It is generally recommended that dummy use be limited to around six months of age to about one year of age.
Dummies are very soothing for your baby; however, weaning your baby from his/her dummy can be a tricky task.
The best way to start weaning your baby from her dummy is to limit its use to bedtime.
Only let the baby have her dummy when he/she is in her bed.
So if the child wants his/her dummy place him/her into bed before you give it to her.
Most children will want back out in a few minutes.
Leave the dummy in your child's bed when you take them out.
However if your child falls asleep with his/her dummy remove it from the bed so he/she will not expect it to be there to settle him/her back down if he/she wakes up.
Soon only having the dummy at bedtime will become a routine.
Once the dummy is restricted to bedtime you can further wean the baby from it by cutting off half the nipple.
This will cause most children to stop wanting the dummy.
Some parents resort to bribery for finally getting rid of the dummy.
One parent took the dummy with her to the child's doctor's appointment and then "left" the dummy with the doctor when the appointment ended.
Another parent took her child to the toy store with the dummy and had the child pick out a toy that would "cost' her the dummy.
Most store clerks will play along as long as the toy is paid for before you actually leave.
Once you have weaned your child from his/her dummy be firm about not reverting to using it, however tempting that might be when faced with a fussy baby.
It is important to wean your child from the dummy because it can interfere with proper development of her permanent teeth.
A dummy can also interfere with speech development.
If your child begins talking be sure to remove the dummy from his/her mouth so he/she can speak and not fall back on just pointing or gesturing for what he/she wants.
Children who use dummy's are also more prone to ear infections, as the dummy can carry a high level of bacteria that can backtrack from the mouth into the Eustachian tubes.
Cleaning the sterilizing your child's dummy is very important for their overall health and well-being.
Dummies are very soothing for your baby; however, weaning your baby from his/her dummy can be a tricky task.
The best way to start weaning your baby from her dummy is to limit its use to bedtime.
Only let the baby have her dummy when he/she is in her bed.
So if the child wants his/her dummy place him/her into bed before you give it to her.
Most children will want back out in a few minutes.
Leave the dummy in your child's bed when you take them out.
However if your child falls asleep with his/her dummy remove it from the bed so he/she will not expect it to be there to settle him/her back down if he/she wakes up.
Soon only having the dummy at bedtime will become a routine.
Once the dummy is restricted to bedtime you can further wean the baby from it by cutting off half the nipple.
This will cause most children to stop wanting the dummy.
Some parents resort to bribery for finally getting rid of the dummy.
One parent took the dummy with her to the child's doctor's appointment and then "left" the dummy with the doctor when the appointment ended.
Another parent took her child to the toy store with the dummy and had the child pick out a toy that would "cost' her the dummy.
Most store clerks will play along as long as the toy is paid for before you actually leave.
Once you have weaned your child from his/her dummy be firm about not reverting to using it, however tempting that might be when faced with a fussy baby.
It is important to wean your child from the dummy because it can interfere with proper development of her permanent teeth.
A dummy can also interfere with speech development.
If your child begins talking be sure to remove the dummy from his/her mouth so he/she can speak and not fall back on just pointing or gesturing for what he/she wants.
Children who use dummy's are also more prone to ear infections, as the dummy can carry a high level of bacteria that can backtrack from the mouth into the Eustachian tubes.
Cleaning the sterilizing your child's dummy is very important for their overall health and well-being.