Weaning baby off his dummy

[Missjojo]

My little one is 4 months old and becoming more reliant on his dummy for sleeping, so I'm looking for advice on weaning him off it. I'm not in a huge hurry, but I don't want him using it for ages and I want to minimise the drama when it does come time to wean him off it. So wise parents, what advice do you have? And what age is best?

We started using it for the occasional nap, but it's now used at every nap (the easy option I suppose). He doesn't need it when he goes to sleep at night, or after his dream feed. With the dummy he settles easily if we get the timing of his naps right, though he does cry as soon as he goes into his cot, just before he gets his dummy.

I've tried halfheartedly to put him down without it but always give in, which I know isn't helping. He just cries and gets worked up to a scream. So I need a plan....

[Convex]

Hi,

I weaned our baby off when he was 6 months old. I did it because we were getting more reliant on it eg he was crying on the bus, I'd give him the dummy. Not just for naps.

In hindsight I wish I'd done it later, as he hasn't really attached to a comfort object and I wonder if I had introduced a comfort object before getting rid of the dummy then it might have been better?

Anyway. It took a week for him to forget the dummy!

[JessM]

I took my son's dummy away at 8 months. He had a "comfort object" (monkey comforter from JoJo's) already, which might have helped.

Our daughter had her dummy until she was 2: her speech is a bit unclear (she's 3 now) and when her key worker at nursery suggested it might be from having a dummy so long, I threw my son's out as soon as we got home and went cold turkey! He whinged for a few days on going to sleep but it was overall very easy. By the time he was 8 months he was quite mobile so could get his hands to his mouth reliably and grab the comforter or wriggle into a better position, I think if I'd taken it much earlier it might have been harder for him as he had so much less control over himself. Now he does cry a bit when I put him down to sleep but only for a few mins and then he's off. I think the crying isn't a sign of unhappiness, it's just him winding down somehow.

I'd say if you want to get rid, just do it. I now wish we'd taken it from our daughter earlier (speech affected or not) because it's so much less hassle without one! I dreaded it with both of them but it was way easier with a baby than a toddler. With her, even when she wasn't feeding in the night I'd be back in there replacing her dummy several times, with him this isn't an issue.

I found a stray dummy in a cupboard the other day (3 months on from taking them away) and gave it to him to see what he'd do. He gave it a cursory chew and then not a second glance!

I think dummies can be a very helpful thing for a young baby whose only comfort in life is to suck, but once they are older they don't need it so if you take it away soon enough they don't miss it. If you leave it too long it's a psychological prop, but with a baby rather than a toddler they are so much more adaptable.

Good luck whatever you decide.