Sleeping and Dummies

[Ondine]

Hi!

My daughter Kelsie is now four-and-a-half months old. We had a rough time with her and sleep in the beginning (it was not uncommon to find Kelsie and I on the couch crying at 3am)! At about 7 weeks, she started sleeping through every few nights. That was great! And at about 10 weeks she started sleeping through every night, for anywhere between 12 - 14 hours at a time. That was FANTASTIC! I actually felt human again and could handle anything and everything she threw at me during the day! Now, Kelsie has had a dummy since she was about 1 week old. We only ever used it to help her drift off the dream land, and I would take it out of her mouth as soon as she was asleep.

About 3 weeks ago, Kelsie and I both had the flu. Kelsie's developed into a bad case of croup. Since she has been sick, she is waking 5 or 6 times a night. She will sleep from about 8pm until about 3am, then wake hourly (or less) wanting the dummy back. She never wakes wanting a feed, only for me to put that damn dummy back in! Consequently, I am once again exhausted and unfortunately finding myself resentful toward both Kelsie and my fiance` (How dare they get a full night sleep)!

I have heard that babies that use dummies start to wake between cycles as they get older. I would love to stop giving the dummy, but all I seem to end up with when I try to take it away is a screaming baby who won't settle without her dummy. Of course, I succomb to her and give it back, because I cannot stand to hear her crying! Has anyone got any suggestions as to how to wean her of the dummy with fewer tears???

Thanks,
Ondine

[talon]

I just had to say that I am having exactly the same problem as you are at the moment. DS has had a dummy since he was about 1 week old and he loves it! I have weaned him back to just having it at sleep times and he drops it during the night and will wake up at some point and figure out he can't reach it and won't go back to sleep without it! So I am also up numerous times during the night to put his dummy back in.

The nurse at my post-natal clinic told me to encourage him to suck his thumb instead, but I figure at least I can take a dummy off him. If I get him into the habit of sucking his thumb I can't chop it off and refuse to give it to him! LOL.

Anyway, heres hoping someone to help the two of us!

[Rell]

Both my kids used dummies and I can't say I had a problem with them waking between cycles. Jacinta was a good sleeper and used her dummy to sleep with until she was 2 1/2. Nathan has been a difficult sleeper and is only now(9mths) sleeping through, although I have to get up about twice a night to give him his dummy. It does get easyer they will learn to put the dummy back in themself. In the middle of the night I find it much easyer to put the dummy in and walk out rather than have hours of screaming (which leaves me emotionaly and phisicaly exasted)
If you do want to get rid of the dummy hopefully someone will come up with a good sugestion (bribing with chocolate wont work for a 4 1/2mth old)
Good luck

[Audrey]

I found that placing 3 dummies in the cot improved the chances of my little one finding one dummy and putting it in his own mouth. Of course the negative side, is that at 2yo he still insists on having 3 dummies when he goes to bed. I hate to admit it, but I have found him with up to 9 dummies at one time. My sister's little boy also carried around several dummies and willingly gave them up when he was three, so I am hoping this will work for me. Anything that helps us to get a better night's sleep is worth it!

Good luck!

Audrey

[jarrahsmumma]

my friends son (19 months) has always had a dummy for bed, the other day he bit it and he didn't like sucking it, so they said goodbye to the dummy and then hell broke loose. he wouldn't resettle at night, she was going crazy.... then in 5 days he was fine sleeping through (when previously waking for his lost dummy at night). hope this is some help.

peace
natalie