Needing Pacifier in the middle of the night

[WishfulSleeping]

My son NEEDS his pacifier in order to fall asleep, and he wakes up several times at night crying for it.  Sometimes it's withing 30 mins of being fed, so I know he's not hungry.  What is a healthy way to remove the pacifier from the equation so the whole family can get some rest?  He is 16 weeks old and breastfed.

[anna*]

Around 4-5 months it's so common for the pacifier to become a prop and start to cause more problems than it solves. You'll find loads more info on the 'Props' board, but basically your options are to either continue to replug the pacifier until he can handle it himself, or wean. The two weaning methods are either to go cold turkey, or gradual removal. Personally I never had the patience for gradual removal so for us it was cold turkey and after 3-4 days the dummy was forgotten.

[WishfulSleeping]

Thanks Anna!  I really wish I didn't have to completely wean because it makes me nervous to take him into social situations (church, store, plane) without one, but I know it's probably best for everyone so we can all get some sleep.

[anna*]

You're right, it's definitely confusing to wean for some situations but not all. You could introduce a lovey at the same time - my LO learned to suck his lovey and we take that to any place he may need comforting.