Anyone use a pacifier and *not* have major sleep issues later on?

[Karenn]

DD loves her passy. And I love it too. It almost always puts her right to sleep. She doesn't always need it, but it helps a lot of the time. So far, she's sleeping OK too. She'll often sleep a 5 hour stetch at night, which I think is pretty good for an 8 week old.

I know there are people out there who say the pacifier is at the root of many sleep issues, but are there people who have happily used the passy and still had an OK sleeper? I'd love to hear from you. It will help drown out all of the voices of people telling me that I'm going to regret giving her the passy to put her to sleep! (For what it's worth, I'm not at all worried about her needing it until she's 2 or so- that's fine with me. I just want her to sleep decently, and right now at least, the passy makes that happen!)

[heidis2girls]

My oldest DD loved her "binky"! She used it a lot until she was a year old, then she had it only in her bed for naptime and bedtime. When she was about two or so we took it away at bedtime. She fell asleep fine, probably because it was the end of the day and she was so tired. Naptime was another story. We finally took it away from her at naptime shortly after she turned 4!!! She had always been a really good napper, even at that point, sometimes sleeping 3 hours in the afternoon. Well, the naps stopped as soon as we took the binky away. She was four years old, so it was probably time for her to stop napping anyway.

She was always a really good napper and nighttime sleeper. She is still a really good nighttime sleeper. Her younger sister didn't and still doesn't sleep as well and never used the binky!

HTH!

[Marisa6826]

Well, Sophie is going to be two in 2 weeks ( I can't believe it!) and still uses a paci.

She's been sleeping 12hrs through the night since she was about 10-12w old (don't club me!!). It was soooo much easier once she was old enough to put the paci back in her mouth by herself. We have a little bear "brooch" paci clip that she wears all the time. When she's upset, I ask Sophie where her paci is, and she grabs it and puts it in. Crying stops almost immediately (this is usually around nap time).

I thought about trying to either take it away, or restrict it to only the car and her crib, but honestly, I'm sure she's going to need it more than ever to soothe herself once her sister makes her debut next week.

Besides, I don't think it's fair to let Amelia have one, but then tell Sophie no.

-m

[COElizabeth]

My nephew used a pacifier, and that thing was magical in calming him down on airplanes, etc. He'd go right to sleep. He also was a good sleeper for both naps and nighttime. My sister eventually restricted pacifier use to naptime and nights. She got rid of it entirely when he was 2 or so, but it really wasn't a big deal. She was very disappointed when her DD would not take a pacifier, and she is not the only mom I know who has said that things were so much easier with the child who would take a pacifier as opposed to the one who wouldn't!

Elizabeth, Mom to James, 9-20-02
and Charlotte, 11-04-04

[tinkerbell1217]

With DD #1 we used the paci til she was about a year and she gave it up with no problems and no sleep issues. Maybe we were just lucky! I had to get it away. I probably would have let her keep it til 2, if necessary, but after that I just think it looks terrible!

[Jenmv]

DD used a paci from about 6-16 weeks of age and then gave it up on her own. Honestly she only used it to help relax enough to fall asleep and once she fell asleep she usually spit it out and continued to sleep fine. No regrets here. Like so much else it really depends on the child.

[bluej]

Ryden was pretty much the same. He used the paci to fall asleep (or I used it to put off a feeding until I could get somewhere to feed him) and then all of a sudden he gave it up at 5 months. He didn't have problems falling asleep without it and has always fallen asleep very well (staying asleep was another issue!). So I wouldn't stress about it until it becomes a problem (and it very well may never be a problem).

[psophia17]

DS had a paci from about 1 week old and is mostly weaned from it now at almost 11 mos. I didn't want to give him one, but it was the only thing we could do when he had bad gas pains. Until about 4 months, we kept it with us to settle him down if need be, and after that it was for crib use only. It's still in there, and if his teeth are bothering him or he wakes up in the middle of the night, he'll pop it in himself and go back to sleep, but otherwise, he doesn't use it.

He's been a great sleeper, 10+ hours a night, since he was about 4 months old. For future kids, I'll see if we can do without, but I certainly won't not give one if it does the trick.

[barbarhow]

We had a similar experience. I think Jack stopped using it on his own at about 12-14 weeks. His choice. I also think it depends on the child.
Barbara-mom to Jack 3/27/03, a Red Sox fan
expecting #2, a Yankee fan, around 5/9/05!

[NEVE and TRISTAN]

HTH...he still pacis at 21 months. I honestly think I had a window of opporutntiy to take it from him until about 4 months ago...now I wouldn't dare try!!!!


Neve and Tristan born Feb 25, 2003
* EDD 3/19/05 Baby girl BRONWYN
* Adopting siblings in Ukraine 12-10-04
http://home.nc.rr.com/ourbabytristan

[Momof3Labs]

Colin is a paci kid, and has never had what I would call major sleep issues. He gets them at naptime and bedtime only (and it's been that way for almost a year now) and shows no signs of giving them up. Since it "buys" sleep for all of us, I go with it. He's been sleeping through the night (for the most part) since 3.5 months of age, naps have been difficult at times but the problems have always resolved themselves with time and some effort on our part.

Now if there was a way to get my kid to sleep until at least 5:30am every day - that would be wonderful!!

[tippy]

Well, ds is 22 months and not only does he still BF but he is an AVID paci user! Really, he usually goes to sleep with one in his mouth and one in each hand. I kid you not. The one reason I still haven't tried to take them away from him is that he has 3 more molars to cut. The poor kid has had a TERRIBLE time teething and his paci's really seem to help. He will chew on them like crazy when he is cutting a tooth. I have to constantly check them for wear and replace them because he has put holes in few of them. Whenever my DH watches him, he doesn't give ds the paci during "play" time. DH always say's that he doesn't miss it. When I'm home with him he sticks his hand through the slats of his crib to get them and will run around with one on and off all day. I agree with Marisa, it does get so much easier when they can find it themselves and you don't have to get up at night to keep popping it back in for them. Technically, I understand that after three months they no longer have the "suck reflex" and that if you want to wean them off of it that is the time to do it. Good luck with whatever you decide on.
Teva
Mom to AJ born 1-8-03

[kijip]

Used a paci, still use a paci sometimes and nary a sleep problem. I have a good night sleeper and a good napper. He slept for 4 hours at a stretch from the time he came home and was sleeping 8-10 hours a night pretty quickly. He self scheduled- we did not do much sleep training besides establishing a routine following his cues and we adopted waited a few minutes for him to self soothe before running to get him starting at about 6 months. Now he sleeps from 8PM-6 or 7AM and naps at 11 and 3. All self determined. I really don't think the paci is the harbinger of doom I believed it to be pre Toby!

It sounds like you have a paci loving, well sleeping baby on your hands! Enjoy the rest!

[Karenn]

Thank you all! I am encouraged. I can now confidently put that passy in knowing that there is at least some hope that she still might be a good sleeper. (Honestly, all she needs is to be an OK sleeper and I'll be thrilled!)