Weaning off Pacifier

There is no good way. If you insist to take the pacifier away you have bite the bullet and just take it away and have him scream it out. I choose to have my kids keep their pacifiers till they were three. Eventually I had them sleep with 5-6 in their beds. Had them fall asleep with a pacifier in either hand so I wouldn't have to get up.

Hi, Tahara. I'm a grandma now, but I still remember when my boys were little. Babies have a very strong need to suck on something, it's a comfort thing. If you take away his pacifier, he will probably find his thumb instead & a thumb is a lot harder to get rid of than a pacifier! My boys used their pacifiers til they were about 8 or 9 months old. One night they started throwing the things out of the crib onto the floor, just to get me to come back in, I guess. After a couple of trips back in, I simply ignored it & they fell asleep without it. I picked it up later & put it out of sight. The next night I didn't give it to them & they forgot to ask & that was the end of the pacifiers. My baby sister, on the other hand, sucked her thumb, cause my mom thought it was cute & didn't like pacifiers. She sucked her thumb til she was over 10 yrs old! Like I said before, it's easier to get rid of a pacifier. C.

I went through the same thing with my daughter. I didn't want to wean her off the pacifier because I read that it helps to prevent SIDS. Soon they will be able to put the pacifier back in by themselves. I also kept 4-5 extra ones in the crib with her. If she can't find the one she had she just grabs another.
Good Luck.

Many babies need that sucking for comfort for many months. I was totally against pacifiers until I had a daughter that need it. She still needs it at night and I just get up and give it to her because I can give up 30 seconds of sleep so my child can have comfort. Your baby may go to the thumb instead of pacifier if you take it away, just decide which is the lesser of two evils in your mind.

Hi Tahara-
The funniest thing, when I was reading this, it was as if I had written it myself a month ago. My son, now 3 1/2 months did the same thing. Honestly, I thought the same thing(about the 2am feeding being better than getting up every 20 min). All of the sudden- one night he just stopped waking up. He takes the binky when he's tired during the day- but at night I turn on his mobile and he smiles at the animals on it for a few minutes, then he's out for the night. NO BINKY!!! I guess my advise is try getting him to fall asleep without it. The mobile works really well. GOOD LUCK!!! J. (mom of a 3 yr old and 3 month old)

My daughter (now 22 mos) was also born with a medical condition and was given a pacifier to help soothe her and help her cooperate with medical procedures. I was given the advice to stop cold turkey...That it would be a rough couple of days but she would finally realize she didn't need it. I never had the heart to do that at at 15 mos she weened herself from it. It was our savior at night to get her to fall asleep but as soon as she lost it she would wake up. Try the cold turkey advice if you are determined to ween him or...let him ween himself.

Hi, Tahara,

I am a first time mama too and hubby and I are mostly winging it ourselves. You'd think being an early childhood developmental specialist would give us some advantage but it sure is different when you are living through your own child's illnesses, triumphs and naughtiness. Heeheehee....However, in this case, sometimes a little info can help. Most babies, developmentally, are in need of non-nutritional sucking. If it's the waking to find the pacifier that is the issue, help him find his thumb instead. His thumb will always be with him, he can find it himself after a while and it will help him self-soothe. My one year old son has a pacifier and he has learned to find it himself and pop it back in when he wakes. He was able to do this by the time he was 4 or 5 months old.

Some parents would rather have the pacifier instead of the thumb because when the child developmentally no longer needs this sucking, the pacifier is more easily weaned from than the thumb. The Pacifier Fairie can take the pacifier and leave a little something but the thumb is always with them. Duncan, most of the time, can take or leave the pacifier. If he sees it, he'll pop it in his mouth but doesn't protest if we take it out and doesn't ask for it. The only time he really seems to need it is when he is tired or stressed, as in getting his vaccinations or if he is sick. It seems like your son only needs it in these cases as well so it may be that you can tolerate it for these few times and look forward to the time when he can find it in his crib for himself.

Hopefully this was helpful...
S.

