Show Notes: Possums Sleep Intervention Part 4

Dr Koa Whittingham (A collaborator on the Possums Sleep Intervention – www.possumsonline.com) shares her thoughts on the use of dummies, and dealing with separation anxiety and sleep for young toddlers.Possums Sleep Intervention 4 400

Summary

Dummy use

  • The Possums Approach is that use of the Dummy is a personal decision.
  • It is best to wait until breast feeding is established.
  • Dr Whittingham’s opinion is that Dummies are a labor saving device, like baby bouncers.
    • By all means use labor saving devices, just be aware that you are doing it.
    • Use them if they allow you to regain sanity and be more responsive throughout the day.
    • Don’t use labor-saving devices as a replacement for your attention and time with baby.
    • Sucking for comfort is a very natural tendency. Consider what your boundaries are – sleep time only? Up to 6 months? 12 months? 18 months? 24 months?

Separation Anxiety and Sleep for young toddlers

  • It is natural for children to want to be with parents at night.
  • It’s about balancing the child’s desire to be with parents and parents’ needs and preferences.
  • This is very young to require solo sleeping.
  • Consider the parent’s values, needs, and desires. What is it about bed-sharing that is a problem?
  • Experiment with a range of options. Bedsharing, room sharing, night-time visits.
  • It is not forever.
  • At the end of the day – do what works. Once they are adults, no one will be able to tell whether they coslept for 1 year or 7 years.

Possums Sleep Intervention Links

For more great resources on Mindfulness and ACT for parents, check out these links:

This is the 7th Episode in the series, here are links to the rest of the series:

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Did you give your child a dummy? When did you (or will you) wean your child off it? Was it hard to wean off it? Was it worth it?