please help!!!!!!!!!!!! ............ pacifiers????

Question

after 4 weeks of life my baby is having a major crisis of "suckiling last night i couldn't sleep because i had to get up every minuter to put the pacifier in his mounth, i gave him a pacifier last night because i was absolutely desperate, i think that if he got this far without it why give it to him now, but this past days he wouldn not stop crying until i gave it to him, anyadvice please mother help me tell me what i can do to try to make him fall asleep with out the pacifier, or if this may be a transitional crave for suckling thank you !!!

Answer 1

This is very normal. Some kids are born with a very storng suckling instinct......and my three kids were part of that group. And it is much easier to get rid of the pacifier.....and you can't get rid of fingers or thumbs!!!
It has long been known that sucking has a purpose other than for nutrition for most infants. It can also help infants self-soothe or comfort themselves, whether they suck on a pacifier or their fingers. Not all infants are able to calm themselves in this manner, so in some ways you're lucky. And although sucking on a pacifier or on an infant's fingers is often thought of as being something bad, it can be an effective way to begin to teach your child about self-soothing.
Infants are hard-wired to need and enjoy sucking as a separate experience from feeding. In some infants this need is more pronounced than in others. Infants tend to exhibit the sucking behavior most when they are tired, bored, or in need of comfort. Some babies who do not suck their thumbs can be comforted, stimulated, or put to sleep through pacifier use. This is often more acceptable to parents since they can control the use of pacifiers. The problem with pacifiers is that young babies cannot find them when they fall out of their mouths, which happens quite frequently. Babies who use pacifiers are dependent on an adult who must understand their needs and respond to them. Children who suck their thumbs are able to begin at an early age to meet their own need for sucking. These children fall asleep more easily, are able to put themselves back to sleep at night more easily, and sleep through the night much earlier than infants who do not suck their thumbs.
Many parents are worried that their children won't stop thumb sucking at the appropriate age. The great majority of children stop thumb sucking spontaneously as they get caught up in learning new skills and no longer need to be stimulated or comforted by sucking. A study by Dr. T. Berry Brazelton indicates that as many as 94% have finished with sucking their thumbs by their first birthdays.
According to the American Dental Association, pacifier use and thumb sucking does not cause permanent problems with the teeth or jaw line, unless it is continued beyond four to five years of age. Many studies have looked at the number of children who continue to suck their thumbs at this time. As it turns out, somewhere between 85% to 99% of children have finished thumb sucking spontaneously before this period (the numbers vary depending on the study). Many parents are concerned that pacifier use and thumb sucking at a late age is a sign of emotional immaturity or lack of self-confidence. When investigators looked at this group for common traits, they found that late thumb suckers had one thing in common that distinguished them from other children -- a prolonged history of a strong battle with thumb sucking at an earlier age. It is striking that many well-meaning parents have actually encouraged this behavior by trying to forcibly take the thumb out of their children's mouths.
For children in the first year of life, sucking to fall asleep or for comfort is self-limiting and wonderful. If they are sucking their thumbs or pacifier simply because they are bored or are "zoned out," it is a good idea to distract them by handing them something interesting to hold on to, without even mentioning their thumbs/pacifier. Until your child is old enough to reason with, any pressure applied against thumb sucking/pacifier will only turn a natural developmental phase into an ingrained habit.
If your child has not spontaneously stopped thumb sucking/use of the pacifier by the time they are talking, there are ways to actively encourage them to stop. Right now, however, you do not need to be concerned about your child's natural way of getting the stimulation and comfort he needs in an independent and healthy way.

