How do I get my 3 month old daughter to stop using her dummy?

Question

She is very good generally with it, only really using it when tired, but the problem is she depends on it to fall asleep with, and want her to get out of this habit. She sleeps through the night but tends to wake up and because she cant find her dummy, cant settle herself back to sleep without it, which usually results in me getting up 7 or 8 times in the night. Please Help!?!

Answer 1

I totally had the same problem. My 5 mo. old still wakes up for it (but only about once a night). I told the doc about it and he said it really didn't have anything to do with the pacifier...it was more of a "sleep cycle" thing. She's waking up at the end of her sleep cycle...then fussing because she wants to be soothed back to sleep (with her pacifier). Makes sense, I guess. Either way, it's extremely annoying, I know. Here are my thoughts...

1) She needs to suck SOMETHING at that age. If it's not her pacifier, she's likely to find her thumb...which could give you even MORE problems.

2) In just a little while, she'll know how to put it back in herself...AHH...finally some rest for mommy.

If you can stick it out a while longer, she will learn to put it back in and you won't have to get up. I really wouldn't take it away from her at this young age...like I said, she needs it at the moment.

But, if these ideas don't work for you, then just take it away if you want. Hey...YOU are her mommy...so YOU can make any decision that you think is best. :-)

Answer 2

Is a dummy a paccifier? If so it makes your child feel secure. Why would you want to take it away? I leave my daughters paci near her face when she's asleep. She finds it easily at 4months.
Sucking is perfectly natural and will happen much more often in the next few weeks. It is good for developement and it is believed that use of pacifiers may help to reduce sids.
Leave her be for now. She's just a baby still. As far as getting up several times a night this is normal. Try the no sleep method. Or put in a cd with lullabys. Also a machine that puts out white noise may help. Put her crib at the foot of your bed. It will allow her to feel close but still feel safe. My daughter only wakes once a night now, but she didn't at 3 months.

Answer 3

You are being a bit selfish. I have a 10 week old daughter and she has a dummy (which is a pacifier). But I have been lucky. She has slept through since she was 7 weeks. She sometimes wakes up but it isn't til about 5/6am and most nights she sleeps from 11pm til 8/9am. If your daughter is waking up regularly in the night, chances are she is hungry or dirty, so don't be lazy and try and fob her off with her dummy, deal with the issue at hand.

You should have known when you signed yourself up for parenthood that it involved sleepless nights and a crying baby. If you didn't want her to become dependent on the dummy, you shouldn't of introduced it at all.

It is perfectly normal for babies to 'suckle', whether it is on a dummy, the breast or on a thumb or finger. It helps their development. Babies have a natural sucking reflex so breastfeeding, bottles and dummies are a source of great comfort for them.

Also check out this article comparing the pros and cons of dummies vs. thumb-sucking...

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/baby/dailycare/dummyorthumbexpert/

Answer 4

First off....whats a dummy?? A pacifier? Well, if it is....why need her to stop taking it? Our daughter's doctor said that around a year old is when it is NEEDED to be taken away and not any sooner. At 13 months (we waited an extra month because we had a lot of family problems and we were traveling a lot) we took it away cold turkey. There was 3-4 nights with her waking up and a couple little tantrums during the day and then it was over. We also consulted a children's dentist before deciding how long to let her have it and he said the same thing...and actually said that up to 24 months with it is still not physically damaging to their formation, but more emoitional when you take it away than at 12 months. 3 months is still an infant....they need to be soothed and comforted.

Answer 5

What is a dummy I hope it’s not a doll because babies that age shouldn’t be sleeping with a doll haven’t you heard of SIDS. If its a pacifier then get used to it because my son always loses his and wakes me up and he's 5 months you don’t take it away in till 1 year old, if you don’t want her to have it anymore than you should never of gave it to her. And babies at 3 months shouldn’t be sleeping through the night yet why you are so mad when she wakes you up? She’s a baby you should have known that she would wake you up all babies do. And maybe when she wakes up she might want more than her dummy she may need to eat or be changed so you should really try that, care more about your child then your self she comes first its called being a parent. A lot of parents have to go on 4 hrs of sleep but we don’t care because it’s for our child.

Answer 6

I'm wondering too..is a dummy a pacifier?? If you didn't want a child to depend on a pacifier, why introduce it in the first place?

We, as parents, help these habits form then we decide we dont like it and try to stop it..do you see what I am saying?

I weaned my first child (now 11) off his pacifier when he was 6 months..now my daughter ( 7 1/2 weeks) uses one occassionally, which is good cause she isn't dependant on it...there is nothing wrong with your 3 month old self soothing in this manner, and for you to condemn it now, ugggg...did your 3 month old ask for it to begin with? Take some responsibilty and let your baby be a happy baby... Babies don't need stress!!

Answer 7

Let her be at 3 months she needs the sucking action! If she were 3 yrs old, that would be a problem.
My kids got rid of theirs between 6 and 7 months on their own. some kids it's longer. If she only takes it when she is sleeping, she will most likely give it up when she's ready. You don't want a thumb sucker do you? A thumb sucker is a lot harder to break, as my daughter found out with her first 2 kids the one is 4 and the oldest is 9 and still suck their thumbs. She decided to try the 'binkie'(we call it), with her 3rd. He is 7 months, and only takes it when he is sleeping.
I would let her keep it until she is at least 12 months. She may give it up herself before then.

Answer 8

I am going to take a stab in the dark because I have no idea what a dummy is so I am guessing it is a pacifier. It is funny because I almost wish my daughter had liked them she would scream a lot but refused the "binkie" What I did with bottles to get them off of those is picked a day and threw them all away there was no going back so I suggest the same with the dummy and If I got the definition wrong I apologize.

Answer 9

Please listen to "JaneH" and for goddness sake let her have her pacifier if it is a comfort to her! Children are forced to grow up so fast in our society and if an innocent thing like a pacifier gives her comfort it is certainly not going to hurt her in any way. These precious days of her babyhood will soon be only a memory. Why cause her unnecessary stress and trauma by taking away something that she evidently is using to soothe herself. You may very well cause more problems in the long run by upsetting her. She is not asking you to get up and take care of her in the middle of the night, all she wants is her pacifier. Where is the harm in that? If she is as you say putting her hand up to protect her pacifier then it must be very important to her. Why put yourself in a power struggle with a little 8 month old baby? Has someone given you some poor advice about pacifiers? Perhaps telling you that they are bad for the developing teeth? Some of my babies used them ( I had 5) and I never tried to make them give them up, all of them have beautiful teeth. If this is your first baby maybe you just need to trust yourself a bit more and not listen to what others are telling you. One other thing, are you letting her nurse as long as she wants before you put her to sleep? Maybe she is not getting enough comfort thru sucking and so is trying to make up for it with the pacifier. Have your tried nursing her just before you put her to bed for the night? Even if there is not much milk she will find it a comfort and will "nurse herself to sleep". Wait until she is at least a year old before you start taking away things that she evidently needs and wants. At lest by that time she might have a chance to understand a bit. Eight months old is just too young. Let her be a baby! You are probably doing more harm than good. Good luck and I hope that you decide to let her keep her "dummy" a bit longer. Blessings Lady Trinity~

Answer 10

It is soothing and comforting to her. Why would you want to take it away? My son will be 2 next month and we are down to just nap time now. There is nothing wrong with a 3 month old being "dependent" on the pacifier. It is better than getting up a dozen times to let her sip on a bottle or nurse for a few minutes to fall back asleep.