed him at whatever time, but will try 11.00pm approach first of all.

He's had fantastic naps today though, slept 1.5hrs this morning, 2.5hrs at lunchtime (!!) and then another half an hour late afternoon. Was in bed asleep by 7.30pm. Have found the trick is to make sure he doesn't stay awake for longer than 2 hrs at a time, and preferably more like 1.5hrs, if he gets upto 3 hours we have major meltdown and a nap is out of the question unless pushed in pram.

Anyway, wish me luck for the dreamfeed!!!

Hey Ellibop.

Sorry you had such a´naff night but day naps are very impressive. I'm green with jelousy.

Certainly does sound like hunger at night. 9.5ozs is a big feed. I would be tempted to feed for now as, like you say, its nearly weaning time.

Good luck with your dream feed .

Off to bed now as I in no way trust DS to give me two nice nights in a row. Night all.

G

Elibop -you don't really need to wake him up for dreamfeed. Just pick him up (he may just stir a bit) put him on your lap and shove in the bottle! well done on the naps.

We went out for dinner tonight (2nd time since dd was born - the last 2 times we have tried to go out, she has been ill!).

DH's dad babysat. The little monkey was up and down all evening. He had to take her into the living room twice as she would not stop crying! She has not done that for so long. It is like she sensed we were going out. She had started playing up at bedtime too. She's asleep now.DH is about to dreamfeed her.

If dd wakes up before 7am e.g 6am (god I hate it when she does that). I will leave her for a few mins. She normally cries,shoves in fingers and stop, starts again.
We then have 2 different mobiles which I put on. They last 15 mins each. I put on one, go back to bed, she plays for 15 mins, go back in, put on the other one, go back to bed for another 15 mins! hat will usually take me up to at least 6.40am which is slightly more human.

Hope everyone has a good night.

Morning ladies - hows it going today?

Lucky you getting out for a meal Pudding - we have had a few lunches but only managed dinner on holiday as put DS "down" in pram (4m old then) and ate outside, wheeling him around when stirred. Nothing since. Have to find a babysitter! Know what you mean about 6th sense - the minute I pick up the phone .....

Morning nap has gone well here, and DH is ill/working from home today so everything is more relaxed.

How did the dream feed go Ellibop?

Becky, did you have a good night?

Luckily, dd slept until 7am this morning but I am shattered. I don't think too glasses of wine and far too much food helped either.
Hope everyone is having a good day.