Working on Nap extension and paci removal at the same time... Need help

[sonia1234]

Hi everyone,
I am new to this forum and really glad to find a place where baby sleep is dicussed in so much detail... Good work...

Here goes my issue. I have a 4 month daughter who is a  catnapper but sleeps great at night and paci addicted. These days i am trying to extend her nap time by using wake to sleep and also weaning off her paci ... Is this good to do both at the same time???

[anna*]

Hi there, welcome to the boards

4 months is a bad, bad age for short naps. The boards here are covered with mums of 4 month olds, tearing their hair out over short naps. That is not to say that it is not worth trying to extend them, but you may have to accept that an element of it is developmental and that longer naps are just something she will grow into.

Now I have to tell you that paci weaning is NOT a panacea for short naps. In fact it can make matters worse. I know that when I weaned my LO at the same age, he just carried right on with his short naps, and now I had no way to keep him calm in his cot. It was still worth weaning it, for us, because our nights were so disturbed, and his naps did eventually lengthen out.

[sonia1234]

Thats what happening here... When i put her down for naps or even bedtime she doesnt settle now but previously she was doing it beautifully with paci. What should i do to make her self-soothe. M so exhausted.

[anna*]

Honestly, you can't 'make' her self-soothe. You can try introducing a lovey for her to hold on to. You can hope that she will find her fingers or thumb to suck. Are you using shush-pat and/or PUPD to help her to settle? Weaning a prop is hard hard work but it will get better, she WILL learn to settle herself.

[sonia1234]

Yes m using shh/pat and that does work but takes long time to make her fall asleep...

[anna*]

How long have you been weaning the paci? REmember with shush-pat you only do it until she's calm, not until she's asleep - you don't want to replace one prop with another!

[sonia1234]

Thats what i was about to ask that u just told... M doing shh/pat until she is almost asleep and it has been 3 days i am weaning Paci...

[anna*]

shush-pat until she stops crying, then pop her down in the crib and shush-pat there until she is calm and drowsy. If she starts crying again, don't pick her up immediately - shush-pat in her crib and only pick her up if she is escalating, and then shush-pat her only until she stops crying.

[sonia1234]

Thnx anna... U helped me alot