Growing up · ages 1 to 6

Giving up the dummy: when, and how?

7 min read3 sources · accessed on 26 September 2026

The short answer

One tearful evening doesn't undo anything: changes to the teeth happen over months and years.³ The direction isn't in dispute: the earlier the dummy goes, the lower the risk, and the better anything that has already set in can correct itself.³ On the exact age, sources don't agree: a regional NHS service recommends stopping by 12 months and at the latest by two,¹ the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests by 18 months,² and an orthodontic review sees the risk rise clearly after 36 months of use.³ On how to do it, everyone agrees: reduce gradually, and stop all at once only as a last resort.

Background

What a dummy does to teeth

The most solid work on this is a systematic review from 2018. It finds an open bite, meaning front teeth that don't meet, clearly more often in children who used a dummy for more than 36 months. For crossbite, the figures are 25.5% in children weaned late against 15.5% in those weaned before 36 months. Stopping before two gives clearly better results than stopping between three and four.³

Health services set earlier limits: a regional NHS service recommends stopping by 12 months and at the latest by two,¹ and the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests weaning by 18 months, partly to prevent ear infections, noting that dentists recommend even earlier.² Our sources give no single age shared by every discipline.

Speech

And speech?

Here the evidence is thinner than some guides suggest. A plausible link is often described through tongue position and articulation: a dummy in the mouth keeps the tongue low, which can get in the way of certain sounds.

We found no large controlled study that measures this link directly. So the argument is well reasoned, without being proven. Anyone who draws urgency from it should know that.

What helps

Six things that help day to day

1. Start cutting down early. The earlier the dummy goes, the better for the teeth.³

2. Step by step rather than all at once. First certain situations, then times of day, then only at night, falling asleep last.¹

3. Name what your child feels. “You're sad it's not here any more” helps more than a rule repeated again and again.

4. Let your child hand it over. It's better if they give it away themselves than if it vanishes in secret.

5. Don't pick a time of upheaval. Not at the same time as starting nursery, moving house or a new brother or sister arriving.

6. Don't go back after one hard night. Giving the dummy back after two days makes the next attempt harder.

Debates

Where the experts disagree

We looked for the usual points of debate on this subject and didn't find most of them. That's worth saying as much as a controversy.

Dummy fairy, yes or no: no opposing expert view, just agreement with differences of style. All at once or gradually: no debate either; stopping all at once stays a last resort.

There is one real gap, and it's about age:

Approach	What it says	What it means for the story
Health servicesregional NHS service (Derbyshire); American Academy of Pediatrics	Stop by 12 months, at the latest by two (NHS Derbyshire); wean by 18 months (AAP), with dentists recommending earlier.	The story sets no date: it describes the path.
OrthodonticsSchmid et al. 2018, systematic review	The risk of open bite rises clearly after 36 months of use; stopping before two gives better results than between three and four.	We quote the ages side by side and commit to none.
Speechapproaches focused on language development	Stop earlier still, because of a plausible link with tongue position and articulation, without a large controlled study behind it.	We mention it without turning it into urgency.

What everyone agrees on

The earlier the dummy goes, the lower the risk and the better the teeth correct themselves.
Reduce gradually rather than stopping all at once.
Let the child hand over the dummy themselves.
Don't start at the same time as another upheaval.

The point of debate is age. A regional NHS service puts the limit at 12 months to two years,¹ the American Academy of Pediatrics at 18 months,² and the orthodontic review sees the risk rise after 36 months of use and finds stopping before two clearly better.³

There's no age shared by every discipline. If you read a single figure in a guide, you're reading the figure of one discipline.

When a book isn't enough

At the next check-up, ask about it if your child still uses a dummy during the day after three, if you notice an open bite, meaning front teeth that don't meet when the mouth is closed, or if some sounds stay clearly unclear.

Your dentist, GP, public health nurse or health visitor can take a quick look at a visit that's already planned. For speech, your GP or paediatrician is the first contact and can refer your child to a speech and language therapist if needed.

The story

How a story can help

It isn't established that reading helps children give up the dummy. There's a whole shelf of books on the subject, but no study that has evaluated them as a method.

What a story can still do: show the path in advance. A child who knows what's going next resists less than a child who has something taken away.

For the story, one rule:

The dummy isn't made to look bad, and the first night isn't sugar-coated. A book that pretends it's easy loses the child on the first evening.

1-2
The dummy is part of everything
No judgement. It matters, and that's taken seriously.
3
Not everywhere
First step: outside, it stays in the bag.
4
It works
Someone notices and says so out loud.
5
Only for sleep
Second step. Announced, no surprises.
6
The hard afternoon
It doesn't always go well. That's written down too.
7
The decision
The child decides when it goes for good.
8
Handing it over
Giving it away themselves, at a place the child chooses.
9
The first night
Hard. Neither sugar-coated nor dramatised.
10
Someone stays
No going back, and no being alone either.
11
The second evening
A bit easier. The difference is named.
12
It's allowed to miss it
The feeling is still allowed, without giving it back.
13
Something else to hold
Something to squeeze, which doesn't replace comfort.
14
The end
The child did it themselves, and they know it.

The dummy story, with your child's name

Describe your child in a few words, and the story follows exactly this path, in the illustration style you choose. You read all of it for free before you decide.

Read the story for free

Questions

Frequently asked questions

At what age should a child stop using a dummy?

Sources don't agree. A regional NHS service recommends stopping by 12 months and at the latest by two, the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests by 18 months, and an orthodontic review sees the risk to teeth rise after 36 months of use, with stopping before two clearly better. There's no age shared by every discipline.

Does a dummy damage teeth?

With long use, yes. A 2018 systematic review found an open bite clearly more often after 36 months of use, and crossbite in 25.5% against 15.5%. The earlier the dummy goes, the better anything that has set in corrects itself.

Is it better to stop all at once or gradually?

Gradually: first certain situations, then times of day, then only at night, falling asleep last. Stopping all at once stays a last resort. We found no opposing expert view.

Does the dummy fairy work?

There's no expert evaluation, for or against. What's preferred is that your child hands the dummy over themselves, rather than it disappearing in secret. Whether a fairy is involved is a matter of taste.

References

Sources

1.Derbyshire Family Health Service (NHS): Stopping the use of a dummy and/or bottle.What it confirms: Stopping the dummy recommended by 12 months, at the latest by two; wean gradually, first to night-time only, then for example with a dummy fairy.
2.American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org: Pacifiers and Thumb Sucking; Pacifier Safety.What it confirms: Weaning by 18 months recommended to prevent ear infections; dentists recommend earlier, from 6 to 12 months.
3.Schmid, K. et al. (2018): systematic review, Progress in Orthodontics.What it confirms: An open bite clearly more frequent after 36 months of use; crossbite 25.5% with late weaning against 15.5% before 36 months; stopping before two clearly better than between three and four.

Sources accessed on 26 September 2026. Is something missing or out of date? Write to us and we'll correct it, with the date.

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