Last Saturday at Mackenzie’s nine-month checkup, her pediatrician recommended that we wean her from her pacifier immediately. She said that we have a window right now, and if we miss it, we might end up with a two- or three-year-old who still needs her paci.
I have no idea if this is true. A few people have warned us or discouraged us from using a paci, but it has been so helpful with her sleep training that I truly haven’t cared.
But I DO want Mackenzie to learn to self soothe, so I agreed to the plan.
We went cold turkey on Saturday. She dropped her paci on the floor, and I didn’t give it back to her. We’ve been paci free ever since.
The unexpected consequence has been that she still wants to be soothed, and so now she wants to nurse to sleep. Every. single. time. I feel like a human pacifier.
The worst part is that her naps have all but disappeared. She wakes up as soon as I set her down, and if I leave her in her crib, she just hollers and plays. Today’s most successful nap was 12 minutes long.
I don’t know if this is sleep regression or teething or both, but man, oh, man.
I want the paci back.
9 Comments
Honestly, if giving up the paci isn’t working right now, there is nothing wrong with going back to it. If things don’t improve after a few more days, you might consider it.
We used paci’s for both our boys. Jack gave his up all on his own around 10 months. Xander’s usage has cut back and if he doesn’t give it up himself by a year, then I’ll consider weaning him from it.
Good luck and hope you guys get some sleep!
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Dee Reply:
July 11th, 2011 at 3:27 pm
Thanks, Amy! It’s been just over a week now, and we are hanging on. Still fussy naps and bedtimes, but I think(?) I see improvement. I think I might take Jen’s suggestion and just use it when teething is really bad. Mackenzie has about six teeth that are almost through. (Taunting her, poor girl!) We use a homeopathic drop for extra fussy nights, but I think using the paci might be okay then, too.
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Dee Reply:
July 15th, 2011 at 10:08 pm
Thanks, Amy! After all of the comments from moms saying to give it back if that’s what works, I decided to try it. Go figure – now she won’t take it! So we’re pressing on. 🙂
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oh such a controversial subject, the paci! I’m with you, SO afraid to mess with the good sleeping. We didn’t worry about it with Maggie and she used a paci until she was almost 3. And honestly? I’ll be fine with it if Audrey does too. They both only use(d) it for sleeping (or lately, if A is particularly fussy with teething, I’ll let her have one for a bit) It didn’t mess up Maggie’s teeth or effect her speech one bit, and she didn’t have any other ‘lovey’ items. So I didn’t see a big problem with it (and now that I think about it, her ped never even asked us if she was still using one, maybe because there were developmental issues that came up? who knows)
If you stick with it this time, good luck! If she’s done well so far with it (other than the napping), she’ll probably be fine. Even at almost 3, it was a pretty easy transition- one we made WAY worse in our heads worrying about it beforehand!!
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Dee Reply:
July 11th, 2011 at 3:25 pm
Nine months does seem early, doesn’t it? My sister said her pediatrician wasn’t worried about her daughter at all, either, and that pediatricians go more by their education and the “average nine month old” – so true. Now that we’ve taken it away, I’m afraid to give it back. But when she’s super fussy, I may try giving it to her just to get her to sleep, and then taking it away. It usually falls out of her mouth anyway. Maybe make it just a nighttime thing?
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oh, yes. so much buzz about the pacifiers!
if sweet girl isn’t napping well, it is not the end of time to go back to the paci:)
i was told the same thing when my son was 9 months. we decided to give it a try. terrible idea. he just went bonkers. no. sleep. at. all. so, we gave it back after four horrible days. he only took it at nap or bedtime. peace to all!! we moved to a new place when he was 16 months-took the opportunity to take the paci away again. it was just part of the new home adjustment. no fuss, he is fine!
so, relax and do what your daughter needs. and if it includes a paci, dandy. if you want to take it away, try when you come home from vacation, or some time away:)
you’re a great mama! press on! xo
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Dee Reply:
July 11th, 2011 at 3:22 pm
Thanks, Hannah! I go back and forth so much… especially last night. We’ve made it through a week and a half, and she just started stringing her consonants together and talking more. And she has teeth coming in. So I think we’ll hang in there? (Although I may change my mind at bed time tonight. 🙂 )
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Dee Reply:
July 15th, 2011 at 10:06 pm
Thanks so much for your encouragement, Hannah! I tried giving the paci back, but she seems uninterested now. Go figure! And still not sleeping as well, but it’s getting better. {fingers crossed}
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hannah singer Reply:
July 15th, 2011 at 10:23 pm
how about that! it will indeed get better!
wishing you a good sleep, friend. xo
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