Quick Question Before I Begin Shh/Pat

[brownj59]

Hi,

My DS is 6 weeks old and I am going to begin shh/pat to help him be able to lay down on his own. Currently he only wants to be held to go to sleep  Before I begin I had a couple questions:

1. Swaddling: Do I keep swaddling him while I do shh/pat? I currently swaddle him. Sometimes he breaks out or at least gets one arm out.

2. Pacifier: Do I give him a pacifier during shh/pat? If he doesn't nurse to sleep then he usually takes a pacifier if he is not screaming. But a lot of times he spits it out and needs it put back in to keep sleeping. He is not totally hooked on it.

Thanks,

Janel

[becj86]

Hi

At 6 weeks, he is still very tiny and its totally normal for him to want to be held. All he's ever known is the safe and somewhat noisy environment of your belly, so lying on you and hearing your heart beat and breathing, etc. is really comforting for him. There's a concept of the fourth trimester you might like to read about.

To answer your questions:
Yes, you can keep him swaddled while you do shush/pat.
You can give the paci if you so desire. Its perfectly reasonable to give it.

As a bit of extra info -
It might help to give him some white noise that plays throughout the nap.

[brownj59]

Thanks for you tips. I just finished day 2 of shh/pat, it is going pretty well except that I feel like I have to keep inserting the pacifier back in to DS mouth. Is that normal? Will he just use it till he is sleeping better on his own or is it becoming a prop?
I don't necessarily want to take it away from him but don't want it to cause more problems.

[becj86]

I feel like I have to keep inserting the pacifier back in to DS mouth. Is that normal?

Yes, it can be normal but it is clearly a prop given you're not wanting to keep putting it in but that's necessary at this point. They can become a comfort item around 5-7 months when LO can replug the dummy on their own (this happens at different times depending upon development). You could just give it to him as part of wind down and leave it out if he spits it out. That way if he wants it, he keeps it in, if he doesn't want it, he doesn't have to have it, yk? It could be the shape is a bit awkward for him to keep in his mouth - perhaps try another type of dummy... Sometimes they just have to get used to having it in and sucking on it, so it could just be that too.

Glad things are otherwise going well.