Calling the dummy-ditching gurus.......

[Teej]

Please help and give me hope
Sam's sleeping has reached new levels of awful-ness! Am up to settle him up to 10 times per night from 2am ish, he doesn't want to be fed, just have his dummy replaced and a little head stroking...i feel like his personal sleep slave and i am started to become ill through lack of sleep. The only thing i can think of to do is get rid of the dummy altogether and hope for the best...can the gurus of dummy ditching give me hope that it works, how long it took, how LO reacted etc?
Am seriously getting to the end of my rope and would be sooo grateful for your success stories

 

[Gem & Leland]

i cant help leland gave up his own dummy at like 3 months !! just wanted to say good luck !

i think corey's mummy just ditched the night time dummy with success

 

[sazzylou]

i could do with getting rid of the dummy too. Iz wakes in the night still, but is never hungry. I think its just because her dummy has fallen out, but every time i got in, it wakes her up a little bit more to where its impossible to settle her How do you stop them having it?? Im scared not to give it to her

 

[CoreysMummy]

I managed it!! The 1st night was hard, but not nearly as bad as I was expecting!!!

Now its 6.30pm til 7am (thismorning it was 7.50) !!

How I did it.

One morning, I took the dummy away, and he did not have it all day - didnt really use it all that much anyway (it was more me, being an awful mum using it to shhhush his constant moaning). So come the night, put to bed at about 7pm as usual. No noise - Nothing, not a whimper... great im thinking, easy work. He woke at about half 9, for a dummy, as he usually did. I went in, stroked him, shhushed him, held his hand, then left him for 5 mins, went back in after 5 mins etc etc, this went on for about 35mins til he fell asleep til 2.30am, woke, and i went in shhushed him and left. Didnt hear from him til 7am Next night was easyer, and so on...

Now, I think I must have been VERY lucky, because it really wasnt hard at all. Apart from listening to him crying for a bit. Knowing that if I just gave him a dummy he would be happy and quiet. But in the long run I knew it was best for him (If his mums not sain then how can he be!!).

I looked into the pick up/put down method, but that was far to confusing for baby I think. Once in bed, they dont need to be messed around being up and down etc. I just left him there and comforted him. (It can be hard to do... and some people do not agree with leaving baby to cry at all... but you do what you need to do).

Any more questions/tips etc, I feel like iv left so much out, please ask!! Feel free to PM any time.

You will have to be strong, but heck, if your getting no sleep anyways, theres no difference if it takes a few nights for LO to adjust!! GO FOR IT!! It can be done, and its not THAT hard honestly.. xx

 

[Sherlock]

If you ditch it before 5 months or so you'll have a day or so where maybe LO is grotty but then he should forget all about it. After this age is when the longer term memory for such things is formed and getting rid of it then could well prove harder.

I'd just go cold turkey tbh. Don't use them from the moment he wakes up. During the day if he needs one to sleep do something different like go for a walk and hopefully he'll fall asleep with the motion of the pushchair. Give him a muslin square to play with in his hands if he needs a sleep. Put the hoover on in the background also.

Bedtime again, start as you mean to go on. If he stirs maybe let him suck on your finger a little or again something to distract (mobile, music or some such) and tough it out for the night.

Our LO hardly uses his anymore. But we purposely didn't ever use it at night to get him to go back off to sleep, so he never misses it anyways.

 

[sazzylou]

thanks for the tips! Think i might try this at the weekend. The main reason im up and down with her in the night is to keep putting that bloody dummy in!! Wish id never given her one I didnt want to , but she was so whingey at bedtimes when she was a newborn that it was the only way to get her off to sleep.

On the plus side, I NEVER let her have it at any other time except sleepy time. She only uses it to get off to sleep. Now if she could get back to sleep without it, maybe I could get some sleep....

 

[Teej]

Dummy update Day/Night 1:
OMG
He slept, we slept, all is well with the world!!!!!!!
No dummy since yesterday morning, Sam was very whingey all day and i kept having to leave shops in town cos of his screaming and not getting what i went for at all. After an awful Sunday night of about 2 hours sleep for me i just felt like death. At bedtime (7.30) there was about 15 minutes of crying during which we just comforted Sam in his cot without picking up or leaving him alone, you could tell he was just frustrated and trying to get to sleep.
My other half did the 10.30pm feed and i went to sleep, and slept, snd slept...woke at 2.30 thinking wow its 2.30 and i haven't been up..next thing i knew it was 4am and Sam was making noises but settled himself! He woke at 5.30 and chatted to his cot friends for a while, i fed him at 6 and he went back to sleep! We woke him at 8!!
I think you could say night 1 was a success although i refuse to believe it wasn't a complete fluke...we'll just have to see what day/night 2 will bring

 

[Teej]

Sazzylou, its definitely worth a try...i've read cold turkey is best and after 3 days/nights they should have forgotten all about it...am hoping anyway.
Goog luck

 

[CoreysMummy]

he he!! I told you!!!

Just like our 1st night, couldnt believe how well it went! Glad things are OK, I hope the sleeping continues!

It can be done. Just gotta give it a try!!

 

[Teej]

Dummy update day/night 2:
Day 2 was good, not too much whinging/crying.
Night 2 again a good night! Cried trying to get to sleep but not half as much as night 1, maybe 10 mins of angry/frustrated rolling about then quite suddenly went to sleep. Made noises at 2 & 3 but settled self, woke at normal time 4am and i had to go in but turns out he was wet through his sleeping bag and everything (maybe to do with the huge 41oz of milk he drank yesterday!) after changing him i managed to get him back off but had to help him get his thimb in his mouth
He then didn't wake til 6.45 This was a really good night for us, am so chuffed and proud i managed not to cave in with the dummy and proud of Sam he's doing so well without it....yaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

 

[CoreysMummy]

Super!! Well done Sam

 

[Teej]

Dummy update day/night 3:
A good day yesterday, and blimey eck a good night AGAIN last night, thats 3 in a row!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sam did not cry at all at bedtime last night and settled with no intervention from us (ie:head stroking) to sleep.
Had to go resettle him at 5am and 5.15 but he then went through til 6.45
I really can't believe it and am now thinking it's not a fluke and dummy ditching is the BEST THING EVER
It's now day 4 and i feel confident enough to actually throw all the dummies away!
Thanks so much for the encouragement (esp. Coreysmummy )

 

[CoreysMummy]

Not a problem Hun!! Just glad I could help!

I hope it continues...

(I still have one of Corey's dummys But I threw the rest away)