DO YOU BRESTFEED. that stop my baby, she gave it up on her own after 3mos to 4mos old

hi, Tahara,
I'm not sure why you think the pacifier is responsible for his waking up. It sounds like he wakes up and the pacifier soothes him. If he likes the pacifier, 2 months is very very very early to try to wean him from it. Some babies need to suck more than others, and this just might meet his needs. I have 2 sons. The first was a pacifier-guy, nursed until he weaned himself just under 12 months and never had a bottle. When he was 18 months he gave up the pacifier, which by then was just for naps and bedtime. My second son wanted nothing to do with a pacifier. I think your son's sleep pattern has nothing to do with the pacifier-- be glad it helps him, nurse him while he needs it, and as soon as you figure out his new sleep pattern he'll be on to a new one! By the way, my son with the pacifier slept through the night at 6 weeks, the non-pacifier guy nursed every 2 hours for the first 5 months. Honestly, it has nothing to do with the pacifier!

When my girls were young, the babysitter (actuially full-time day care, 50 hours a week, due to my work schedule) gave them both pacifiers. Around age 2 or 3, the babysitter took the pacifiers away, and boy, were my girls upset! She told them "The squirrels took your pacifiers for their babies". This little white lie worked, both girls were happy that their pacifiers went to help little animal babies. Today the 19 YO is a vegetarian and my 18yo eats no red meat.

You need to take the pacifier out of his mouth just before he falls asleep, so he knows it's not there. We used to hold our son and dance with him. When he was about to fall asleep, we used to tell him he doesn't need it and gently take it out of his mouth while dancing with him to sleep. After a week or so, he didn't need it any more.

congratulations on being a new mom! I have a baby girl, 9 months old, my first.
i actually WANTED my daughter to use a pacifier when she was around 2 months old (and now at this age, i am so glad she does, becuase she self-soothes so well all night long) but in the early months, like your son, she couldn't hold it herself or find it when it fell out. i helped her with it, like you do, oh how i remember those endless nights! And i was breastfeeding too so it was just a period of zero sleep for me! But from about 3 months of age on, i tied the pacifier to a light-weight grasping toy (we got one of the soft Kathe Kruse pixies from the website www.moolka.com)and it worked wonderfully. she soon learned that the pacifier was attached to the toy, and became adept at finding it in her bed and re-inserting it herself!
Originally, i too was opposed in theory to pacifiers, and i gave it to her reluctantly at my sister's urging, but today, i am so glad my daughter has something that comforts her. And, you know, they all grow out of it by 2 or 3 anyway.
But do not worry about any of it - whatever you decide to do will be the right choice for your son.
good luck and all the best to you!
~A.

Here's a direct link to the toy we used: http://www.moolka.com/jzv/prod/3606/Kathe+Kruse/Toys/Baby...

My son held on to his binky like it was a lifeline! We actually started out by only giving it to him during naps and when he was real fussy, but as time went on, he seemed to want it more (it went from a suckle need, to a want). My mom found the bye bye binky method ( www.bye-bye-binky.com ), printed it and suggested that we go with it. At first I was a bit mad at my mom, but I soon got over it. The method worked amazingly well. My son stopped sucking on it after 4 days! He proceeded to carry it around for another week, but never put it in his mouth. He then got tired of carrying it and simply lost interest. Mom was right, it worked, highly recommended!

I know hospitals automatically give them pacifiers when they are born.I used a pacifier for my kids for a few months. I just started weaning them off little by little. I know this will sound harsh but sometimes if you them them cry through it they will get over it. It's a habit he needs to break. I hope your baby is alright.

Here's my two cents. I am a mother of two, a 4 year old boy and a 3 1/2 month boy. My first LOVED his "binky" and my second won't even take one - just goes to show how different every child is, so again here's my two cents. We weren't able to wean it away from my first until he turned 3 - and that was with bribes. Our thinking was that he needed it. So I am not sure how you will wean off a 2 month old - and he is too young to grab it himself... other than ignoring his crying in the night. If that's not something you are comfortable with, then I would have lots of binkies on hand so that you don't have to hunt for the one that is missing in the middle of the night in the dark and ... you can quickly pop a new one in his mouth- and perhaps guide his hand- so when he is ready he will do it himself. Good luck.

