Keep the D*%&#@ pacifier in your mouth!!!

[Friendlee]

My dd takes a paci and it calms her greatly, but she constantly lets it fall out and then shakes her wide open mouth furiously like a fiend trying to get it back in. I replace it and literally, less than 60 seconds later it falls out and she becomes desperate for it again. If I just don't replace it, it will end in screaming. I don't want to just hold it there, because I am supposed to be using her naptime to get stuff done. However, she never ever, ever reaches that deep slumber because of the paci issue. I see that people are so upset that their baby won't sleep more than 45 minutes for naptime. I would KILL for a regular 45 minute break each day! She will only sleep for like 10 minutes. I have to hold her for her to take an hour nap and some things you just can't do with a baby in a sling....like shower!

What else can I do besides tape the darn thing to her mouth?

[completebeginnings]

Have you tried a different brand? My ds prefers the soothie but it fell out all the time. I got him to take the Nuk and it stays in much better. But he is pretty opposite. He sucks until he is soothed then pushes it out and goes to sleep. Sorry that sucks. She could be screaming and not sleeping though which is much worse..trust me been there before.

[Pookietooth]

How about trying some different sleep associations than just the paci? Swaddling? Sling? Swing?

[Friendlee]

TRUE! She could be screaming. She is such a good baby in every sense except keeping herself asleep for more than 10 minutes. When awake she is totally smiley and calm.

I've tried a few different brands/different shapes. I've also tried going without the paci and jst swaddle or sling or swing. She always falls asleep great. She's actually so easy to get to sleep. It's just the second I start to back away (even if I wasn't touching her and was only hovering over her) she gets very angry. It's like she can sense my presence, or lack therof.

I feel so alone because most people complain about getting the baby to sleep in the first place and I can't really find anything about a baby who is unable to reach the deep stage of sleep because of constant waking. Not sure why she miraculously can figure it out overnight (I'm grateful) but not during the daytime. I MUST get a break in order to get some stuff done! I long to do laundry and dishes! Ha! Seriously!

[TortelliniMama]

One of the books, either Happiest Baby on the Block (I think it's this one) or maybe No Cry Sleep Solution, talks about teaching babies to hang on to their pacifiers by gently tugging on them while they have them. So, as I remember it, you give the pacifier, the baby takes it and is sucking on it. While they've still got a grip on it, you tug on it just a bit. The baby will (hopefully) respond by sucking harder to hold on to it. Repeat 30,000 times. I'm not sure if you're supposed to start doing this with the baby asleep or awake or if it matters. Basically, I think what you're doing is teaching them what to do when it's starting to fall out. You're building that association between, "Hey, it's falling out!" and slurping it back in. I haven't tried it, so I don't know if it works, but it could be worth a shot.

[completebeginnings]

White noise machine? We have one of those a humidifier and a ceiling fan all on at the same time. But my baby is similar. Not quite as bad he will sleep for 40 min alone but if I am in the same room as him(or someone else I put my 2 year old in my bed to nap) he will sleep for 3 hours.

[Friendlee]

Yep, we do white noise and it doesn't seem to make things any better. boooo.

I hadn't read about the paci exercise before, but I guess I instinctually thought that would work and have tried it. Often she has it in her mouth so lossely that she'll allow it to slip right out and won't re-grip....but then half a second later is doing that fiendish head shimmy, groping at the air hoping it will find it's way into her mouth. I have not, however, tried it 30,000 times! LOL! So maybe the key is repetition.

[kathleen_mary]

I tried the paci "training", and it did seem to help. Yeah, I had to do it 30,000 times. The way I do it now is hold her on her side facing out, while she's swaddled, and use one of my hands to sort of gently prop the pacifier up while she's working up her suck, and also to catch it if she lets it drop out.

Originally Posted by Friendlee

She always falls asleep great. She's actually so easy to get to sleep. It's just the second I start to back away (even if I wasn't touching her and was only hovering over her) she gets very angry. It's like she can sense my presence, or lack therof.

Hahaha! This is not really funny, I can totally relate to your frustration. Laurel dozes off pretty easily, but has an uncanny ability to detect when the Mr. and I are about to engage in, ahem, adult activity of any type.

[joyakshi]

do you play it loud enough? we have to turn on the heavy duty vacuum.

Originally Posted by Friendlee

Yep, we do white noise and it doesn't seem to make things any better. boooo.

I hadn't read about the paci exercise before, but I guess I instinctually thought that would work and have tried it. Often she has it in her mouth so lossely that she'll allow it to slip right out and won't re-grip....but then half a second later is doing that fiendish head shimmy, groping at the air hoping it will find it's way into her mouth. I have not, however, tried it 30,000 times! LOL! So maybe the key is repetition.

[Pookietooth]

I just gave in with ds and laid with him or wore him (and walked) for naps. I find I can do lots of housework while babywearing, other than loading or unloading the dw or unloading the washer. I have dh do those or my postpartum doula (who also folds the laundry among other things), or actually lay dd down awake while I do them (she will lie there without fussing for 10 minutes).
Also with ds I eventually figured out that I coukd get up if I did it ten-15 minutes after he fell asleep (not sooner or later). Not sure yet if this one has a window.

[Ms. Cellaneous]

No great advice, just commiseration here. The paci is such a double-edged sword, it really calms him down and obviously is a great comfort to him, but then when it falls out -- as it often does -- tragedy.
I've tried the trick of tugging on it to get him to suck harder. Sometimes it works, and sometimes he just lets it slip out of his mouth and then looks at me like, "What did you do that for??" Poor guy!
I have to say, I previously never understood those warnings on pacifiers that say, "Never tie pacifier to infant's head" or some such. I thought, what kind of bleepin' idiot would tie a pacifier onto a child?? Now, I understand. Of course, I would never do it... but I really understand the temptation.

[Friendlee]

[QUOTE= I thought, what kind of bleepin' idiot would tie a pacifier onto a child?? Now, I understand.[/QUOTE]

Ha! So funny!

So I turned the white noise up a lot louder. I got her down just down jst now, sleeping soundly. She cried about 3 minutes into it and I went in to return the paci. Then she cried again (another 3 minutes into it). I looked at my husband and said, "Your turn. Please go put her paci in." Wouldn't you know it, we haven't heard a peep from her in 15 whole minutes! Maybe he has the magic touch. Of course this only makes me look like I am crazy to him, when I talk about how difficult things are. Sheesh.

....oh, okay, there she goes. But hey, 15 minutes was pretty good. Maybe there is something to the louder sound machine. Thanks!

[Pookietooth]

The problem with introducing a paci is you have to take it away when they get teeth. I have a friend whose 3 year old (now 4) was still dependent on it and she was really buck toothed.