How Long Will the Baby Rely on Pacifier When Sleeping

I've heard pacifiers are bad for their teeth while sleeping. We never started one, but at 6 months, I was getting kinda tired of the whole crying at night thing too :0) My doctor tole me that at 6 months, they were old enough to do the "cry it out" thing.

It took us about 2-3 nights before we got a sound full night's sleep but it's worked ever since. You pretty much put them down iwth out the pacifier and let them scream for about 2-3 min. Then you go in and comfrot them. Then leave for 5 min, the let them scream (if they still are) and then go back in and comfort, the leave for 10. and you just keep adding time until they get it :)

It's a heartwrenching experience, but it totally works and both parents and baby are happier after !

Hope it works for yoU!!!!

I believe it all depends on the child...I personally do not believe in the ferber method or letting my babies cry if they dont need to. My oldest son was like yours he was more dependent on the paci. When his fell out at night he's wake up and cry...I bought him one of those glow in the dark paci and kept a night lite on in his room so he could see it when he woke up or sometimes I'd just stick an extra one in the crib with him...lol. I completely broke him of his paci at 12 months. I hid it and didnt offer it to him during the day and tried not to give it to him at night unless he was really fussy. Then slowly weaned him from it at night until he was completely not dependent on it. He's now 2.
Now my 11 mo old is a little different. He has never really been too dependent on his paci. He only wants it to go to sleep. If it falls out while he is sleep he cares less. also it is really up to you on how u want to handle it because usually once they hit 6mos is a real milestone for children...You pretty much can spoil them rotten and cater to their every whim up until then. Once they hit 6mos they realize how their actions affect you...they are easily able to be put into routines at this point and they learn very quickly at this stage meaning u will be training them or they will be training you.

My sister's child did that and what she did was take the passy away from him altogether because when she let him have it during the day and took it away at night it made him scream worse. If I remember correctly it was a nightmare to take it away completely but she was working and she wasn't getting but a couple of hours of sleep because he was waking up so much crying because he lost it. I think that she had to put up with a nightmare for about a week and then it got better.
Good luck.

E.,
Is she eating food yet? At 6 months she is ready. A little baby cereal at night might help keep her satisfied so she doesn't wake up when the paci falls out. She is still pretty young so don't worry about taking it from her. You could try daytime naps without the paci and see if she adjusts then slowly at night if you really want to. Most still have their paci at a year old.
Good Luck!
A. - Mom of 2 teens

At about 6 mos. babies no longer really need to suck anything. I gave my kids pacifiers to fall asleep, but I actually took them out of their mouths once they fell asleep, and I never put them back in. If you start doing that at this age, you're setting your kid up to develop a habit that you'll want to break later. Me eldest rejected the pacifier around 11 months, and I stopped giving it to my youngest to go to sleep around his first birthday. I would recommend reading Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth. It's a great book that explains children's sleep needs and issues and how to deal with it all. Good luck!

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We let our daughter keep hers until she was 1-1/2. I had a good friend that worked in the dental field that told me the easiest way to get them to go without is when they could understand what was going on. The way we took her off the passy was we got ride of all but one. We cut the tip off so when she would suck on it the passy would collapse. After a couple of days we cut a little more. We would keep doing this every couple of days until she could not keep it in her mouth. We told her it was "broken" and that she would need to throw it away. That way they remember doing it themselves and she never asked for it again. It took about 2 weeks for the entire process.

my doctor told us to put 3 or 4 passies in the crib with our son. we did and he was able to find them in the night for himself. it helped a lot for us. he's 2 now and still takes a passy. we don't mind at all that he has it, he loves it so much. you have to do what you feel is best though and just go with it. God bless! :)

Hello E.! I am a mother of an 18 month old babygirl and also an orthodontic dental assistant. There is absolutly nothing wrong with a child having a paci/binky (as my daughter calls hers) until they are ready to give it up themselves. Sucking their thumbs are wayyy worse (as it causes "buck teeth" and a HARD habit to break). My sister and I both had ours until we were 4 (YES 4) and our teeth were fine. Babies need a comfort item (blankie, stuffed animal) and I do not believe in taking a soothing comfort away. We also keep 4 or 5 binkys in my daughters crib that way at night she can find them if she drops hers. She also went through the crying stage at night when she was about 6 months and we let her "cry it out" (no more than 5 min at a time) but in 2-3 nights she didnt cry anymore and has been going to sleep like an angel ever since then. Your baby will learn to find it during the night himself and I think everything will work our perfectly. Good luck, hope this helped!!

A pacifier is a comfort object for her at this age. When she's alone or tired it gives her comfort and order in her ever changing world. I didn't take my daughter's away until about 18 months (teeth are just fine per her dentist visit last month) and my son still has his at 15 months. He is a lot more attached than she was, but I have started the process with him. At first I took it away during the day and only let her have it for car trips, naps and nighttime. Then I forgot it on one car trip, so never took it in the car again. Then at naptime a week or so later I told her they were all dirty and she did o.k. so a few nights later they were "dirty" again and she was done with them. I really believe babies need a comfort object. For some it is a blankie, stuffed animal, etc. For others, it is a binkie/paci. Buy some glow-in-the dark (Avent makes them as well as some others) and as she gets bigger, she will keep it in or be in a deeper sleep to not notice when it falls. Good luck.

Hey E.! I wouldn't say that I am an expert, but I have two kids, now 12 and 10. The 12 -yr-old used a pacifier until it finally "disappeared". I think he was almost 3. It was to the point that I was embarassed by it. He only used it at night, to fall asleep. he was also brand-specific and only wanted a certain pacifier. If it was not available, he would go without. This made is easy to "disappear". He is now a great sleeper and can sleep through just about anything. His sister would never take any type of pacifier and about drove me crazy. I would continually rock her and she would wake up at the slightest movement or noise. Even at 10, she still does not sleep well. Each child is different. Some people say to just let them cry and they will learn to soothe themselves - not so great when your child cries until she makes herself throw up all over the room. I would let the baby use the pacifier for at least a year - it doesn't do any harm. We clipped the pacifier to our son's pajamas and he would find it in the middle of the night and put it back in himself. Then I might try and replace it with a stuffed animal or a favorite blanket. Americans are one of the only cultures that do not encourage "family sleeping". Everyone has their own opinion on this (my husband and I like our privacy, but when he's away for work the kids still like to sleep with me), but I think anyone can relate to a child being afraid to sleep alone. It's comforting to know that someone is there with you. You just need to discover what works best for your child and you. Don't worry too much about what other people say about a pacifier. My son's teeth are fine and he sleeps great. Good luck!

hi E. i am a grandmother of 7 babies.. ages from 1 month to 7yrs old.. as far a pacies go let her have it she is using that as a sleeping aid it will not hurt her to have it i went thru the babies droping it out of there mouth while they sleep and wake up cryig for it it is there confort food.. to speak of ...as they get older there mouth muscles will strengthen and she will keep in in better.. trust me to save your sanity let her have it.. as she gets older id say when u bottle break then break her of the pacey..its easier.. to keep u sane do it other wise her crying for the pacey will drive u nuts.. trust me.. lol she will grow out of it .. sooner then u think.. to me 6 months is to young to start breaking anythung.....sorry but thats my opinion... dont be so...hard on your self or your baby if she wants the pacey its not the end of the world u are trying to quickly to do things that just take time.. slow down... ;-)i do know other mothers will dissagree but your commom sense will tell u what your child needs ..trust your gut feelings not everyone elses say so.. its your child and if she wakes up and its not past 12am then she needs someting besides milk to fill her tummy that alsways makes the baby sleep better alittle cereal before bed time does wonders.. try it..