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

Just wait until they are all teenagers and we are screaming at them to get out of their beds and stop sleeping so much!!!

Elmmum - I have had so many standing up lunches over the past 4 mths! I think that's why I am finding it hard to lose weight - I don't count eating standing up as cals

becky - who knows??! May be a growth spurt, may be her being a little monkey Touch wood, we have been lucky with 4 mth growth spurt as dd does not eat very much anyay and her idea of being hungry is feeding for 20 mins instead of 10 and taking a 5 oz bottle instead of 3!

gabster - your lunch nap wasnt too bad!

DD is still sleeping well at night (just waiting for that to stop sometime soon) but her lunch nap is CRAP. I have decided to stop stressing about it and let her have her 30-45 mins, get her up when she starts crying and then let her have a couple of naps later on like she has been doing. I have been speaking to some friends with toddlers who said it too ages for the lunch nap to work properly (around 8mths).

Maybe if I stop stressing, she will do it of her own accord!

Now, got weaning to look forward to in a few wks...

We had a good night!!! She DIDN'T WAKE UP UNTIL 6.20am!!!!! (Sorry to shout, but I feel like clicking my heels in the air I feel so much better for a night's sleep). I've even had a shower and a bacon sarnie already this morning.

Really didn't expect a good night as she had a 4th nap yesterday. She'd had a half hour afternoon nap and then around 6pm started to get all agitated and wanting to sleep, so I picked her up and she zonked out in my arms. I gently woke her up around 7pm as she hadn't had her evening feed and we were getting into bedtime sleep. DH put her down at about 8.15 ish. Had her dream feed at 11pm as usual.

My conclusion from this is 1) good daytime naps do help night time sleep and 2) I should gently push her to a 4-hour feeding cycle so the last feed is a bit later in the day. Think this must have helped 'tank' her up for the night.

She's now having her (usually) short morning nap, so I'm going to get my stuff ready for tonight's art class. Am doing an evening class on Wednesday nights just to get some headspace and give my brain a chance to think about something other than DD, much as I love her etc etc.

How did you all do last night?

Morning all! Last night for us was back to normal... One wake for a feed and a couple of other wakes were she quickly settled herself.

@ ElmMum - congratulations on your successful night

Blimey, DD is repeating yesterday's sleep bonanza and is just starting to stir from a 2 hour lunchtime nap!!! Can't help but hope this means another good night time sleep, which surely means a night of getting up constantly! We'll see.

Just read all your posts. Glad its going well for everyone.

Unfortunately, we are doing really badly. We have had 3 nights of constant waking now, with max 1.5 hrs day naps inbetween. Am so tired have cried all afternoon and then had stupid row with DH. I am just no good when I am this tired - feels like when he was 4wks old all over again. So, have decided I am best just going to bed (its 9pm here so not so bad). Will hopefully be much happier Gabster tomorrow after a good bit of kip, although DS has woken up screaming once already this evening so not holding out much hope.

Wish me luck.

Well done Elmum.
Gabster -poor you. Am exactly like that too when tired. We are having a crap night. Last night was great, Naps today were not great but she has been happy as larry all day. She has been crying all evening so far. We ended up getting her up and letting her watch tv on us in the dark. Gave her calpol too. No idea what is wrong. Just put her back down at 10.30pm and she seems to be asleep. Due for dreamfeed soon.

I am getting myself ready for a sleepless night - so tired already as I went to the gym today (DH is off work this week so I am definitely going back to bed tomorrow morning if I end up being up) .

Sorry to hear you both had such bad days yesterday Gabster & Pudding I hope you managed to get some sleep in the end.

Gabster and Pudding - I'm also absolutely useless when tired. It makes everything seem 100 times more difficult. I try to take solace from the fact that they change so fast, if they're in a bad phase of waking up loads or grizzling before every nap, chances are it will different tomorrow or next week. Can you draft in any help so you can get some sleep in between feeds?

Hope you have a better day/night today/tonight.

Hey Elmum, how did your night pan out?

Thanks Becky, as long as some of us are going OK, it gives me hope!

Elmmum, yes, dead right, repeat mantra "its just a phase". Was hoping for a gleaming white tooth to show for all our troubles this morning but no such luck, although I have a suspicion about a bump ...

The night was not too bad for DS, he only woke a few times, but I kept waking to "check on him" if you know what I mean so still zonked and have headache now too. Ace. Am also supsicious as is waking around 6.20am screaming his head off - has done it for a few days now. Thought at first just tired and can't get back to sleep (usually dozes until nearer 7.30 or 8am) but am now suspicious whether he is waking because of hunger again?? What do you guys think?