i agree with all the points others have brought up
1. pacifiers reduce the chances os SIDS
2. pacifiers are preferred than thumb sucking as you will be able to take it away when it starts to affect teeth. my dentist prefers a pacifier when it is gone by 3 yrs, whereas thumb sucking cant be taken away.
3. babies need to suck, if not the pacifier, it will be you or the bottle.
4. he will soon be able to hunt for it at night esp if you puy a couple in.
4. are you sure he doesnt need that feeding. sometimes babies stop eating for awhile, then they need it again. my 2 month old still needs a night feeding, once in awhile 2, then goes right back to sleep. the pacifier may be just holding him off. try feeding him, and he may not wake up the whole night, with or without it. he may be sucking for awhile, nothing comes out, so he spits it out, cries, you replace it, and he tries again.
6. i completely agree with one of the posters who said it may have nothing to do with the pacifier. babies have very specific sleep cycles and throught these, have specific times where its easier o wake up(i think every 45 mins). the reason being if they stayed in deep sleep, they wouldnt realize they were hungry, therefore not eat enough to thrive. so he might get into the light sleep, wake, and not know how to get back to sleep on his own. so he cries, and you give him the pacifier to soothe him to sleep. now if he loses it, he may cry since he didnt fall asleep yet, but if you didnt give him it to soothe, he would be crying anyway as he needs help falling asleep.
7. he is very, very young. to expect him to sleep on a scedule. just because he does something for a week, doesnt mean he will stay doing it.
8. doctors, family, friends, ect who dont use pacifiers feel its their job to tell others not to. ignore them, you son is not theirs.
9. dont replace with blanket or toy as that is a sids risk at this age.

good luck to you, they grow so fast, this is really just a temporary thing that will adjust before you know it. just try to feed him instead and see how that works. it might be as simple as that. trust me, you arent suppose to be on a schedule at 2 months. let us know how it goes!!!

Hi Tahara,

Are you sure that he still doesn't need his 2 a.m. feeding? Have you tried feeding him instead of the pacifier? Babies stomachs are generally as large as their fists. This means that they fill and empty very quickly.
One alternative to the pacifier is teaching him to find his own finger. You can work with him during the day when he is alert to build his dexterity to bring his hand to his mouth (for hand or pacifier). However he won't learn to do this until developmentally ready. I don't suggest this as it is way more difficult to wean him off a finger than a pacifier.
Babies also have a built in need to suck. It is comforting. It could be that he still needs the pacifier and will wean when he is good and ready. It means that you will get interrupted sleep from 2-6 every morning until he learns how to find it himself or doesn't need it. (Not good news I know)Many parents scatter a number of pacifiers (same brand) around the crib so that the baby can find them when needed.
I guess you'll have to decide what works best for your family and what is most important to you.
If you are unable to wean him now it doesn't mean that you won't be able to wean him later. If the pacifier is needed only for sleep and is not used for comfort at any other time during the day, it should be easier to wean him as he will be learning about other ways to be comforted.
Hope some suggestion was helpful.

Theres nothing wrong with a pacifier. Thats why they make them. If you are not breast feeding on demand most likely he is not getting enough comfort sucking especially at 2 months of age Apparently he has a primal need or else he would not cry when it fell out of his mouth. Until he leans to put it back in his own mouth or finds his thumb. Easier to give up the pacifier than the thumb

I would ask your pediatrician. When he goes to high school you will remember thses days fondly

HI Tahara,

Congrats on your baby boy!! My daughter used her "binky" until she was 5 months, at that point she was waking up sooo much for it in the middle of the night, I couldn't bear it. It was, like you, every 20 minutes. My husband and I made the decision to let her cry it out. IT's not easy, but It worked. It worked not only in getting her to sleep through the night, but to do so without the pacifier. Talk to your doctor, I would think that two months is too young if you are going to use this method. I must tell you, most people were against me doing it, you have to feel comfortable in using the method for it work. I'm just sharing my experiences with you, you have to do what works best for you and your family and what you are most comfortable doing. But like I said, I received MORE advice NOT to do it than anything, people are VERY opinionated when it comes to that subject. AS if you are abadoning your child. Someone once made a good point that as parents, we have to teach our children everything, how to eat, talk, read, get dressed, manners, and developing good sleeping habits is one of those things we are also responsible to teach them. For us, letting her cry it out worked like a charm. That's not to say I just ignored her cries. When she cried I would go in and comfort her, after the first time, I prolonged the intervals that I would return to comfort her. Eventually she stopped! At least for 1 year and a 1/2 (now she's getting up for different reasons!) I just had a baby boy 3 months ago who refuses the binky, but I have already decided to let him cry it out when the time is right to help him sleep through the night. Good luck. And don't worry, my dauther is 2 1/2 and I'm still trying to figure it out!!!

