Dummy Mystery

[Wookie1]

My DS is 4 months old and we have only really used the dummy as a wind down before sleep and have never put him to sleep with it.

Last week he wasn't interested in it at all, which made me cheer, as I didn't want him to get attached to it.

This week however, he has had trouble self settling so I have resorted to giving him the dummy and he is out in 5 minutes and I've just resettled him using it. We did change to a sleeping bag last week but I thought he was going well.

I don't really want to encourage it, but I also don't fancy battling at sleep time either.

Any tips, thoughts or ideas. :confused:

Ta

[elleandsam]

We use the dummy as a last resort. We go in and pat her until she's calm and then leave the room, when she gets upset again we pat again, the third time we get her out and give her a cuddle until she's calm and then put her back down awake, if she still needs settling THEN we give her the dummy and she's instantly asleep. So in reality it's only the afternoon sleep when she needs the dummy, as most other sleeps she goes down on her own or after a little bit of reassurance.

At this age, I don't think dummy dependance is really an issue.

[lou333]

We use the dummy if DD is overtired or difficult to settle only, and she doesn't seem dependent on it (she's 20 weeks). I guess you have to consider what your reasons are for not using a dummy and how strongly you feel about it. I used a dummy with DD1 and am trying to avoid it the 2nd time around only because we went thru a few months of having to put it back in 6+ times a night. But before and after that, I found the dummy really helpful for sleep and "emergency situations" if we were out. I never let her have it to suck on during the day. You can always get rid of it with a few difficult nights if you have to. I think do what you have to to get bub to sleep in the first year or so - dummies aren't as terrible as some CHN's etc seem to think they are!

Also - someone on bubhub gave me this link to the Wonder Weeks - it might help explain why your bub is a more difficult to settle atm if he's around 17-19 weeks (I've found my DD's patterns do correspond with this).

http://www.livingcontrolsystems.com/wonder_weeks/content_ww.html#ch03

[Wookie1]

Thanks, to you both. The wonder weeks are interesting, I've looked at them before and found them helpful.

The dummy today has been useful to stop him whinging and allowed him to play more happily - weird??

Anyway, we will see how things go, haven't needed it for sleep today. But who knows tomorrow. :)

[singa06]

My DS also needs the dummy 'sometimes!'. It depends on his mood and how tired he is etc.
DS's dummy usually falls out of his mouth once he reaches deep sleep and sleeps without it for a few hours (in the night) before waking (for a feed or re-settle).
Is this common with most of you?

[elleandsam]

My DS also needs the dummy 'sometimes!'. It depends on his mood and how tired he is etc.
DS's dummy usually falls out of his mouth once he reaches deep sleep and sleeps without it for a few hours (in the night) before waking (for a feed or re-settle).
Is this common with most of you?

Yes although she doesn't normally need a resettle during the night, she just wakes for feeds.

[Wookie1]

At the moment I haven't put him to sleep with the dummy longer then 5 minutes, so we haven't had the dummy falling out problem.

[singa06]

Yes although she doesn't normally need a resettle during the night, she just wakes for feeds.

Well he might wake for a feed, but I am cheeky and put the dummy in and get an extra 30min to 2 hours out of him! The nurse said it was ok to do that to try and extend his feeds out. :o

[elleandsam]

I find if I feed her when she wakes she falls asleep much easier then if I resettle.

[singa06]

It doesnt take me long to resettle, go in, pop the dummy in, walk out and he is asleep, then wakes 30min - 2 hours later for a feed. If I get 2 hours, bonus!