Dummy - Help!

Okay so I gave my wee boy (11Days) a dummy to get to sleep in the afternoon - he just seem to be so wired and wanted to suck his hand but of course he can't control them! So it worked really well. Now I don't know what to do, I don't want to use it for every sleep so that he does get to dependant on it, Do I take it out when he gets to sleep? I feel really guilty for some reason that I can't get him to go to sleep without it. So do I let him cry it out when he looses it?    

Edited by NicNOC

We have a dummy for Ella, 5 weeks. We put her down for every sleep without it. If she doesn't sleep we try to resettle her 2 or 3 times. If that still does not work, she gets the dummy. She probably gets it every 2-3 days. Although shedoesnt always take it when it is offered. You could have a go at that. There is no way she is dependent on it, but it does occasionally help when she needs a little help.

We have used a dummy increasingly for the last 2ish months.. Im trying to wean her off it as I dont want her to get dependant on it (got her to go to sleep tonight with out feeding her to sleep or by using the dummy, first time in months!). I recommend taking it out as soon as hes settled so he learns to settle himself for the last part, and try to let him go to sleep by himself first. Have you tried swaddling? It helped a lot when trying to get DD to sleep during the day, and also putting her down happy awake, just before she got tired.. GL!

Edited by Emmi_

Our Evie LOVES her dummy, we joke its crack for babies! Sometimes she wont be settled any other way but with a dummy. She is 3 months now, and my way of weaning her is not giving her the 3-6 month dummies. I try and only give her the newborn ones we started with, and increasingly she just gets fustrated with the little ones and spits them out. My theory is they make her happy and calm, you can teach self settling later. Now that Evie is a bit bigger i might let her cry for a bit, but i always go back to the dummy if she wont settle

R has been using a dummy since about 4 weeks old. hes a comfort sucker and also had bad reflux so it helped him sleep because the swallowing kept it all down.

he still uses it.

tbh i wont really care til hes walking (no other reason than i just personally think that kids who can walk shouldnt need dummies lol. i dont know why)


he uses it about 80% of the time and it without fail always gets spat out during his sleep and he doesnt care. and he can put it back in his own mouth so if he doesnt want it he just doesnt put it back in. i have noticed that he needs it less often now so looks to be self weaning now that he is getting older and more alert and aware and doesnt need it anymore.


personally i dont see the problem. (im not looking for debate. its JMO)

We used a dummy from about 2 weeks onwards and as he got older, around 4 months or so, I found he didn't need it anymore (he probably didn't need it from perhaps even 3 months but just kept giving it out of habit). So yeah, now at 5 months we don't use the dummy at all but god was it a lifesaver in those early weeks!!!! I'll definitely be using it again if I have a sucky baby.

we used a dummy as well because our bubs was such a sucky baby! and sometimes it helped to settle him enough to burp - he'd get worked up every now and again! After having to get up to him about 4 times one night because he couldn't re settle himself we went cold turkey with controlled crying. (he was 3 months old) now the dummy is hardly ever used - used it the other day when driving to Te Puke and he couldn't settle in his car seat - and he sleeps thru the night now (a couple of stirs but puts himself to sleep) becuase he doesn't need us to pat his bum or a dummy to soothe to sleep.

Gosh dont even worry about it If it helps him sleep then I say use the dummy. What ever gets you through!
I agree with mollycat, its just one more thing to get uptight about, when you dont need to.
Its just a dummy, dont feel guilty! If he cries, just pop it back in. Most of the time my kids would spit it out once they were asleep, and if they partly woke and wanted it they would cry, and I never mined having to put it back in.
Both my kids have used dummies, and my 2yr old still has one to go to sleep, though he can go to sleep without it, but for him its comfort, plus his little sister still has one so he would just steal her's lol

But, its totally up to you, if you really really dont want to use a dummy, then I would stop now, as they do get hooked on them and then its tricky to wean them off them, but if you dont mind him settling with one, then go for it, I really think they are life savers!

Do what gets you through. DD had one from day 5 and still has it, although for her its just a comfort thing little toad! She can go to sleep without it and it only took one night for that to happen as she woke every hour because it had fallen out thats when I got hard on her and thought forget this your not having it to sleep.

She went through a stage of not wanting it at all and at one she found it and decided she wanted it again. I only use it when I need to like long car trips when she can't just run around. Now if she finds it she picks it up and walks around with it but if we take it off her she doesn't care.

My theory is a dummy is far easier to remove than a thumb or a finger, I've had a lot of flack re Coopers dummy but for us & him it was a god send. Some babies are really sucky and need them some don't. A didn't have one but C does.

Am thinking of weaning him now, trying to get him off using it during the day. When he sleeps now it is spat out which is a great sign for us.

I'm not going to push him as he's had severe reflux & is only just off meds.

I found a dummy chain great as well cause then they can find the dummy & replace it instead of you.