When should I take the pacifier away?

Bringing home a new baby can feel super intimidating as you try to navigate the waters of parenthood. One of the things that is often really helpful for babies is a pacifier. Lots of babies have a natural instinct to ‘suck.’ It helps calm them down when they’re fussy, helps them with sleep, and it can also help them stay more alert. Paediatricians also recommend the use of a pacifier to prevent the risk of SIDS.

In fact, the famous Paediatrician, Harvey Karp, uses a pacifier as one of his 5 S’s to help calm down a crying baby. Read more about the 5 S’s here.

So then why would I be talking about when to take AWAY the pacifier?

Well, after your baby is about 12 weeks old, the pacifier becomes something called a sleep prop. A sleep prop is an external ‘thing’ that your child is using to soothe themselves to sleep. The problem with sleep props, is that they involve YOU. You are the one having to constantly put the soother back in over and over throughout the night. The difference between using a pacifier and thumb or finger-sucking, is that your child can subconsciously pop their thumb into their mouth while sleeping, whereas if the pacifier falls out, they’re calling for you to put it back in.

So how do you take it away?

Cold Turkey. At night time.

You always want to make big sleep changes at nighttime to ensure that your child’s ‘need’ to sleep is high enough. This is called their sleep drive.

Both of my children have been avid soother-babies. They loooooved their soother and I was terrified to take it away. But you know what? Once I did, they started sleeping way better throughout the night and their naps got better AND longer. They also both became thumbsuckers and it’s the cutest thing ever. I promise you can’t change my mind.

For older children: to replace the pacifier, you can give them a lovey of some sort. A soft teddy bear, or a small blanket for comfort. We don’t want to add anything into the crib until your child is 1.

If your child depends on a pacifier to fall asleep for naps and for bedtime, and you’re constantly having to replace it throughout the night, I want you to consider what your life would be like having every evening uninterrupted….and to sleep through the night. It’s pretty blissful ;)

If you’d like help navigating this change, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’d love to support you with a sleep plan! Let’s book a time to chat here.

Sleep Tight!

Bailey