Still, DS napped well this am, and has gone down for mid-day sleep OK so I am hopeful for tonight. Will have to see.

That's the trouble with living here, have no family to pop over and help out. Bummer. But tomorrow is a bank holiday here, so DH will be home and has already said I can lay in tomorrow (DH is partially deaf so never really has problems sleeping through DSs fiascos and is able to nap days, which I never mastered, even when pregnant).

Hey Gabster, my night was okay again. She woke up at 4am but went straight back to sleep once I'd put the dummy back in, and did the same again about 20/30 mins later, and that was it til 6.55am when she woke up properly.

Slight irony that this thread started as one about giving up dummies given that we're still using one! Am planning to ditch the dummy once I'm sure we're on a reasonably even keel with the napping and nighttime sleeping routine.

So far the extra food during the day seems to have done the trick and she seems to have settled into a definite 4 hour feeding cycle, with a short nap after the 1st feed, a longer one (or two short ones) between 2nd and 3rd feeds and then a cat nap between 3rd and 4th.

Will all go up the spout when we go on holiday on Sunday! Going to Italy. Yay!

Well our DD is doing well recently... In the lead up to her jabs on Tuesday! She's recently dropped her afternoon nap although I'm sure it is way too early... When did yours drop theirs?

She is slepping for about an hour in the morning then about 2 hours at lunchtime then she goes from 2.30pm - 6pm or at least she has for the last 2 days

I think she may also be starting her growth spurt as she's feeding for quite a lot longer and was a bit grouchy this morning.

I can't believe she's 16 weeks today

Hey Elmum - glad you are doing good. If it is working for you then keep the dummy - its just that it caused problems for us. I did worry about it causing speach problems for DS later too as he has to cope with two languages here so is already likely to be held back - not sure I would have been so worried if we lived in UK. Mind you, I do hate seeing 2yr olds running around with dummies sticking out of their mouths, but that's just me.

WOW, Becky, kewl stuff with the pm nap. I think DS was around same age when he ditched it too. Found there was a transition period though when some days he needed it and some not. GOod luck with the jabs but she will be fine.

Well, lunch nap lasted 1hr 10

But on the upside, DS was so sleepy that did not bother with pushchair and put him back to bed 3.45pm and he slept another 40m so we totalled about 2hr20 today - not bad.

Unfortunately wonderful DH did bed-time route as came home early (bank holiday weekend!), and ended up doing everything far too late (MEN!), DS had meltdown and drank about 2 ozs then refused rest of bottle and ended up going down at 7.30.

She ended up sleeping through the night fine, little monkey.
I have come to the conclusion that we are just going to have 4 short naps/day. That seems to keep her happy.
Becky - your napping is great. I think dd will need her afternoon nap until she is a teenager!

The little monkey has been great all day, really happy. Kicked off at bedtime again. She went to sleep at 6.45pm and started sobbing about 10 mins later. Went in and out for a bit then sat with her for 10mins until she went back to sleep at 7.45pm.

Got no idea what she is up to. I think she just wants to stay up and watch bloody Igglepiggle!

Hey pudding - don't blame your LO, I love igglepiggle (we get UK TV by satellite here - shhhhhh).

Our night was OK, a few wake-ups/groans but just the usual, until 6.15 and then he just could not settle. But at least there was no crying this morning .

BUT SUCCESS - I THINK WE HAVE A TOOTH!!

There is definitely what looks like an opening in his gum and he WILL NOT let us have a look to see (can only peek when laughing) and is refusing bonjela so can't be sure. He is down for his morning nap now but hardly ate any breakfast this morning so looks like its going to be a hard day. Oh well, DH brought some strawberries home with him last night (really hard to get out of season fruit and vege in Germany without paying fortune) so have chopped some up and put them in the freezer in the hope of tempting DS with them to soothe his gums.

Hows everyone else doing?

We're still getting through the night (to about 6.50am) with just one or two brief wakings up. So once we're back from Italy we'll start the great ditch the dummy escapade! Right, better go pack for our holiday tomorrow!

Hi there everyone! Everything has gone a little pearshaped here... I think we're definitely in the midst of the 4 month growth spurt. She doesn't seem satisfied with boob (my nipples are killing me, did anyone else get that?) and won't settle to sleep in the evening even though she's missed her afternoon nap... She is getting over 3 hours in her other naps though.

