help me get my babe to take a pacifier

[expat-mama]

This is our last ditch effort to improve our sleep experience. After this... we give up!

DS goes right to sleep in the car when he is a bit drowsy with a pacifier, but that is the ONLY time he will take it. I guess he knows mama is in the front seat, unavailable, so he'll settle for it then or something.

Other times when we offer it it to him, he'll fiddle with the little ring on it and pop it in and out of his mouth and turn it all around and chew it etc. Anything but suck on it, basically. In fact, when he is sleepy and we try to give it to him, he wakes himself up doing this! It's maddening.

I'm going to get some different pacis- soothies or gumdrops and mams because they don't have the rings on them for him to screw around with, so that's one thing we'll try.

Any other suggestions to help DS soothe with a pacifier? How to get him to just leave it in his mouth?

I don't mind nursing him at night a few times at all...just not All.Night.Long. anymore.

[evabea]

I don't have any advice, except to keep trying different brands. I thought DD wouldn't take a paci because she was so uninterested in the Soothie (I'd gotten it free somewhere). But she loved the mams right away. She did play with them in her sleep for awhile, waking herself up, but that stage passed thankfully. I live in mortal fear that nighttimes will become worse.... right now they're usually managable with just a few wakings to nurse, though occasionally she stays awake a few hours.

[Chloe'sMama]

DD does this too.  I hold her hands while she is falling asleep.  She will eventually stop trying to find the ring.

Good luck.

[P.J.]

Well, if he takes it in the car maybe because he knows your breast isn't available, maybe your DH/DP could try paci "training" without you there? Does he ever put the baby down? Maybe he should try, using a paci...even just during the day for a nap. Maybe he could sleep alone with the baby for a few nights (although it depends on your DH how safe that would be, and night weaning is another topic entirely).

Also agree to try as many brands / shapes / materials as there are out there.

And finally: some babies just don't take pacis. Ours didn't, and we tried maybe 6 different ones, for about 7 months. The  we gave up. Ultimately i LIKE that he doesn't use one, actually, but for fussy times and in your situation I definitely get why you'd want him to have one.

GL!

[SeattleRain]

My son also went through this phase. We introduced a lovey and redirected his hands to his bunny when he would play with the ring. They relaly just want something in their hands. A blankie would do also.

[LittleBirdy]

Ditto on getting your DH to try to give it to him.  Especially if you are not in the house.  I tried for my whole maternity leave (well, after the early weeks) to get DS to take a paci with no luck.  Second day of daycare, he accepted the paci.  After that, he would take it from me at home until he gave them up all together during his first teething episode.

[expat-mama]

hmmm thanks for the replies! We are going to redouble our efforts and try all the suggested tips.

THANKS