Dummies - how do you use them?

Beccy · Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 6:26 am Post subject: Dummies - how do you use them?

Well Henry stIll hasn't found his thumb yet, a couple of times by accident but no more. In the night I often hear when he wakes he sucks his hands and then gets frustrated and cry, but offer him my boob and he isn't really interested in eating much and just uses it to fall asleep. When do they find their thumbs?

So last couple of days have been using a dummy for naps which has been great, no screaming and generally settles quickly. (still won't sleep for long but hey ho can't have it all!) so I was wondering what the best way of using them is.

Do you cuddle them with the dummy in first, or put them straight in cot with dummy in. Do you leave it in or take it out when asleep? And do you put it back in during the night if they wake? I just don't want to get him in go bad habits so want to start as we mean to go on!

My tactc has been a little cuddle with the dummy in and then down in cot. He sometimes spits it out when he has finished sucking and stays asleep, but sometimes not and on those occaisions I have been taking it out. The one I am really stuck with is whether to put it back in when he wakes in the night.

I am also worried if giving him the dummy will prevent him from learning to self settle?
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LisaB · Teachers Pet Joined: 09 Mar 2007 Posts: 2516

Hummm tough one. We're having the same dilema with Thomas. Elizabeth had one but then became a real addict to hers. We ended up having to go to her in the night lots when she had lost it.

With Thomas we have tried him with one but he's not right sure. He takes it better in the day in his car seat and pram. I don't really want him to have it in the night as he does self settle pretty well and don't want to spoil that. However, when he's screaming in the night then i have tried to give him it although most of the time it winds him up even more!!
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Lyns · Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 10:22 am Post subject:

Lou's had a dummy from early on and we've been lucky that she uses it to settle then when she falls asleep it falls out and she doesn't mind. I know that when she wakes she goes back much easier if I put her dummy in. Lou's always had a cuddle with her dummy in and then into her cot.
As for self settling we ended up having to do Controlled Crying at about 10 months but she always still used her dummy and it really helped. (Plus now she has 2/3 dummys in her cot andif she wakes up she finds one of them - pops it in and off she goes again - which is soo cute!)
Plus she only uses it for sleeps x
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tracylea · Emerald Poster Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 3208

Noah has a dummy sometimes, he isnt a massive user of it and can sometimes go a few days without it,
ut the days he does seem to need it for whatever reasons, I leave it until he spits it out,
I am also begining to think he wakes in th night fr it, because he doesnt seem interested in feeeding either he just uses me to fall back to sleep,
He has found his thumb a few times and sucks on it quite hard!!!!
But thumbs arent always the best solution, you can throw a dummy away you cant throw a thumb away!!!!!!
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EmJ · Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 2:36 pm Post subject:

Lou · Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 7:19 pm Post subject:

I think kids either wants thumbs or they don't!

none of mine do but then i've also go rid of a dummy quite quickly!

With Emma we took hers away at 20 months - we said the fairies came and she was happy!

Ryan's went at 7months purely cos he drove us mad and didn't really want it!

George has a dummy now but only to settle off with!

Ryan now incidently chews muslin!!!! (that's how he falls asleep in bed!)
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shona · Emerald Poster Joined: 06 Mar 2007 Posts: 3800

Both of mine had dummies

At 11wks Olivia dropped hers as she found her fingers to suck. She still sucks them now as much as we try and stop her doing it

Hannah had a dummy but we stopped it at 16wks as we were up 10times a night putting it back in. I think she found her thumb about 17wks, it was certainly very soon after we stopped the dummy

hth
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