F.A.Q
Should I give my baby a Dummy ?
Dummies can soothe some babies and help them to settle.
Babies like sucking on pacifiers because it reminds them of being in the womb. In fact, sucking is one of 5 womb sensations (known as the 5 S's) capable of triggering a baby's innate calming reflex. This is why a dummy is a wonderful sleep cue.
There are arguments for an against. One thing we can all agree on, is that there is an age where it is not appropriate to still be sucking a dummy. This is age 3 and above.
Babies like sucking on pacifiers because it reminds them of being in the womb. In fact, sucking is one of 5 womb sensations (known as the 5 S's) capable of triggering a baby's innate calming reflex. This is why a dummy is a wonderful sleep cue.
There are arguments for an against. One thing we can all agree on, is that there is an age where it is not appropriate to still be sucking a dummy. This is age 3 and above.
What is SIDS ?
What is SIDS ? How can Dummies help ?
There is strong evidence that dummies are associated with a reduced risk of sudden infant death when used consistently.
While the cause of SIDS is unknown, many clinicians and researchers believe that SIDS is associated with problems in the ability of the baby to arouse from sleep, to detect low levels of oxygen, or a buildup of carbon dioxide in the blood. When babies sleep face down, they may re-breathe exhaled carbon dioxide.
In some countries, dummy use is promoted as a SIDS risk reduction strategy.
There is strong evidence that dummies are associated with a reduced risk of sudden infant death when used consistently.
While the cause of SIDS is unknown, many clinicians and researchers believe that SIDS is associated with problems in the ability of the baby to arouse from sleep, to detect low levels of oxygen, or a buildup of carbon dioxide in the blood. When babies sleep face down, they may re-breathe exhaled carbon dioxide.
In some countries, dummy use is promoted as a SIDS risk reduction strategy.
How can this book help your child ?
We provide magical assistance to those with a dummy dilemma. If you need assistance helping your child to overcome their dummy-sucking habit, the children's book " Daniel and the Dummy Fairy" can help your child visualise what is about to happen when the Dummy Fairy Visits.
We are here to provide you with a unique, toddler friendly dummy removal solution. This picture book, gives parents an opportunity to discuss the Dummy Fairy and what may happen in a positive and rewarding manner.
You are a big piece of this though and if your child asks for their dummy the following day, you must simply remind them that the Dummy Fairy has taken them.
I chose to read my story to both Daniel and Sophie at exactly age two, just after their molar teeth had erupted.
We are here to provide you with a unique, toddler friendly dummy removal solution. This picture book, gives parents an opportunity to discuss the Dummy Fairy and what may happen in a positive and rewarding manner.
You are a big piece of this though and if your child asks for their dummy the following day, you must simply remind them that the Dummy Fairy has taken them.
I chose to read my story to both Daniel and Sophie at exactly age two, just after their molar teeth had erupted.
What is the story behind Daniel and the Dummy Fairy?
Daniel and the Dummy Fairy is a heartwarming children's book written by author Leisa Papa. It tells the story of Daniel, a young boy who is ready to give up his pacifier. With the help of the magical Dummy Fairy, Daniel learns valuable lessons about growing up and the importance of letting go of his beloved pacifier.
Leisa was voted as one of Australia's Top 50 Small Business Leaders by Inside Retail Magazine for her work promoting children's products to over 15,000 customers.
Leisa was voted as one of Australia's Top 50 Small Business Leaders by Inside Retail Magazine for her work promoting children's products to over 15,000 customers.
Talk about the Dummy Fairy 10 times
Parents play a powerful role in implementing change. You will need all family members to be encouraging and use positive words when discussing the Dummy Fairy.
Psychologists recommend repitition when sharing new ideas with toddler.
In the same way, you put new food on a child's plate 10 times before asking them to try it, it is suggested that you mention the Dummy Fairy in an exciting way, 10 times before she visits to remove your toddler dummy.
This is where this Children's book can help.
Psychologists recommend repitition when sharing new ideas with toddler.
In the same way, you put new food on a child's plate 10 times before asking them to try it, it is suggested that you mention the Dummy Fairy in an exciting way, 10 times before she visits to remove your toddler dummy.
