Ditched the dummy at 2.5 yrs - but the screaming goes on and on and on .....

[amiandlils]

Hi - just wondering if anyone could offer me any advice about how to deal with my 2.5 yr old dd.

She has always relied on her dummy to get to sleep but our dentist has told me they HAVE to go as her teeth are starting to become distorted. We said goodbye to them 6 days ago (dummy fairy, present etc etc).

I never expected it to be easy, but it has become such a nightmare to get her to sleep in the evenings and at nap time. Her screaming could wake the dead and its usually a couple of times during night as well.

She just refuses to lie down and settle, even if I sit or lie with her. In the end she exhausts herself after an about hour and will go to sleep with me patting her back.

Having got this far I absolutely cannot give the dummy back to her - she doesn't even actually mention it any more and she goes to sleep at nursery without ANY trouble at all (little monster).

I've tried every tactic imaginable but nothing seems to sink in. If I offer her a treat for going to sleep nicely at bedtime, she wakes in the night and screams even louder for the treat.

I am just so fed up of the screaming every single time - when will it end????!

Bumping for you.

Are her teeth really getting distorted from dummy use?
DS1 still has a dummy at night and has just turned 4, our dentist has never said anything about a dummy and he has had one since he was newborn.
I think for your sanity I woudl consider letting her have a dummy at night, she is still very small and lots of small kids need a prop at night...

Has she got a cuddly toy or comforter? If not you could try giving her one for bed and nap times.
DS gave his dummies to santa at christmas. He had a "big" present to say thank you from Santa but he also has, and has had for ages, a cuddly toy that he is attached to and am sure this helped him. We've been lucky and he's only had two minor wobbles.
Am sure it will pass for you.

She has a cuddly doggy that she has slept with since tiny - she launches it out of the cot in fury if I try to give it to her (can you tell she's a Leo?..)

The dentist took one look at her teeth and immediately asked if she sucked her thumb or had a dummy. I can see myself that a gap is appearing between her upper and lower teeth.

Would controlled crying work at this age?

Bump

But these are her baby teeth so she will lose them anyway.
If it really is that bed then I woudl let her have a dummy again, but then I hate controlled crying and for me that wouldnt be an option.
Does she have a night light? A CD player with soft music or stories on CD is a nice weay to calm down bedtime a bit.

both mine have had dummies from babies and dd has only just given hers to sant and she's 4 now.

ds is 2.5 and is nowhere near ready to give his up.

dd has an overbite but it's genetic as both dp and i have overbites so i don't think the dummy has a damn thing to do with it.

can you not just give it to her to fall asleep with and then take it out once she's gone to sleep? both mine tend to drop their dummies 9/10 nights once they doze off and don't wake looking for them.

DD (2.8) gave hers up voluntarily a few weeks ago. She has woken a few times in the night automatically asking for her dummy. DH just suggested to her that she could suck her thumb to settle when she woke and was upset. It worked. She doesn't suck it in the day but if she wakes she settles herself back with it and I'm sure it comes out within seconds of her being asleep. Just an idea.

my mother gave me a cloth to suck when she took my dummy, i had 3 soft little clothes in rotation til i was about 5.

worth a shot if your dead set on refusing the dummy