Not sure if anyone told you but pacifiers reduce the risk of SIDS. Not knowing what your son was in in PICU for, I thought that information might be helpful. My daughter was in for 4 days (they called it NICU), for breathing issues (she was born 3 1/2 wks early). She gave up the pacifier on her own at 7 months (she just started spitting it out, and that was it), but in the early times, it gave me a little more peace of mind that she was safer with it at night. Most babies aren't sleeping through the night at 2 months so I would just endure the wakings and know that they won't last forever! I know, my daughter is turning 3 and it seems like just yesterday she was an infant! Good luck, whatever you decide to do.

Well you said he does this from 2am -6am so maybe try giving him that feeding at 2am again. I know when my little man was going through a growth spurt he wanted a bottle in the middle of the night even though he was sleeping through the night from 6 weeks on, so we did a quick bottle and diaper change and then he was back to sleep until morning.
It is just a suggestion but he may be getting ready for a growth spurt or having one. So I would go ahead give him a feeding and a quick diaper change and see if that helps him calm down and sleep for the rest of the night.
Good Luck!!!

If he is spitting it out then he doesn't want it, if he is losing it in his sleep...well that's a stage most of them go through...If he spits it out when you give it to him, get rid of it and he will learn to sooth himself....like everything else, it's a learning curve for the both of you...if he's losing it in his sleep and he wants it, replace it...they make glow in the dark ones and you can put more than one in there so you( and eventually he) can find one easily...it's a lot easier to take a binki away in a year or two than a thumb...I have 5 little boys, all started with a binki and 3 of them got rid of it on their own before 6 months...the other 2 I helped at about 16/20 months when they were starting to talk more...none of my boys became thumbsuckers so I didn't mind the binki so much...best of luck!

I had the same exact situation with both my boys...it got to the point where I was waking up every hour to put the pacifier back in. We went through the motions with my first son and played this game. He had a pacifier until he was 2 and it was HELL taking it away.
For my second son, we did it cold turkey. I took the pacifiers away altogether and let him "cry it out." Although it sounds harsh, it really only took him a few days to get the hang of things. Now, he is a GREAT sleeper all around. At night and during naps!

Maybe he really IS hungry. At 2 months old, many babies still need that extra night time feeding. Don't forget about growth spurts. Could he be rejecting the pacifier to get something better? Meaning, your love and attention or some food?

If he is spitting it out, there is your answer. It seems that your husband and yourself have been trained to give it to him. I feel you are more attached to the idea that it is giving him comfort as a result of his hospital stays. I don't mean this in a mean way at all. The younger the child the more the sucking impulse is. Do it now! don't wait! the longer you wait the worse it could be to take it away. I have seen 4 year olds walking around with them in their mouths. AAAAHHHHHHH!!! If there is EXCESSIVE crying as a result, give it back when HE seems to be in need of it. You could work on it in shifts if the crying gets to you. This may not be something a parent should try to take on alone if there is another adult around. Good luck.

Are you sure he isn't hungry? It isn't uncommon for newborns to sleep almost through the night and then start waking more frequently as they begin to really grow. They go through a big growth spurt around 6 weeks and need to eat more. Make sure to feed him on demand during the day. Only your baby knows when he is hungry. Doing this as opposed to watching the clock will help you to recognize your baby's hunger signals. We place a lot of value on a baby sleeping trough the night in our culture but it is more important for your baby to feed when he is hungry so that he can grow. Don't worry, he will sleep through the night when he is developmentally ready to. Also, you can practice helping him to find his thumb or fingers to suck on. He won't ever lose those!

My son also had a pacifier and I had to take it away from him. I replaced it with one of those bear blankies, and he now sleeps with it (holding it) and chews on it when he wants to put something in his mouth. It was a great switch!

My son would also lose his pacifier several times during the night, and he would wake up crying. I had to go into his room give him the pacifier several times a night. I got super tired of doing that and my doctor recommended to get rid of it before I have an even bigger issue (with teeth and such).

Good luck!