Pacifiers. Like everything else in the baby world, there are so many opinions on them! If you're like many parents, you might be pondering the following questions:  Are they good or bad? Are they a sleep crutch or a positive sleep association? Should you use them right away or wait until your baby is a few weeks old? 

When it comes to sleep, here are the pacifier answers you've been looking for: 

Q: Does the pacifier help sleep?

A: Sometimes! It really depends on a few things:

If you have a newborn (0-3 months old), absolutely! The pacifier is incredibly soothing and can definitely help with sleep. 

If you have baby (4 months +) who can't reinsert the pacifier on his own, and you're trying to work on independent sleep, it may be a good time to ditch the paci. This is because if your baby is reliant on the paci to self-sooth and stay asleep, but the paci falls out, he's going to need you to come and put the paci back in his mouth in order to fall back asleep. This is totally fine until your baby loses the paci 7-8 times a night and you keep needing to get out of bed to reinsert it. 

If your baby is able to find and reinsert the paci, however (often at 6 months or older), it can definitely help and can be a great way for your baby to self-soothe and fall asleep. 

Try playing this simple game to help your baby get used to finding and inserting the paci once he or she has the motor skills to do so: Place a bunch of pacifiers near your baby (some close and some a little farther away). Model grabbing the paci and putting it in your mouth. When your baby does this same, clap and cheer, then encourage him to try to grab another one. This will encourage your baby to look for and grab the pacifier which will be useful for when he's in the crib. 

You can also put multiple pacifiers in his crib at night so that they are easily found and grabbed when needed. 

Q: Are pacifiers a sleep crutch?

A: Sometimes! (Are you seeing a trend?)

If your baby can (and does) reinsert the pacifier on his own as needed, it's not a crutch at all. If your baby waits for you to come in and reinsert it for him before falling back asleep, then you may want to work on either sleeping without the paci or helping your baby get it back in on his own. 

Q: How do you wean from the pacifier for nighttime sleep? 

A: Read below for a few of my favorite methods. You may wish to combine a couple of your favorites

Method 1: Gradually cut the tip of the pacifier over rhe course of a couple of weeks so that it begins to lose effectiveness. In most cases, your baby will stop wanting it and with the gradual approach, it's less likely to affect sleep. 

Method 2: Start without the paci just for naps and help your baby or toddler  with sleep as needed until he or she has adjusted to sleeping without the paci. 

Method 3: If your child is age 1 or older, you may wish to introduce a lovey with soft parts for them to rub or a blanket /blanket lovey with a silk border. Rubbing the lovey/blanket will give them another option for self-soothing. Remember: nothing should be in the crib until your child is at least 1! 

Method 4: Gradually wean from the pacifier. To do this set parameters for when you will give your child the pacifier in the middle of the night. You might start by giving the pacifier at the first wakeup and then over the next couple of weeks, push that to the 2nd wakeup, the 3rd wakeup (if your child is waking up due to weaning the paci), and then finally not use the pacifer at all. Another strategy is to choose a time that you won't give the paci before. Maybe you start by saying you won't give the paci unless it's at least 10pm and then over time, push that to midnight, 2am, etc. You can do it in whatever way makes sense to you. There's a good chance that after just a week or 2, your baby or toddler will be fully adjusted and won't be waking looking for the pacifier anymore. 

If your child's sleep struggles are about more than just the pacifier, book a free 20-minute discovery call with me. I will show you how to totally transform your child's sleep in a way that feels right in your heart. 

Your child CAN be a good sleeper. I'll show you how to get there.