Tips on how to get DD off the dummy.

Buttonmoons

DD has just turned 3 and is still using her dummy, she doesn't really suck it, she likes to rub the plastic, must be soothing to her.

Now I don't mind if she just takes it at bedtime, as it's her comfort, but she has started having it all day if she got her way, I've tried putting them away, but she seems to have a stash of them, and I feel awful for taking it off her and she just sobs her heart out.

Her teeth are fine, no buck teeth, the only issue I have is her speech, she is a good talker, but sometimes you can't understand what she is saying because it's in her mouth, and I do tell her to take it out and then repeat what she is saying, but I'm worried that the dummy is going to make her talk funny.

Am I expecting too much, for her to be a clear speaker? I don't think she should be able to pronounce ALL words correctly but people tell me that she should be able too.

I do tell people that she has just turned 3, and obviously I'm going to be able to understand her better because I'm around her all the time. It's just certain things or when she's trying to put a whole sentence together like:

Give - she says it like GIB
Food - POOD
Finger - PINGER
Take - Sounds more like cake!
Tomato - OMATO.

Her sentences get a bit muddled like instead of saying PICK ME UP, it will be PICK UP ME.

Is this a complete non issue? Just tired of people telling me she's got a speech problem, when I don't think she does.

money_maker_3

I wouldnt be too concerned at her mis pronouncing words are her age, so long as she knows what it is she is trying to say. Just repeat the word back to her correctly and this will help, but if you are worried then take her to your GP for a referral to a speech therapist

On the dummy issue, we did it at easter and the easter bunny took the dummies for all the new babies, they were all put in a bag at night time and hung on a branch on the tree, the next morning she went outside and got a letter from the Easter bunny saying thank you for being a big girl and gave her a new dolly and an easter egg as a present. She asked for her 'doody' a couple of times, but we just said the bunny had them and she was fine with it !!

Good luck xx

Buttonmoons

I do repeat back, but things like "yoghurt" she will say it like OGHURT, and no matter how many times I repeat the Y sound, and make my face look silly by drawing the word out, she can't. Don't get me started on the word CHOCOLATE, it sounds like "CO*KOLATE" highly embarrassing (and slightly amusing)

I personally don't think she has speech problems, once she starts nursery, her speech will improve just from socialising with other children everyday. I was just worried as others had said there was something wrong, and with her being my only child and not knowing many other children, I wasn't sure.

Well she does know that dummys are for babies, and she always proclaims that she is a big girl, but then changes her mind and decides that no, she is a baby when the subject of dummys going away is broached. Far too clever her!

I like the Easter bunny idea, but I'm sure she would think she could eat the chocolate egg, play with the doll and then have a dummy too!

RachelW1987

My mam gave my dummy to the birds to give to their babies and I never cried for it once.

I seen her put it in the garden at bed time then when I woke up it was gone

dizziblonde

If you're wanting a way to broach the issue with your daughter - there's a storybook called "The Last Noo Noo" about a monster not wanting to get rid of his dummy and where he hides them all etc etc... it's quite a fun book if you're wanting something to start talking about getting rid of her own dummy.

homeaway

How about a dummy fairy who comes at night and leaves a little present to all the children whose dummies she collects?

Bitsy_Beans

You could pain it with that stuff to prevent nail biting. Build her up to a particular date saying when you get to so and so (age, event, holiday) your dummy won't taste nice any more. Paint it and hopefully the taste will put her off.

3onitsway

DS's dummy went on the fireplace with Father Christmas's mince pie and rudolphs carrot. Father Christmas takes them away to give to the new babies for their christmas present, and leaves big boys some toys in exchange! It worked for us, he was so excited about the new toys I think he forgot about the dummy.

We planned to use the same story for DD - but she actually lost her 'last' dummy, so had to go to bed without it. She cried at bedtime for a couple of nights, but after that she was fine. (I found it in the car about a month later and quickly hid it in my pocket!)

Pink_butterfly_3

We tried the dummy fairy, father xmas needs it to give to other children, it fell down the toilet, the bunnies took it etc.

What finally worked was us just taking it away during the day and telling her it was for bedtime only. The first few days were difficult but no where near as bad as i thought. Third day she didn't even ask for it and that was that.

korky69

this might seem very cruel, but it worked for me,
i used to bite my nails and i bought some of that stuff you brush on to give a nasty taste so you dont bite them,
it also worked on the little girls dummy,
all she did was pick it up, pop it in and pull a face and put it back down,
didn't even pick it up after a week

fernliebee

Hiya, don't mean to be presumptious and assume you are at home and husband/ partner is working, but if this is the case could they not take the dummy to work with them? Then even if you were tempted to give in you would not be able to. Children know the difference and if she sees it going away with them then will know that you don't have it, though she may cry a bit, you could have lot's of distractions on hand for the first few days. Maybe go to your local toy library so she has some new things to play with to distract her when she is upset, or try going out somewhere new to distract her.

As far as her speech goes, that sounds like a separate issue tbh. Like you say when she is in nursery and has to make herself understood by others as you are not there she will most likely come on leaps and bounds.