Weaning from a dummy

[SophiaLS]

Hi everyone,

This is my first ever post so please, be gentle :)

I have an adorable baby boy (2nd baby) who is 7 weeks old today. In most respects he's fabulous but I made the mistake (?) of using a dummy to soothe him just over a week ago.

It worked like a charm but now I find, surprise surprise, that he will hardly ever go to sleep without it. This would be fine but of course every time it falls out of his mouth he wakes up and yells until it's put back in.

Does anyone have any advice on weaning a little one from using a dummy? I'm trying the cold turkey approach today and my ears are suffering!

Also, I have a toddler who sleeps next door to his room and she's a pretty light sleeper at the best of times. I'm worried that his yowling will wake her up in the night too...

Thanks for any help / support xxx

[wifeymerrick]

He will really quickly discover how to pop it back in, I always put a couple in beside my wee guy, u can buy light up handled ones.....I really don't see the issue with a dummy tests used in moderation....we went cold turkey at 2.5 and it worked a treat x

[kdiddy]

tbh I think 7 weeks is pretty young to start weaning babies off anything. DS is 10mo and still has a dummy for sleep although things got a lot easier once he could find it himself when it fell out. I do remember the phase you are in, but we persevered because it helped him settle to sleep so much. What seemed to help was removing the dummy once he'd fallen asleep so he learned not to panic if he awoke and it wasn't there.

[ReinDearPrudence]

My advice would be to let him keep the dummy.

[Sirzy]

he is only little, let him keep the dummy if it is a comfort for it.

DS was 3 last month and dropped the dummy then without a problem (he only had it at night time anyway)

[ridinglilli]

My dd had a dummy from an early age, I didn't intend her to have one until she was fighting fighting fighting sleep and there was a free one in with the box of bottles which we had bought before she was born. In went dummy and within a minute she was asleep. She had it until her 3rd birthday after that .... as my aunt said you can take away a dummy, you can't take away a thumb. Quite early on she learnt to put back in when it fell out, but often it would stay out until she woke up when she would find it on her own and put it back in
We started trying to wean her off at around 2.5 and she would not be allowed it at nursery or when she was out and about, but after a lot of 'big girls don't have dummies' and 'when you are 3 you will be a big girl' she gave it up on her 3rd birthday without a second glance.
I would leave trying to wean off dummy, in time your son will learn to put his dummy back in when it falls out ... I would leave one in the bed with him for him to be able to.

[Bearwantsmore]

I've just got rid of it at 7 months. I'd use it fir a bit longer if I were you!

[brettgirl2]

Yes chill both mine had dummies. Dd1 had it until 17 months and I am currently weaning dd2 off it at 11 months. I do think its best not to leave it too late but 7 weeks deffo too early.

I dont understand the hysteria around dummies. Little babies like them so let them have one if it helps them settle. Dont let your 3 year old take one to soft play, its just common sense really.

[ThePippy]

I agree with the others, dummy's give babies comfort and while there are lots of uses that are inappropriate or excessive, if you only allow them in the cot/bed (or maybe when ill at other times) then they aren't so terrible. My DD loved hers but gave it up willingly at 2yrs as part of a swap for a dolly deal in a shop (had prepared the till assistant in advance) and she never looked back. When her baby brother arrived a few months later and we introduced a dummy I wondered if we would have problems, but we didn't and it was like she had totally forgotten that she'd even had one and was very much of the "they are for babies" mindset which at 2.5yrs is a terrible insult ;-)

[brettgirl2]

We are now 2.5 days dummy free with 11 month old, no fuss at all. I think that our dummy days are over .