how to stop pacifier?

[ameliebob]

ssh-pat seems to stimulate her more than soothing her. She uses the paci for naps only but she can't go down without it. she's almost 4 months and i'm afraid the paci is causing her chronic 45 min naps. any advice?

[ameliebob]

forgot to say she has reflux and is on medication, so it's under control now 

[Martini~]

In theory you can go for paci removal at once which will take 1-3 days at that age no matter how addicted the baby is. Or you can go for very gradual removal similar to method recommended by Elisabeth Pantley.

However if she is a reflux baby maybe it's worth leaving it with her as paci usually brings much comfort to reflux babies.

[ameliebob]

When you do it all at once there will crying involved?? You do like a controlled crying method? The only thing that soothed her is the paci. I don't really want to ditch it but I also want her to be rested. I'm not sure if that's what causing the short naps. Today we barely got a total of 2 hour sleep. Maybe there's also a mix of 4 month sleep regression I don't know.

[Martini~]

Gosh no, no controlled crying involved. You just sooth her with shhh/pat or PUPD at that age (if it works for you). However difficult, it usually is quite easy that age. Rough first day or two and maybe some small regression after 4-5days.

That said, as I ditched paci when DS was 3mo, I was repluging 5-6times during a nap and repluging helped with nap extension. So if she wakes after 45min and you replug and she still doesn't go back to sleep, maybe it's a case of routine or independent sleep skills?

[FPT23]

Hi Amelia!

I recently had the same questions! Is the paci causing issues!!?? My baby is 15 weeks old

Honestly a mom recently told me "if it works go with it" ...in my case, he uses it to calm down and doze off but if he drops or we remove he continues sleeping through to at least 45 mins. Not constantly needing to replug. So I think at this age, given the changes and all the short naps being so common, it's hard to tell really.  I have used it to extend naps too though... BUT, he's also done 1.5-2hr naps without it and has always slept all night without it. I don't know how your baby does it but find comfort knowing that this might just be all to do with the regression and/or routine issue. Such as A times etc... I rarely get long naps myself. They come and go.

Also another mom told me her baby was the same way in which she never had to constantly replug and it was just a soothing method and baby ditched it come 5-6 months once she used another item to soothe. Later on they may like a blanket or something? And yet another mom who's baby is now closer to 6 months, her babys naps are getting longer and her baby sleeps straight 8 or so hours at night until feed and back down. She too has used paci to soothe nights during NWs and to extend naps- doesn't seem to have become a BIG prop in her case either. Nor mine I think. But when he drops or we remove that's it.

I've unconsciously always done Pantleys method without knowing until I read it.
PANTLEY'S GENTLE REMOVAL PLAN

I think if it works-
Go with it! ....since it's not a constant replug situation, maybe it will be tolerable until they can replug themselves and then it's all swell

I agree w/ Martini, that if you get rid of it now at our babies age it's better than if they were 6+ mths.

[ameliebob]

Yeah I'm way too afraid of all the crying that will be caused if i remove it lol
The only time I have to replug the paci mutiple times is when she refuses to nap and then spit it and cry. usually takes 2 or 3 times before she's finally out. and she keeps it in her mouth all the time of the nap and right at 43 min she streches, spit out the paci and smile to the world!!! then gets cranky after 45 min of awake time but that probably needs to be adressed in another thread 

[FPT23]

Ohhh....

We use ours different. He doesn't spit it out as we have always removed it... He can go long stretches without it but I really do find its a routine issue or A time tweaking... Developmental stuff etc.

I've always stayed in the room patting and never left alone so I guess I don't know if he would settle without it or if it came out. I haven't worked on sleep training yet. Trying to get past the 4mo regression haha. I'm just helping him sleep as best I can but keeping the end goal in mind.

So I soothe from the crib with patting... Etc so when it comes time to ST it's not as hard I guess haha!

Well, I'm here the paci is a prop in some way. You can just hold onto it until she can pop it in herself? I don't have an issue yet of having to replug multiple times. I'm scared of the cries and stress when we remove it too! Haha but you can use Pantleys method and avoid the crying. Just will take some time