This is where this Children's book can help.
Learn to help your child manage their big feelings
Tantrums are common in children aged 1-3 years.
This is because young children are still at an early stage of social, emotional and language development. They can’t always communicate their needs and feelings, including the desire to do things for themselves, so they might get frustrated.
It is very difficult to see your child suffer, but remaining calm and neutral when emotions are heightened is the best first step.
Shoving a Dummy in your toddlers mouth during a tantrum is actually more rewarding for the parent than the child.
We suggest using words to label feelings like ‘happy’, ‘sad’, ‘cross’, ‘tired’, ‘hungry’ and ‘comfy’ and help your child understand their big emotions.
Identify tantrum triggers like tiredness, hunger, worries, fears or overstimulation is also an important part of parenting which can help you to avoid tantrums.
This is because young children are still at an early stage of social, emotional and language development. They can’t always communicate their needs and feelings, including the desire to do things for themselves, so they might get frustrated.
It is very difficult to see your child suffer, but remaining calm and neutral when emotions are heightened is the best first step.
Shoving a Dummy in your toddlers mouth during a tantrum is actually more rewarding for the parent than the child.
We suggest using words to label feelings like ‘happy’, ‘sad’, ‘cross’, ‘tired’, ‘hungry’ and ‘comfy’ and help your child understand their big emotions.
Identify tantrum triggers like tiredness, hunger, worries, fears or overstimulation is also an important part of parenting which can help you to avoid tantrums.
Will my child ask for their Dummy the following day?
There is a very good chance that you child might ask for their dummy at Nap time and may even have a little cry within the first 2-3 days.
Help your child to manage their big emotions and stay strong.
Most parents comment that their child did not ask for their dummy by day three and they settled into their new dummy free life.
Help your child to manage their big emotions and stay strong.
Most parents comment that their child did not ask for their dummy by day three and they settled into their new dummy free life.
Will my child continue to sleep through?
This is a very common concern for parents and often the reason why caregivers continue to offer a dummy as their child ages.
The answer to this question will differ for every single child depending on their circumstances.
Although I was a little nervous, neither of my children's sleep was interrupted when they gave their dummies to the Dummy Fairy.
Often Dummy removal does not impact the child's sleep, especially if they have been taught to self settle.
If however, they do not have this ability to self settle themselves to sleep a caregiver has rocked, tapped or fed to sleep, the inability to self settle will continue and your child will wake you through the night.
Sleep Cycles
Please see below the average sleep cycle of a child appropriate to their age. One of your very important roles as a parent is to teach your child to sleep through. If you think they are hungry then I urge you to listen. If the cry does not begin with the letter N, there is a good chance they are not hungry. ie NAH NAH NAH cry is a hungry cry.
Learning from the experts on baby crying sounds
Age 15- 18 Months ,toddlers will sleep 12-14 hours and have 60 minute sleep cycles.
Age 18 Months - 2 years ,toddlers will sleep 12-14 hours and have 75 minute sleep cycles.
Age 3 - 5 years , children will sleep 11 - 13 hours and have up to a 90 minute sleep cycle.
This means that your child will waken , ever so slightly (as you also do) and requires the ability to self settle back to sleep.
Self Settling
My top tip is to learn to do this as early as you can. Both of my babies left the special care nursery with the ability to self settle and I focused on this and continued this at home.
Neither of my children's sleep was interrupted when they gave their dummies to the Dummy Fairy at age 2.5 years.
If you don't like the idea of leaving your baby to cry (even for a short period of time) you may want to consider a more gradual approach. Enter gentle sleep training.
There are three main approaches: The chair method, the pick up put down method, and scheduled awakenings.
There are several books on no cry sleep training, including Elizabeth Pantley's No-Cry Sleep Solution, Tracy Hogg's The Baby Whisperer, and Kim West's The Sleep Lady's Good Night Sleep Tight. BabyCenter also offers a video-led course from a Pediatric sleep doctor that you can take on-demand from the comfort of your own home – and the course includes a variation on "the chair method."
