Weaning off a dummy

[Kylie1007]

Finn had his 8 month check with the health visitor today and all is great and he's right on track. I asked her the best way to wean off a dummy and she said to go cold turkey and just throw them away. The few days following will be hell but that's all I need to do.

Has anyone done this and just how hellish was it?

 

[SarahH]

Not done it with a dummy as Arianna never had one, but she used her bottle as a comforter, I am trying to cold turkey with it just now and just give her her milk from a cup.

She'll drink her water from a cup no probs, but not her milk!!! Oh the fun it has been, especially at night time.

The poor mite last night ended up sobbing to sleep as she wanted her bottle.... it is hard but I am sure it will be worth it in the end

 

[daftscotslass]

Wish I could help but mine has ditched her dummy in favour of her entire fist.

Could you just forget to give him it a couple of times, see how that goes and then perhaps go cold turkey?

 

[Sherlock]

Usually before 4-5 months is when babies can go cold turkey so to speak and not remember. So throwing away a dummy before that age is the best time. 24 hours and done usually. We plan on doing this with our LO before he has memory of it so to speak.

Once a bit older it can be traumatic to take it away. But it can be done.

Look at when your LO uses/needs it. If its when at home only, then plan a few days where you go out. And leave it behind. Before you go out, make sure you put all the dummies out of sight so when you return home, your LO won't just see one and want it. If he fusses and needs it then find a distraction. Eek out as long as you can before giving it to him. And repeat next day and so on.

Each time eek out longer and longer.

Or just eek out time if at home. Put them away if left out. If not in sight find distractions etc.

Or else do as HV said, go cold turkey and tough it out.

 

[Redshoes]

Isaac still has a dummy, he was late taking it in the first place at 5months, but I personally wouldn't choose cold turkey, but that's just me I would consider only using it for bedtime/sleeptime, as Isaac spits his out whilst asleep anyway, don't see it as something that will cause any lasting physical problems as he could move to a thumb anyway Good luck with it though, but I wouldn't feel pressured to feel if its not taken away he's not on track so to speak

 

[Lola's Mummy]

I have no idea as DD gave hers up on her own at about 4 months. I used to have a dummy though when i was a child and my parents had to go cold turkey with me

Good luck

 

[lisa&alex]

charlotte went cold turkey at 3..(only for bed time use after 1 and half) i dont thinko they understand it before then why you are taking it away.. i dont like to see toddlers walking around with bottles and dummys.. but if it helps to comfort them then i dont see any big deal if they jsut use it for bed..

 

[muppetmummy]

Just don't leave it until she's a toddler!! James still had his at 2 for daytime, 3 for bed and there was a huge tantrum everytime he lost it. I think after about 6 months the dummy is more trouble than good as James would scream if he lost it until a new one appeared. I just had to throw it away in the end, I think he forgot about it after a few days.
Luckily Logan isn't into dummys, don't fancy going through that again!

Good luck!

 

[Kylie1007]

Not done it with a dummy as Arianna never had one, but she used her bottle as a comforter, I am trying to cold turkey with it just now and just give her her milk from a cup.

She'll drink her water from a cup no probs, but not her milk!!! Oh the fun it has been, especially at night time.

The poor mite last night ended up sobbing to sleep as she wanted her bottle.... it is hard but I am sure it will be worth it in the end

Poor Arianna! Actually the HV mentioned the same thing about bottles as she did about dummies - go cold turkey - throw them out rather than keeping them in a cupboard. I can't get Finn to drink from a beaker very easily as he would only drink water out of a bottle but I have found the Tommy Tippee Nuby Cup which has a soft spout and is a cross between a bottle and a beaker - it has a spout but it's soft like a bottle teat. I guess Ariannas too old for that now is she?

 

[x-kirsty-x]

Josh had his til he was 3

We never planned to give Ryan one but when he was born the hospital gave him one to help him with his sucking reflex as he was struggling. Ever since then he's had one

He only has it at nap and bed time now, although today they've all just vanised (in other words he's hidden them all ) and I can't find one ANYWHERE so I think I'm gonna use this as a starting point to see how he gets on without it.

His Daddy will give in before I do

 

[Kylie1007]

I think we'll choose a weekend whn his Dad has got the whole weekend off so that he can share the experience!!! I'd like him to have got rid of it by 1 though - I think it looks awful seeing toddlers with one.

 

[mrs_tommo22]

Oh dont my bug still has one and not planning on weaning her off it at the mo, it helps her sleep and helps with Teething, Stephen only used his for a few months and that was it!

 

[x-kirsty-x]

Ryan usually has his nap at 10am, but because we couldn't find his dummy he stayed awake til 1pm, and that's only after I'd searched the house and finally found it in the bathroom

I don't think I'm ready to take it off him just yet

 

[Kylie1007]

I don't think I'm ready to take it off him just yet

Perhaps we should have a PF cold turkey dummy weekend - maybe it wont be so horrendous if we do it en masse!

 

[Tangerinedream]

we are lucky as Jake lost interest in his at about 7 months old so we just chucked them out and asked nursery to stop giving him one

 

[jennywren]

my HV said to stop it during the day (cold turkey) and just give him it at nights for a while then cold turkey it at nights as well, said might have a few nights of crying and have to do the CC type thing but then will forget all about it!

Oran doesnt notice if he takes his out and I hide it, he will happily play all day without it or untill he is tired but if I let him have it he has it ALL DAY. He hides them from us though, and if I take it off him and he is fine for half hour, then he toddles off and comes back with one in. when I think Ive got them all he pulls out another one from some random place, no idea how he remembers where he has hidden them all!

 

[Strangeness]

I just used to give Aaron his for naptimes from the age of 1 and a half and then I stopped him having that when he started biting holes in the dummies. I used to buy him new ones but it got so expensive that I bit the bullet and just told him he couldn't have anymore because he broke them and I put it in the bin in front of him. He just seemed to accept it and we never had any tantrums!

 

[rusks]

luke has his at night and naps never during the day unless the grandparents or childminder do it and i don't know.

was planning to make sure all his teeth came through and then take it away(cold turkey) - only 8 more to go!!

he tends to use it to go to sleep and then when i check on him he never has it and it usually on the floor, but in the morning it tends to give us an extra few hours as he can use it (if not on the floor) to get himself back to sleep.

 

[X5OT]

Jenna has hers for naps and night time only (when she's in her cot). If we are in the car or out walking she falls alseep without it. She uses it to get to sleep and then tends to spit it out / it falls out and she stays asleep. She can get herself back to sleep without it sometimes, but usually needs it if she is tired and grizzly. She can retreive it herself if it's in the cot, but if it has fallen on the floor then she 'calls' us! Although never during the night - usually about 5am, then she sleeps again until about 6:30am. I have also been thinking about the best way of weaning her off it, but she is starting nursery part-time mid Sept so I may wait until after she has settled in there. I think we will go cold-turkey and grin & bear it - starting on a Friday night so hopefully by the Monday we'll be done!

 

[daftscotslass]

I just used to give Aaron his for naptimes from the age of 1 and a half and then I stopped him having that when he started biting holes in the dummies. I used to buy him new ones but it got so expensive that I bit the bullet and just told him he couldn't have anymore because he broke them and I put it in the bin in front of him. He just seemed to accept it and we never had any tantrums!

This is exactly what happened with my nephew. SIL simply told him that if he bit through another he wasn't getting any more. He was (and still is) obsessed with bin men so that certainly helped and they made a bit of a ceremony of chucking the last one out!