Hurray the dummy is gone!

[tigwig]

Well a week ago today I eventually decided that my 4 &1/2
yr old didn't really need her dummy! So after asking her if she would like an early extra Christmas present from Santa, which if course she did, we left it out for Santa to take to a special baby!
She cried the 1st night but luckily it was daddy's turn to take her to bed, the 2nd and 3rd nights she whimpered a little and asked for it but the last few nights she's never mentioned it!
How old were your kids when the dummy went and what did you do?

[sara3]

well done you!

my kids had dummies but I took them away when they were about 9 months old.. when they weren't old enough to ask for them back!

I remember my health visitor saying it takes 3 days/nights to cure bad habits.. and she was right :o)

[Velvetee]

Lol, I thought you were saying your 4 and 12 year old both had a dummy.

[upsydaisy]

Well done Tigwig! My boy is 2 and his dummy is virtually welded in his mouth some days. I'm not too bothered about it just yet though - I will remember your method for getting rid of it maybe next xmas when he can be reasoned with!! x

[chattykathy]

I think about 2 is a good age to get rid of the dummy any later and it starts to affect their speech. The other day I saw a little girl about 3 or 4 in Next with her mum, she was chatting away but with a dummy in her mouth. I couldn't understand a word but obviously mum could because she was answering her back. I just thought what a shame for a lovely little girl to be out with a big dummy in her mouth.
I did he santa trick with my girl at just under 2 and she sailed through it. Sooner rather than later I think!

[Solarjunkie]

Round about 18 months the rule became "bedroom only" (occasionally bent the rule during illness etc) so there was no chance of a toddler walking around with it in his mouth.
Then bedtime stories & chats gradually became the bedtime ritual so about a year later it was all but forgotten. The idea was to avoid a confrontation at 4 or 5 and happily it worked both times.

[missrandom]

both of mine were 6 months and we went cold turkey. son was fine, daughter took a few days to a week of crying, until she found her thumb.

[tigwig]

6 months! What was the point of them having one?! You are stuck with the thumb now aren't you!

[missrandom]

it gave me a peaceful 6 months, she was a very sucky baby and iam sure if i hadnt given her a dummy she would have found her thumb anyway. I took the dummies away early as i hate seeing kids speach and teeth affected by dummies. yep we're stuck with the thumb now!

[lozzylou]

i took my boys aged 1 and 2 to the dentist and he told me that the dummy was starting to effect the growth of the older ones teeth so when we got in the car i decided that the dummies were going.i had to do it for the little one too as it wasnt fair for the older one. i tld the boys that the dentist man has there dumies and they didnt moan. when it came to bed time they had a moan so instead i distracted them with reading stories. after day 1 they never asked for them again. i was pretty shocked at how well it went x