Self-soothing tips and techniques may include
WE SUPPORT PRISCILLA DUNSTAN’S REMARKABLE BABY LANGUAGE SYSTEM.
Dunstan Baby Language
Is perception, the reality though ?
The answer to this question will differ for every single child depending on their circumstances.
Although I was a little nervous, neither of my children's sleep was interrupted when they gave their dummies to the Dummy Fairy.
Often Dummy removal does not impact the child's sleep, especially if they have been taught to self settle.
If however, they do not have this ability to self settle themselves to sleep a caregiver has rocked, tapped or fed to sleep, the inability to self settle will continue and your child will wake you through the night.
Sleep Cycles
Please see below the average sleep cycle of a child appropriate to their age. One of your very important roles as a parent is to teach your child to sleep through. If you think they are hungry then I urge you to listen. If the cry does not begin with the letter N, there is a good chance they are not hungry. ie NAH NAH NAH cry is a hungry cry.
Learning from the experts on baby crying sounds
- Neh – hunger.
- Eh – upper wind (burp)
- Eairh – lower wind (gas)
- Heh – discomfort (hot, cold, wet)
- Owh – sleepiness. ( O shape of mouth)
Age 15- 18 Months ,toddlers will sleep 12-14 hours and have 60 minute sleep cycles.
Age 18 Months - 2 years ,toddlers will sleep 12-14 hours and have 75 minute sleep cycles.
Age 3 - 5 years , children will sleep 11 - 13 hours and have up to a 90 minute sleep cycle.
This means that your child will waken , ever so slightly (as you also do) and requires the ability to self settle back to sleep.
Self Settling
My top tip is to learn to do this as early as you can. Both of my babies left the special care nursery with the ability to self settle and I focused on this and continued this at home.
Neither of my children's sleep was interrupted when they gave their dummies to the Dummy Fairy at age 2.5 years.
If you don't like the idea of leaving your baby to cry (even for a short period of time) you may want to consider a more gradual approach. Enter gentle sleep training.
There are three main approaches: The chair method, the pick up put down method, and scheduled awakenings.
There are several books on no cry sleep training, including Elizabeth Pantley's No-Cry Sleep Solution, Tracy Hogg's The Baby Whisperer, and Kim West's The Sleep Lady's Good Night Sleep Tight. BabyCenter also offers a video-led course from a Pediatric sleep doctor that you can take on-demand from the comfort of your own home – and the course includes a variation on "the chair method."
Self-soothing tips and techniques may include
- Meet your baby's needs first. Before you assume that your baby is just cranky, review their list of needs. ...
- Set a schedule. Babies love routine. ...
- Use white noise. ...
- Stay close without picking them up. ...
- Try a pacifier which you can later remove.
- Wean them off feeding to sleep and let them fall asleep naturally.
For breastfed children, night weaning might be an option from 12 months. For formula-fed children, experts agree that you can consider phasing out night feeds from 6 months ( if solids are introduced ). If you continue to feed overnight past these ages, it is suggested that feeding is a sleep cue , not hunger.
I suggest that you ask your Health Nurse or Pediatritian about your particular child's needs.
WE SUPPORT PRISCILLA DUNSTAN’S REMARKABLE BABY LANGUAGE SYSTEM.
Dunstan Baby Language
If I give their dummy back, can we try again?
There is only one possible answer to this and it is NO.
From a Psychologists perspective, you just rewarded your child for winging so if you try exactly the same thing again, they will repeat as it worked last time.
The only exception to this is if your child is under one year old.
If you caved and gave your child their dummy, you will have to come up with another plan to ditch their dummy.
If it was Nanna, don't ruin your relationship over this. Life goes on and you will come up with a new plan.
From a Psychologists perspective, you just rewarded your child for winging so if you try exactly the same thing again, they will repeat as it worked last time.
The only exception to this is if your child is under one year old.
If you caved and gave your child their dummy, you will have to come up with another plan to ditch their dummy.
If it was Nanna, don't ruin your relationship over this. Life goes on and you will come up with a new plan.
Daniel and Sophie's Story
Daniel - Age 2.5 years
Dummy Introduced within 24 hours of birth at 34 weeks as unable to suck. In hospital for four weeks.
