When it comes to development, every wee one is unique.
Some bairns breastfeed longer than others, while others take their time learning to crawl, and a few just can’t part with their beloved dummy. The latter often worries parents.
However, if you’re fretting over your baby or toddler’s attachment to their pacifier, a health visitor has shared a simple trick that could help them let go.
Ruth Watts, known for her viral parenting videos, suggests a solution. She explains that usually, it means you need to break a sleep association or find a way for them to learn to self-soothe without a dummy.
In an easy-to-understand video on TikTok, she says: “It provides comfort, and a lot of babies or toddlers use it to fall asleep. The ideal age to get rid of the dummy is between four and six months.
“Now the likelihood of getting one to get rid of the dummy around this age is that they’re likely spitting it out in the night, it’s causing you to wake up, you’re having to find the dummy and put it back in their mouth.
“At this point is when I say to parents ‘you’re already waking up in the night, so what is the harm of a couple of bad nights of sleep where they forget the dummy quite quickly and easily?’ This is the easiest age get them to do that.”
Parents are being offered advice on alternatives to dummies, with an emphasis that cribs should be clear of items until children reach one year of age. “If you provide a comforter, it means they’re no longer laying in a clear crib,” it’s noted.
Other suggestions include thumb sucking or offering a supervised ‘muzzy’ that’s removed at bedtime. For those trading the dummy for another form of sensory comfort, options like humming, shushing, singing, or rocking are mentioned.
Ruth, sharing her own experience, replaced her children’s dummies with a face cloth, endorsing its use for those over one. On the other hand, younger babies might accept removal of the pacifier without a substitute.
Older toddlers could benefit from a gradual approach, first restricting its use to naps and bedtime. Yet, consistency is key according to Ruth, who highlights the importance of sticking to any decision made about dummy usage.
The advice triggered a mixed response online. One comment read: “I just went cold turkey. Easier than confusing him. Took it away before bed. He was upset for two to three nights, and then that was it.”
Another shared a different struggle: “My daughter’s three and only has it for bed. She just won’t give it up. I have no idea what to do.”
Some other parent shared: “I took my girl’s dummy off her when she was six months. She’s now eight months, it’s the best thing I ever did. She used to wake up several times in the night for it, putting it back in her mouth. Now she’s amazing.”