Does this all sound normal? I'm most upset about the sore nipples after my early breastfeeding trauma... I thought we'd waved goodbye to all that

Hi everyone. Given up on lunch nap. I am going to let her do her 2 lunch naps with a break in between and give it another go in a month or so.

Becky - have you got lanisoh (sp?). I used it when DD was first born and it is magic for sore nipples. I also used it the other week as they were a bit sore. I think at this age, they start sucking a bit harder because of their gums? Or that is what it feels like sometimes.

Have you tried taking her out in the pran in the afternon and see if she will nap?

Yeah I still take her out everyday for an afternoon stroll but she's not going to sleep anymore. Yeah I used to use lanisoh but not sure where the tube went... thanks for the tip.

Good choice on the naps

Hey - can I join in the winge about nap hell? 2 x 30m today and refused all nap opportunities after 1.30pm wake up until bed at 6.45!!!!

Sorry, lunch is so bad for you pudding, but you are in good company, don't worry.

Becky (wincing as I say this) sorry about your bits. Dig out the Lansinoh - is really is the best - looks like you are in for 2 weeks of growth spurt. But chin up, you've made it this far with the Bfing, not much further to go now. Sounds like your LO is ditching the pm nap to me, but you could try putting her down later and in her cot just to make sure if you are worried. It could also just be because of the growth spurt - my LO used to sleep less with these. Would say still does but day sleep has reached such all time low that any less and would be non-existent!

Hey Gabster... Sorry to hear it's all gone so pearshaped. Is he on the brink of a developmental leap?

Well the day of the jabs is upon us... Once this is out of the way and she is sleeping OK it'll be goodbye moses basket forever... God knows how she is still wedged into it!

Hey Becky. Thanks for the though, but no such luck unfortunately, my lazy DS still has not even rolled over let alone started to crawl. It is definitely his first teeth bless 'im. No. 1 is just poking a corner through, and No. 2 is looking red and bumpy and following closely behind. We did marginally better today and he has gone down well tonight.

Hope your jabs went well - but I suppose you won't really know how it affects her for a day or two. Did the last set go OK? I found that the first ones were the worst for reaction, but the second, he kinda remembered what was going on and was not too happy!

Hey Pudding, how are your now lunch-nap tactics panning out?

Morning! Well the jabs went OK, we had a different nurse who actually got the cotton wool and tape all ready before so each one was much quicker and I could stand up and comfort her etc etc... And then DD grouched a bit but slept completely through the night... But like you say we'll see in the next day or two.
I think DD had a worse reaction to the second lot... but then it was around the time the dummy was disturbing her so it's difficult to say

Poor you it sounds like DS's teeth are taking their time to come through... Some lucky ones get both teeth through in a couple of nights.

Hey Becky - glad the jabs went OK.

Thanks for the sympathy but I suppose we are lucky, he is back to sleeping really well at night again now - probably because he isn't geting much during the day! . If I hadn't chucked all his dummies away (clever mummy), I think I would have tried it today, I was that desperate for him to sleep .

Pudding - are you out there? Are you OK??

Hi eveeryone! Computer was playing up (piece of crap and we so need a new one) and had a couple of days of dd playing up. Monday night, she decided not to go to sleep at 7pm. We gave her calpol after trying to settle her then got her up for a bit. She also was up for about an hr during the night. No idea what was wrong. The next day, she played up all morning then would not go to bed until 10pm. Luckily slept through. Yesterday and last night was fine and so was today. Tonight, it took her about 40 mins to go to sleep.

I thought she might have had a bit of a sore tum but I also think she is going through big developmental changes. She rolled over herself yesterday for the 1st time and she keeps making new noised (the high pitched shriek one is not the best!).

Going ok with the lunch nap. She sleeps for about 45 mins. Up for about 1hr, back to sleep for 30 mins. She still has 30 mins around 4,30pm.

Hope you are all ok.

Hey Pudding - OOooh, rolling. Exciting stuff! Can't wait for lazy DS to do some kind of physical development. Like the new style lunch nap too. Hope it is less stressful for you taking this sensible matter of fact stance. As long as he is getting the sleep he needs, then your job is done. Actually, I think I might try it. I reckon you have hit the nail on the head with the sleep problems - just stick with it!!

My DS refused his am nap, and got 1hr 10 lunch-time but could not get him to go back to sleep until 4.30! so definitely a no nap day yesterday. Have high hopes for today though - am trying putting him down later and he seems to be settling much quicker. Fingers crossed.

Have taken to drinking a glass of wine at teat time too which makes the whole end of the day seem much less stressful, and I am sleeping better now too! Can thoroughly recommend it