Author Topic: 2 monhs desperately sucking her hand  (Read 1473 times)

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Offline Lilo's mom

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2 monhs desperately sucking her hand
« on: March 14, 2017, 14:10:08 pm »
Hi! My 2 months DD iis fortunately a very good sleeper at night (cant say the same about the day sleep, but we will get there).
However, in the past few days, she has been sucking on her hand desperately. If she feels the need to suck on her hand during a night waking, she wont self soothe and will eventually wake up crying. Yesterday, she started sucking on her hand as I layed her down on her crib for the night, and then started crying so I had to breastfeed her again to sleep. Previously, I managed to put her on her crib still awake and she could self soothe and sleep alone...
Now, I have a 4yo DS who sucks on his thumb and I hate this habit, as it is almost impossible to wean off. So I really dont want my DD to start sucking on her thumb. I am trying to introduce the pacifier, and she accepts it very well, but the minute she spits it off she wakes up crying. And she still cant control the suction very well, so many many times the paci slips off her mouth while she is sucking and she gets really angry. So using the pacifier to get her to sleep is kind of a war. Besides, I was hoping that I could teach her how to sleep without needing a pacifier.... but this recent and intense need to suck on her hand is almost making me give up and try harder on the pacifier.
What do you think? Would you insist on the pacifier? Or should I wait until this phase goes away?
Any tips on how to catalyze the acceptance of the pacifier? Maybe its best for me to teach her how to suck on it and avoid her "losing" it so often,

She is breastfed exclusively.

Thank you!!


Offline Martini~

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Re: 2 monhs desperately sucking her hand
« Reply #1 on: March 14, 2017, 14:31:34 pm »
Being honest honey there is not much you can do beside being consistent and do what you planned. It won't be till she is at least 7/8mo when she can fully control her pacifier so if you go that way it will mean that you have to help her and assist with that. And there is no guarantee that she will accept a pacifier. If she is a little "sucker" she might need some sucking and you either go with breast all the time, pacifier or hand/fist/thumb.

From good news, even when she doesn't accept paci she may be fine with her fist but not thumb. She might loose interest in sucking her fists soon, just like that. Around 11/12 weeks there is a developmental leal when I observe with both mine a increase need in sucking. With DS1 that's how we started paci addiction which I wean at 14o, and he started thumb sucking. With DS2 who is more easygoing baby I preserve without paci for sleep but it's hard with him, really:).

Being on your place I wouldn't be so reluctant with thumb sucking. I can imagine your DS1 with his thumb as mine also is a thumb sucker but there are ways how to discourage sucking at the age of 3/4 and if this habit is dropped at that age, it's no harm for teeth or speech development usually.
~Marta

Offline Lilo's mom

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Re: 2 monhs desperately sucking her hand
« Reply #2 on: March 14, 2017, 15:43:52 pm »
Thanks Marta for the quick reply! I think our babies are more or less the same age. Mine was born on Dec 28th, how about yours?

On the pacifier: if I give it to her, she sucks on it, and she immediately soothes. Until she either spits or looses it while trying to suck. You said your first LO used a pacifier: was it like this when you introduced the paci? I see a lot of people who say "my baby never accepted the pacifier", and I was wondering how do they come to this conclusion. My baby likes it, clearly, but she doesn't know how to use it yet.
I was happy to hear that you think this could be part of a developmental leap. She's exactly 11 weeks, so I think I will try not to offer the pacifier at bedtime, even if I have to breastfeed her to sleep for a couple of weeks, and see if this need to suck goes away. But a question: should I stop offering the pacifier at other times of the day if I don't plan to offer it at bedtime or during night wakings?

Another question: do you have some tips on weaning the thumb sucking? My son is not even close to stopping it. Everytime he's tired or bored or frustrated and at bedtime, there he is with the thumb on his mouth. I talk about this A LOT with him, but he is so addicted... he really can't be without sucking his thumb.

Thanks!

 Mariana




Offline Martini~

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Re: 2 monhs desperately sucking her hand
« Reply #3 on: March 15, 2017, 14:47:49 pm »
Lol, Aleks is from 28th too:). He does the same with the dummy as yours especially as he is swaddled. DS1 did the same but unfortunately got addicted around 12/13 weeks and I weaned paci at 14wo.

Re older one and paci addiction - there are some good tips in net about it. But generally a lot of positive praise and avoiding OS/OT. There are also some mechanical solutions like some cream to put on it so it's not tasty or some rubber to put on it. I have not yet tried as DS is 3yo and we are just after nap dropping so there is lot of OT here.
~Marta

Offline Lilo's mom

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Re: 2 monhs desperately sucking her hand
« Reply #4 on: March 15, 2017, 15:23:35 pm »
Thanks for your reply! :)

Since we're more or less on the same situation, can I ask what your bedtime routine is with the two? I was starting with my older son, as he has to wake up early for school, but then DD was going to bed at 10 - 10:30 pm. Now I have switched and she's going first, at about 8:30 pm, and he is going at about 9:30. He will be 4 in may and still isn't ready to drop his naps...

Thanks!
Mariana

Offline Martini~

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Re: 2 monhs desperately sucking her hand
« Reply #5 on: March 15, 2017, 17:27:50 pm »
DS just dropped the nap. We always prioritized Night sleep over naps and 7pm was a rigid bedtime here. We pushed it a bit after DS2 was born so DS1 stop some shenanigans at bedtime. So at 6:30 I bath DS1, 7pm bedtime, he settles in 5-10min now. At 7pm we bath DS2, 7:10/7:15 breast and 7:30 BT. At 10:30 I express and DH does DF at 10:45.
~Marta

Offline Martini~

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Re: 2 monhs desperately sucking her hand
« Reply #6 on: March 15, 2017, 18:47:53 pm »
Btw Honey - maybe you want to join me here:
0-6 months, Part 3
~Marta