The Great Dummy Debate: When to Keep, When to Ditch
Show notes
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This week we're tackling everything dummy and pacifier related. If you're stuck replugging at 2am or wondering when (or if) to ditch it, this episode is for you.
Sally and Bec break down the realistic expectations around keeping the dummy, how to use it with different sleep training techniques, and the crucial windows for getting rid of it if that's your plan. Spoiler: there's a magic age where everything gets easier.
What You'll Learn:
• The two age windows when ditching the dummy is easiest (and when to absolutely hold onto it)
• How to incorporate the dummy into FURBA/time checks and pick-up-put-down
• Why waiting your timed interval before replugging creates value
• Teaching find-and-replug skills with games outside the cot
• What to do when your toddler starts throwing dummies out in protest
• Realistic expectations for overnight dummy replugs by age
• Why we say ditch the glow-in-the-dark dummies
• The connection between nap drops and dummy removal
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:39 Somerset the skeleton joins the pod
01:58 When to ditch the dummy: the age windows that work
06:00 Why we hold onto it after 12 months
09:34 How to use the dummy with FURBA/time checks
14:33 Incorporating dummy into pick-up-put-down
17:05 Teaching find-and-replug skills with games
22:19 Realistic expectations for overnight replugs
26:19 Glow-in-the-dark dummies: our verdict
28:46 When your 11-month-old can do it but won't
29:37 The dummy-throwing protest phase
33:22 Sleep Detectives: Four hours to bed on one nap?
39:21 Sleep Detectives: Does falling asleep in the pram count as self-settling?
44:16 Fast Forward: Things you were told to expect with a baby
🎙️ ABOUT NAP TRAPPED
Hosted by sleep consultants Sally Woods (The Sleep Concierge) and Bec Maher (The Sleep Centre), Nap Trapped helps tired parents solve baby sleep challenges with warmth, evidence, and no judgement. Every week we turn your questions into practical solutions—with a side of Aldi chocolate.
Links
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