Saying bye-bye to the dummy

IT’S almost a rite of passage — your young child collects all his soothers, puts them in a bag and hangs them on a tree for the ‘dodi fairy’. She will take them and leave a present.

When it comes to getting your two to four-year-old child to part with his soother, the make-believe fairy is the easy part — once that bit is done you need to be strong and stay the course. If it has been their crutch for a long time, it’s harder for an older child than it is for babies to fall off to sleep without a soother, says paediatric sleep consultant Edel Gargan. “They have to re-learn how to settle and fall asleep.”

Gargan says it’s important to empathise with the child — tell him you understand it’s hard. “Give him time at night without creating other bad habits [don’t get into bed with him to soothe him to sleep]. If he’s finding it hard to settle, go in frequently to him. Play relaxing music or give a special teddy bear to help distract him.”