Slept with 5 dummies and swapped between hands and mouth
Sleeping prior - Self settled and slept through
Sleeping after- Continued to self settle and slept through
Requested - a Toy Train from the Dummy Fairy
Leisa had hand written the story of "Daniel and the Dummy Fairy" and was asked by Daniels kindy to come in and read it to the children. There were two other children who's families were keen to remove their dummies , so it was decided that we would all have her visit on the same night.
Leisa had been discussing the dummy fairy for a couple of week , as had the other families and she visited.
The following morning Daniel asked if she came and was excited to see his present. It was obvious that he was as proud of himself as we were of him. When nap time came at Kindy he had a little blankie, which he used as a comforter and he slept easily at Kindy.
Over the next 48 hours he mentioned his dummy a few times without tears and he slept perfectly in the evening.
Sophie - Age 2.5 years
Slept with 1 dummy and a blankie
Dummy Introduced within 24 hours of birth at 37 weeks. In hospital for four days.
Sleeping prior - Self settled and slept through
Sleeping after- Continued to self settle and slept through
Requested - a Bubble Machine and a Barbie Doll from the Dummy Fairy.
Leisa had published the story of "Daniel and the Dummy Fairy" a year earlier and had been reading this book to Sophie.
Sophie was super excited the evening that she was coming.
The following morning Sophie woke to find an Opening Fairy Door attached to her wall, which the Fairy must have come through. The dummies were gone and there were two wrapped gifts that she was thrilled with. Daniel, aged 4, was just as excited and this was helpful.
Over the next 48 hours she mentioned her dummy and the babies a few times with minor tears and she slept perfectly in the evening. Sophie's sleep was not disrupted at all and she still continued to sleep through.
When we went to the shops she pointed to children with a Dummy however was no longer interested in having one for herself as she was "a big girl now".
Dummy Introduced within 24 hours of birth at 34 weeks as unable to suck. In hospital for four weeks.
Slept with 5 dummies and swapped between hands and mouth
Sleeping prior - Self settled and slept through
Sleeping after- Continued to self settle and slept through
Requested - a Toy Train from the Dummy Fairy
Leisa had hand written the story of "Daniel and the Dummy Fairy" and was asked by Daniels kindy to come in and read it to the children. There were two other children who's families were keen to remove their dummies , so it was decided that we would all have her visit on the same night.
Leisa had been discussing the dummy fairy for a couple of week , as had the other families and she visited.
The following morning Daniel asked if she came and was excited to see his present. It was obvious that he was as proud of himself as we were of him. When nap time came at Kindy he had a little blankie, which he used as a comforter and he slept easily at Kindy.
Over the next 48 hours he mentioned his dummy a few times without tears and he slept perfectly in the evening.
Sophie - Age 2.5 years
Slept with 1 dummy and a blankie
Dummy Introduced within 24 hours of birth at 37 weeks. In hospital for four days.
Sleeping prior - Self settled and slept through
Sleeping after- Continued to self settle and slept through
Requested - a Bubble Machine and a Barbie Doll from the Dummy Fairy.
Leisa had published the story of "Daniel and the Dummy Fairy" a year earlier and had been reading this book to Sophie.
Sophie was super excited the evening that she was coming.
The following morning Sophie woke to find an Opening Fairy Door attached to her wall, which the Fairy must have come through. The dummies were gone and there were two wrapped gifts that she was thrilled with. Daniel, aged 4, was just as excited and this was helpful.
Over the next 48 hours she mentioned her dummy and the babies a few times with minor tears and she slept perfectly in the evening. Sophie's sleep was not disrupted at all and she still continued to sleep through.
When we went to the shops she pointed to children with a Dummy however was no longer interested in having one for herself as she was "a big girl now".
How can Daniel and the Dummy Fairy help with my child's dummy dilemma?
At Daniel and the Dummy Fairy, we provide magical assistance to parents who want to help their children ditch their dummies. Our specially designed books and resources offer a fun and engaging way to introduce the concept of saying goodbye to the dummy, making the transition less stressful for both children and parents.