Reintroducing a dummy?

[Lovage]

DS2 (9mo) always had a dummy to go to sleep (not at other times) until he was about 6 months old. He's a bad sleeper (wakes 4-5 times a night) so I decided to try weaning him off that, in the hope he'd learn to settle himself without the dummy, which he'd always lost.

It was easier than I expected - about 3 days of some crying while I stayed in the room with him saying 'shhh' etc. and then he started being able to settle himself, if I judged nap times right (still bf him whenever he woke in the night). I thought his sleep got a bit better, but I'm not sure through the haze of sleep deprivation.

Through a combination of being away on hols, heatwave, illness and worry he was day weaning himself, I started bfing him to sleep every nap. Now he won't sleep any other way, or not without more crying than I think is tolerable.

I'm wondering about reintroducing the dummy (again, just for naps). He's old enough now that I think he might be able to find it for himself in the night, especially if I tied it to his lovey. Especially as he is still sleeping in a hammock but will soon be too big for it, and the transition to the cot is going to be world of woe. It feels to me as if the dummy might make it possible for him to self settle in the cot.

Whar do you reckon?

No words of wisdom?

I reckon you'll be lucky if he'll take it but it's worth a try.

Good point! Oh dear. Still dithering.

Try it - you've got nothing to lose.

By 9mo, DS was fine finding a dummy, especially if I put three in the cot with him (1 in the mouth and one in each hand).

He's 18mo now, and dummies are a lifesaver, especially when he's ill. He knows they stay in the cot/bed, and will collect them up and put them there before bedtime.

Thanks Naetha, you've just answered my next question! (What age they start being able to find them again)

What i fear I'm losing is what little ability he has to settle himself back to sleep without props that he might lose, which might mean me having to go in even more than I do at the moment. Weaning him off the dummy did coincide with him going from waking every 2 hours, to every 3-4 but that might have been coincidence.

How did you wean him off his dummy, I am just becoming so sleep deprived and finding it all so hard so I'm having little cries here and there.

As a newborn, he did waking every three hours. Now at 4 1/2 months, he just always seems to wake up, sometimes its with wind, other times I don't understand the reason, he goes to sleep with a dummy and has it throughout the day. He won't go to sleep without his dummy so I am assuming he is dependant as if he wakes up I need it for him to go back to sleep. He must be knackered also, not sleeping for more than an hour at a time. I'm not sure how to wean him off, sorry if this is garbled.

Some people just throw the dummies out and put up with the screaming, but I did a very gradual approach - took it out as he was nearly asleep and then each time less sleepy. He did cry a bit, but I did PU/PD and saying 'sh sh sh' etc. and he got the hang of it much quicker than I expected.

Now I can't get him to take a dummy again and I can't get him to settle anyway but bfing to deep sleep. You can't win!

Sorry things are so rough. Sleep deprivation really sucks (and I say this having had it for 3 years now...)