Answer 2

It is a very natural instinct for a baby to want to "suck". It is less stressful on everyone, especially the baby, if you go ahead and give him the pacifier. He obviously has a strong NEED for it. My first two couldn't live without it and my third (last) couldn't stand it (and trust me.... there were many times I wish she would have taken it!). For some reason there is a negative connotation that goes along with a baby and his parent's if the child uses a pacifier. In all honestly, who really cares what others think? Most pediatricians aren't concerned about long term effects. Concern only comes into play when the child is much beyond a year of age and that is because of tooth development. Go ahead and let your little one use the pacifier. He will be stress free as will you and his dad. :)

mb

Answer 3

Hi. I have 2 children. My son is almost 3. My daughter is 1.
I'm 34. My sister has 9 kids varying in age from 2 months to 13 years. You may not want to hear this, but you created this problem by allowing your son to have a pacifier, in the first place.
I took the pacifiers they gave my children, at the hospital, out of their little bassinets. I also gave the nurses instructions not to let them have them.
Pediatric dentists often agree that pacifier use in infants leads to
improper development of teeth. (Ie; they come in crooked.) and the need for the security of sucking the thumb when the child is in school.
Suggestion, take the pacifier and throw it in the garbage. When your son cries during the night. Get up. Change him. Feed him. Burp him. Rock him to sleep in your arms. Walk around the house singing to him.
If those don't work, try letting him sleep with you. That worked for both my kids, when nothing else would.
Welcome to motherhood, with it comes lack of sleep (yours).
4 month olds rarely sleep through the night.
If all else fails, try feeding him a little rice cereal mixed with formula by a spoon, just before bedtime. Sometimes that helps.

Answer 4

Pacifiers are a great thing, for some children. My oldest couldn't have cared less about a pacifier... He used it a little.. in the early months... and then he was done. My middle child was pacifier free.. even with colic, she just wasn't interested. My youngest? She needed three with her at all times.. one for each hand and one for her mouth. When she was ready to stop, she stopped.. with just a little encouragement.

Are they attractive? Not typically... but if they help your child feel secure and happy? Why not?

Answer 5

My son (29 years ago) did the same thing. He screamed and wanted to suck not be fed but just suck. He didnt suck his thumb and didnt want to try it so I finally broke down and got him a pacifier and he was quiet and happy.
You will not warp him if he uses the pacifier and will probably give it up just fine. You dont see any kids in college with them.
Just remember that he only gets it when he is going to bed not any other time. You can put limits on it.
When it is time to get rid of them then just tell him that it broke and they dont make them anymore...it works

Answer 6

I always breastfed which was awesome because it was a built in pacifier.

Try getting a bouncy seat, placing your baby in it, putting the blanket over them and putting the pacifier in his mouth then putting the blanket over the pacifier. *****PLEASE NOTE!!! DO NOT COVER YOUR SON"S FACE!**** Just place the blanket over the pacifier but not tight. just tight enough that if the pacifier falls out, he can route for it with his mouth and find it again. The blanket just keeps it from going far so you dont have to search for it.
Sit in a comfy chair, and bounce your son with your foot right in front on the bar at the bottom. He will fall asleep in this seat and have his pacifier. You can rest in the chair and put your foot on automatic mode.

The other thing you can do is get in the car and go for a drive to sooth your baby. When you get home, if he is sleeping, keep him in his car seat and place it near the tv and put it on a blank channel with the white noise and turn the volume real low at a peaceful level. This will soothe your son while he sleeps.

Answer 7

Go on and give him the pacifier, it gives him something to do. The baby is 4 weeks old, so let him have a few crutches. Sucking teaches him motor skills, helps him eat. Just don't let him go to college with the pacifier.

Answer 8

My daughter was obsessed with the pacifier!
And kids are smart, they know that last time they cried and cried, mom gave in eventually, so they continue the pattern. Someone told me to cut the pacifier, and it worked. We just cut the tip off, just barely, enough so that she could still have it in her mouth, but could not get that "suction" action. A week later, we cut a little more, after a couple weeks, she got frustrated trying to suck on it and just gave it up.

Answer 9

Just give himthe pacifier. Its not going to hurt anything. My oldest son took the pacifier all the time and it helped. My other 2 boys wouldnt take the pacifier at all. Dont worry about it. Once my oldest turned a year old, I just tossed the pacifier and he was fine.

Answer 10

It's simple -- either give him the pacifier or stick out the screaming, but you need to face the fact that your time and sleep won't be your own for a looooong time.

Answer 11

I would let them cry until they fell asleep. You are reinforcing that very behavior even though your trying to be a good parent. You have got to train the baby early or your going to have problems when the child grows and has other life altering issues that you give into.