why is shush/pat not a prop?

[seaflower]

Hi,

after reading lots of the posts on sleep and props, I was wondering why is sh/p not considered a prop?

I am using sh/p at the moment to get my 3.5mo DD to extend her naps. She still wakes up after 45 mins and it takes about 15 mins of sh/p to go back to sleep. Will she not get used to fall asleep with me being there? And how long before she stops waking up after 45 mins?

Why is it recomended to use PU/PD after 4 months? She calms down with sh/p but gets very agitated from PU/PD, is it ok to continue with it after she is 4 months old?

[GG]

You should only be doing pat/shush until she calms down, and you shouldn't be using it for weeks on end.  Don't continue until she falls asleep because, you're right, it can definitely become a prop!

If she responds to pat/shush after 4 months, feel free to continue doing so (again, unless it's become a prop).  Pat/shush worked for my ds until 5 months much better than PU/PD (which would overstimulate him at the time) so I used it when I needed.

Every baby is different and the month markers are rough guidelines.  For example, do you continue until the beginning of the 3-month mark or the end? Do the babies changes one the first day of their 4-month bday? No... so it's a rough estimate.