My daughter is 6yrs old and still has a dummy for bed! will this harm her?

Question

i find i am losing the battle because she lives with her mother and only comes to visit every other weekend.(distance) I had her off the dummy and out of nappies when i had her for a week,now ive just picked her up(reluctantly on her behalf)and she is crying for her dummy at night witch her mother has packed.this little girl is my life so should i give in and let her get rid of it when ready?Away from the sleep times she is happy and does not want to go back once here! so what should i do

Answer 1

Hopefully she will grow out of it - It is probably just her comfort as she is back and forth from both of her parents - The only harm that will come to her is braces in later life - Try to find a substitute for the dummy - Encourage her mum to help her stop as well

Answer 2

turn her mother into children's services....making a child dependent on something like that is a form of abuse....

Answer 3

youre going to have to settle this one with her mother. unfortunately uou cant get her broke of it when you only have her every other weekend and  mom wont support you, theres just no way possible when mom is popping it back in her mouth.

Answer 4

What is a dummy?  Is it a pacifier?

Answer 5

Her teeth might get uneven and shaped weird when she gets  little older. Talk to the mother of the child and tell her about your concerns.

Answer 6

My goodness I would kill your ex wife, I took the dummy off my children before they turned 2, I cant stand to see children older than 3 yrs of age sucking a dummy, its pathetic, tell your ex to get a grip and get your daughter off the dummy, there is no point you doing it if your ex is gonna undo all your hard work

Answer 7

She is maybe a bit too old for a dummy but a technique my mother used was , she said santa took it away :( and it worked , does she believe in santa? just try it she will be amused by her other toys that she will hopefully forget about her dummy . Good luck  talk to your friend your concerned about her daughter she won't mind

Answer 8

Dummys are so bad for the little one's teeth, they will push them forwards and give her buck teeth, you could ask her to leave the dummys out for the dummy fairys, and in its place the dummy fairy will leave a nice pressi.

Answer 9

A dummy? WTF?

Answer 10

A child sucking on their thumb can cause problems with their teeth so I assume this would have the same effect. Should be noted that it doesn't really matter if this effects baby teeth but at 6 years old she will be getting adult teeth and you don't want these to be pushed out of place or it'll be braces later on.

Give her the dummy until you have a chance to talk to her mother about it. It is important that you both discuss this and agree on what to do because if she is with her mother the majority of the time and she lets her have the dummy then you will not stop her wanting the dummy but taking it away every second weekend and you will just come across to her as being mean.

Maybe do some research on the internet before talking to her mother or even speaking to a dentist so you have something to bring to the table. It is important that her mother understands the effect it may have on her teeth but also on her psychologically. If she sleeps over at a friends house and needs a dummy she will likely feel embarrassed or get teased. It may take some strength on your part (and the part of her mother!) to not give her the dummy any more but it is an important part of growing up and by packing the dummy your ex is simply showing that your daughter is the boss of this situation and I don't think it's acceptable.

Answer 11

i know that the only harm it could do, is her front teeth.. having a dummy for a long time pushes them forward and look uneven, apart form that i cant really see the harm so try not 2 worry to much x

Answer 12

what the h**l is a dummy, and why is she 6 and wearing diapers? shes 6 i wouldnt give it to her, that is ridiculous if its a binki, im guessing bc ive never heard of a dummy

Answer 13

I say that if she wants to sleep with the dummy, let her. Her mother is going to let her sleep with it at her house so your trying to fight a battle against an army, since you see her not nearly as much as the mother does. Let her sleep with it for now and then when she grows up in say a year or so maybe call the mother up, and discuss that she needs to put the dummy aside. Either way, your daughter is going to get into the age group soon where they care about what people think and your going to see her put away the dummy by choice.

Answer 14

she needs to be able to grow up and not be dependent on a toy or stuffed animal

it may harm her but it's for the best!

Answer 15

my best friends little sister sucked her thumb and had a dummy tell she was 7.

