How to un-attach baby from dummy?

Question

My daughters now nearly 7 1/2 months old and is addicted to her dummy, she can not get to sleep during the day or at bedtime without it...Also when shes upset she likes is...

Does anyone have some good tips to wean her off of it...I don't want her to have a dummy when shes toddling around (just a personal preference)

Thanks...

Answer 1

if shes happy let her be

Answer 2

Is a dummy like a lovey?  If that's the case, I would just let her keep it.  Children like to have objects around like that to make them feel secure.  She will grow out of it when she's ready.

Answer 3

Obviously the biggest mistake was to give her one in the first place. Ok so I've had my dig now down to the remedy.

This may sound harsh but the quickest way is to take it off her and throw it away. Yes she will cry, scream, throw tantrums and drive you up the wall. But she will wear herself out eventually and fall asleep and by that time you will probably have a head ache and not be able to sleep - god life is tough.

Another method which may be taken to be cruel is to paint the dummy with that stuff that is supposed to make you stop biting nails - you know the real nasty tasting stuff. That is not guaranteed to work, we used it on our son to stop nail biting and he actually liked the taste and licked it off.

Whatever you decide, good luck and if there is another child in the pipeline don't give it a dummy.

Answer 4

You can shift her attachment to something else, but all children that age have a need to suck and a need for attachment.

http://www.drgreene.org/body.cfm?id=21&a...

Which children keep sucking their thumbs?

Many parents are concerned that thumb sucking at a late age is a sign of emotional immaturity or lack of self-confidence. When investigators have looked at late thumb suckers for common traits, they found only one thing in common that distinguished them from other children -- a prolonged history of a strong battle with thumb sucking at an earlier age. It is striking that many well-meaning parents have actually encouraged thumb sucking by trying to forcibly take the thumb out of their children's mouths.

http://www.kathydettwyler.org/detthumb.h...

I think it is clear that human children have sucking instincts that can persist until 7 or 8 years of age, or even longer, and must meet those needs somehow -- through thumb, finger, or pacifier, if not allowed to meet them at the breast. But I also think that meeting those needs at the breast is the "normal/natural" context or situation, and involves not just lowering the heart rate/blood pressure, but also the transfer of nutrients and immunities, as well as helping the child with thermoregulation from being in contact with its mother's body. It may be that thumb/finger/pacifier sucking "tricks" the child into being "pacified" for the time being, even to the extent of reducing the time spent at the breast. That doesn't mean it is good for the child. In fact, finger and thumb sucking often lead to orthodontic problems. In the U.S. orthodontists even have evil-looking devices they will install in a child's mouth to make it painful for the child to continue sucking their thumb/fingers, in order to break them of this habit. If the child were allowed to meet those sucking needs at the breast, it wouldn't lead to orthodontic problems (in fact, just the opposite, with less orthodontic problems in long-term breastfed kids).

Any time you force the child to rely on their own resources prematurely, you must expect deleterious consequences. When the child's needs are met through person-to-person interaction with its mother, you establish the primacy of social contact, and the interdependence of human beings, rather than encouraging/forcing the child to meet its needs by itself.  

Answer 5

Our daughter was totally addicted to her dummy and still had it at 2!! On her birthday we told her the "dummy fairy" was going to come in the night and take her dummies away, and leave her a bike!! She woke up in the morning and was so thrilled with the bike she forgot all about the dummy, and has been dummy free since!!

Answer 6

she still a baby tho and its comforting to her...i thought uw as gonna say she is 2 not 7 1/2 months...my daughter is coming upto 6months and she always her dummy when she goes sleepa nd likrs to take it out and hold it...I wouldn't take it off her until she walking and talkin and understands that she doesn't need her dummy

Answer 7

she is still young, my girl is 1 and she used to be like that. she can take or leave her dummy now. dont make a big fuss of removing it and if she fusses for it, try to distract her for a little while so she forgets about it then give her it when she starts fussing again. she will eventually drop it on her own.

Answer 8

I would leave it for a while.  She still only a baby and it comforts her.  Having said that, if you don't want her to have it when you are out and about, just give it to her at nap time and bed time. She will get over not having it the rest of the time - my daughter stopped having hers in the day a few weeks ago.  She used to whinge for it but I found that she could be distracted with a toy (or our cat, lol!). She only has it for sleeping now and I figure that's OK for a while.  I would rather she had a dummy than her thumb as you can't throw a thumb away!!