THE PROBLEM: Cassie, aged nearly 4, won't give up her dummies.
HER MUM EMILY SAYS: 'Days after Cassie was born, my mum persuaded me that Cassie would settle better with a dummy, which she did. But nearly four years down the line, she's still sucking on it.
I've tried removing them, hanging them on the washing line for the fairies, but her screams the next day meant I gave them back. At Christmas we left them for Father Christmas, but again I relented when her screams became unbearable.
Cassie is such a pretty girl but with a dummy stuck in her mouth all the time I wonder whether I'll ever be able to see her beautiful smile.'
GITTE SAYS: Dummies can be useful in the early months, but if a toddler continues to use one it may lead to speech and dental problems - and a dummy can also be unhygienic.
Emily approached trying to wean cCssie off her dummy with a sense of failure before she'd even begun. I applaud the imaginative ways she has tried to remove them, but they haven't worked.
On previous occasions, after removing the dummies, Emily has put them in a drawer 'just in case'. If she is to be successful, she needs to understand that all the dummies have to be removed from the house - there can be no turning back.
Burying them in the garden with a plant on top would send a powerful visual message to both Cassie and Emily that the dummies are no longer anywhere to hand.
Emily should make an event of it, creating a fun story about where the dummies will go, and then secretly place a garden gnome or fairy close by with a little thank you note for Cassie to discover the next morning.
After the dummies have been disposed of, don't talk about them again. If Cassie asks for a dummy, distract her rather than get involved in a conversation about something she cannot have. What's not talked about is often not thought about.
If Cassie uses the dummies to help her settle at night, Emily needs to spend extra time with her for the first few nights to help her settle without them. Keeping calm and being close by should be enough.
Using a dummy means that in many ways, Emily is still treating Cassie as a baby. Cassie is still using sippy cups too, so I want Emily to replace these with regular cups. Cassie is old enough now to express herself if she is feeling unhappy so Emily needs to reassure her with a cuddle or sympathy rather than a dummy.