And now her teeth are pushed forward and has a gap in them.

so i would personally speak to the mother about it telling her about the consequences.

Answer 16

Yes, she is way to old for her Dummy, I had my son at the dentist when he was a year and a half and was told to try and get rid of the dummy as it was already pushing his teeth forward.  Although its not that easy i know, he' 3 now and ive managed to phase it out completely now. But your ex isnt doing your little one any favours, ive never heard of a 6yr old child having a dummy, if only she would take a leaf out of your book.

Answer 17

well sounds like she has issues in the first place... prolly cause of you... the "dummy" is a comfort thing for her... lots of kids have them and as long as she needs it to feel comfortable she should have it you are a bad wicked dad for taking it away

Answer 18

Since she only goes to your house every other weekend, I say let her keep it until she's ready.  This is security from a place she's at majority of the time.  If it were a pacifier or sippy cup or something ridiculous for a 6 yr old, I'd fight it....but not a doll.

Good luck!

Answer 19

No it won't do a thing at all. My daughter slept with a toy and a night light until she was 11 and she decided then that she was ready to give it up and she's perfectly fine. If it makes her happy, then just let her keep it until she's ready to give it up! She'll know when she's ready to let go.

Answer 20

this is embarrasing but my  cousin drank from a milk bottle till she was 9 , lol. I dont think it will harm her , but i think it makes you get a gap in your teeth , but that gets sorted after a while.

Answer 21

Well, unfortunately, you're just agonizing her because her mother will give it right back to her as soon as she returns home... so why put her through that, ya know?  I would really sit down with both your daughter and her mother and explain the cons of having it still.. It wont be good for her dentist bill later in life... Maybe if you can convince your daughter that she doesnt need it, or at least convince the mother..... but until her mother is willing to stop with it, you're just wasting your time.

Answer 22

what is a dummy?   a doll?

if it is just at night that she wants it.. go ahead and give it too her...

or perhaps go with her and buy one for her to keep at your house...

if a dummy is a doll, its okay, if its not, I don't know what to say..

Answer 23

Try swapping dummy for a teddy bear at night. Failing that tell the mother she is creating a problem in later life for your daughter, by trying to keep your daughter as a baby. Remind her YOU are just as much a part of bringing her up as she is. At the end of the day it's about what is good for your daughter and not what is good for the parent.

Answer 24

I'm assuming the "dummy" is a pacifier which is ridiculous for a child to have at six years old..sorry...First of all she'll ruin her teeth and second of all....that dummy may be a comfort mechanism for something she's going through in her little young life..her parents are obviously apart..have you two ever discovered how this has impacted her? I would definitely try to partner up with mom and see how you two can work together to start the weening process...my daughter was off of her pacifier by 2 1/2 and although every child is different six years old is definitely too old..best of luck with this

Answer 25

i would take the dumy away adn tell her she is too old for it, if you want buy her a nice teddy for comfort..i think you are just letting her get her own way andshe knows it and is using that to get what she wants.

seems like your close to her so just reasure her you are there for her and that you love her.

if you continue to let her get her own way then you will find her harder to deal with as she gets older you really need to put your foot down now. i am not saying be nasty just let her know your in charge and that you are not going anywhere..she may feel that she sould lose one of you as you are not together? ..good luck kids are hard nowadays as it is..

Answer 26

You and her mom need to get on the same page as far as raising your daughter. The constant difference is what will harm her in the end.  

Answer 27

If her mother isn't supporting your stance when she has her then there really is so point in you attempting to stop the dummy.

Six is pushing it though, she'll be wanting to stay at friends and things before you know it, and the dummy will hinder her socially. It can also cause dental problems.

I suggest talking to her mum and trying to get her support in this, or it's a battle you'll never win.

Answer 28

yes this will in time, using a dummy can stop a child from learning to speak, it could make the child become very shy, also it damages the front two teeth as suckin all the time will bring the teeth back, of course its goin to be hard weaning a child off 1 but it will be worse late in life trust.