Time to Drop the Dummy?

Parenting
 16 Dec 2022

Magical ways to remove your child’s dummy this Christmas. 

BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE

DECEMBER 16, 2022

‘Tis the season to be jolly, and although your child might not be too happy about the prospect of giving up their pacifier, December can be a great time to distance your little one from their dummy.

There are lots of festive distractions in the lead-up to Christmas, and December 25 is a great date for dummy removal, because you can get Santa (or Rudolph) in on the action. 

Once the dummy is gone, a few fun family days will ensure your child is tired by the time they hit the sack – and this bodes well for a good sleep, even without their soother. 

Obviously, every child is different and there’s no pressure to wean your cherub off their dummy just because Christmas is coming, but if the festive timing feels right, here are a few tips to help you break your child’s dummy dependency this December.

Start by easing your child into the idea.

Although a ‘cold turkey’ approach sounds perfect for Christmas, the experts at Raising Children Network say, “A gradual approach is the fairest and easiest.”

This means that instead of suddenly ‘disappearing’ your child’s dummy one day in late December, it’s better to talk things through earlier in the month.

Assuming your child is old enough to use their words, they might decide to get rid of the dummy on their own. And if they don’t want to part company with their pacifier (like really don’t want to!), this early dialogue introduces the idea that a dummy isn’t forever.

After this, you need to gradually reduce your child’s dummy use.

Little ones rely on their dummies for daytime de-stressing, bedtime settling, after dark soothing and all-round comfort, so a slowly, slowly approach is best, and it may work to offer the dummy less and less before childcare wraps for the year.

Exactly how you do this is up to you (and your child’s needs), but one idea is to keep your little one’s dummy at home while they’re distracted at childcare, then bring it out just for the bedtime routine.

If this is too much, too soon, another idea is to limit your child’s daytime dummy to specific times and spaces.

Derek McCormack, Director of Raising Children Network says, “You might like to give your child their dummy for the childcare commute, or send it to daycare with them, but introduce dummy-free time when you’re together again.”

Another big, but important, step is reducing how much time the comforter spends in your child’s cot.

At first, you might like to give your child their dummy to fall asleep with, then quietly remove it once they’re in the land of nod.

When your child wakes in the night, you can then offer the dummy to settle them, but take more and more time to do so as the days go by.

Derek says, “It can work well to gradually use the dummy less and less when re-settling your child during the night. Parents could offer the dummy straightaway on night one, the second time they call out for it on night two, the third time they call out for it on night three, then keep stretching out the response time until they don’t ask for it at all.”

Finally, farewell the dummy with a festive strategy!

There’s no rush to remove your child’s dummy by December 25, but if they’re finding it easier and easier to cope without their comforter, Christmas is a great day to send it off for good.

Setting this date for dummy removal gives your child certainty about what’s happening, and when, and Christmas provides an opportunity to weave a little magic!

For example, you might like to:

  • Use an advent calendar to count down the days till the dummy disappears
  • Leave the dummy out with Santa’s cookies and milk, so he can re-gift it to a new baby somewhere in the world
  • Attach a note to the dummy, asking Rudolph to give it to a little red-nosed reindeer in Lapland, or
  • Place a special gift under the Christmas tree that celebrates your child giving up their dummy the night before

 

If you miss December 25, or want to be a little naughty, there’s also the option of ‘accidentally’ leaving your child’s dummy in your holiday accommodation or at a distant relative’s house!

Some parents also find that cutting the tip off their child’s dummy makes it less palatable, and regardless of your timing or technique, there is one rule that applies to all parents: Once you get rid of the dummy, there’s no going back!

It’s super important not to re-find or replace your child’s dummy, because this undoes all the good work you’ve done, and if your child is unsettled or in need of soothing once their comforter is gone, a cuddle from Mummy or a new toy from Santa may just help…

Good luck and merry dummy removal!