How to effectively DITCH THE DUMMY!

Do you regularly play 'hunt the dummy'?

How to effectively DITCH THE DUMMY!

Firstly, it’s important to consider the pros and cons of dummies and your reasons for ‘ditching’ the dummy.

Dummies are recommended (after breastfeeding is established around 4 weeks old) up until between 6 and 12 months.

In my personal experience, having a dummy was beginning to hinder sleep as every night was becoming a game of ‘hunt the dummy’ whenever it fell out overnight. Although it was a great soother (particularly in the evenings), my daughter was never extremely dependent on her dummy therefore I decided it was becoming much more of a hindrance than a benefit and decided to use the cold turkey method.

It’s worth noting the many pros and make an informed decision based on your little person’s needs.

• Babies have a natural sucking reflex and dummies help to satisfy that.

• Dummies are recommended by The Lullaby Trust as they reduce a baby’s risk of SIDS.

• Dummies are effective in reducing the symptoms of reflux.

• If travelling on a plane with a baby, sucking on a dummy can help to equalise ear pressure.

If you have weighed up the pros and cons of dummy use and decided that ‘it’s time’ then here are a few methods worth considering to successfully ditch the dummy.

Cold Turkey

The speediest approach is simply to go cold turkey on the dummy and remove it completely. This approach is most successful for those babies who have not had a dummy for very long or who are not heavily dependent on one. For those who are, it can be more challenging to settle them for naps and at night time for a while as they will continue to look for their dummy.

Gentle Extraction

If your little one depends on a dummy to comfort suck and fall asleep then a gentle method of extraction JUST before they fall asleep can help them to learn to get to sleep without sucking. Let your little one have a brief suck of their dummy but gently pull it out of their mouth BEFORE they fall asleep. If they waken and get upset, allow them to comfort suck for a short time but remove again before falling asleep and continue this routine.

Dummy Fairy & other lovely stories

For older babies or toddlers, the dummy fairy can be great incentive for them to give up the dummy. Explaining to your little one that the dummy fairy will come and collect all their dummies and give them a sticker/letter/toy as a reward can be a really simple way of saying goodbye to the dummy.

Restricted Times

Gradually reducing the time your baby is allowed the dummy is another straightforward method to eventually getting rid of it altogether.

The key to all the methods mentioned is CONSISTENCY!

Let us know what has worked for you (and what dummy stories you have told your little one in order to convince them to say goodbye to their dummy).