Help with Sleeping - Cincinnati,OH

I would suggest breaking them of the pacifier. It will be very difficult the first few days but they will adjust. My son wanted a bottle every night 2 or 3 times a night! I finally just stopped giving it to him and he finally slept through the night! It is hard but you have to be strong.

K.
I have to agree with the other responses. I went through the same thing with my children. I finally realized that when they woke up without their pacifiers they had learned that they got my attention when they screamed. The lost pacifier was just an excuse. You'll have a few rocky nights but they WILL learn to sleep without them. Actually, your nights can't really get that much worse so what have you got to loose. Oh yea, don't forget to reassure your children that you are still around but not for at least 15 minutes into their hysterics. They are used to seeing you or your husband on a regular basis all night long. You don't want them to feel they have been abandoned. It's just now you are in charge.

K., I also have twins (two boys) that are about 20 months. Like yours, they only got their binks at night and would wake up and want them after they dropped them out the side of the crib. One night about 2 weeks ago, i decided to get all the binks i could out of sight. When we layed them down, i turned on their music like i normally do and then walked out after covering them up. Everything normal but giving them a bink. They started to cry and I went back in and pretendedn I couldnt find them. It's taken about a week but now we're able to go to bed without much crying and are normally sleepign within 10 minutes. i wanted them off of the binks before they were 2 and transitioning into toddler beds. I would suggest just getting rid of them b/c it is alot of work to replace the binkies all night long. Good Luck.

A.

Maybe they are going through a growth spurt. Try feeding them right before bed. If they wake up, try giving them something else like a yogurt. I find my daughter sleeps so much better if I get something in her tummy. It is a PITA to get out of bed to feed them, but maybe you can sleep longer afterward.

I had the same problem. My daughter would wake up in the middle of the night when she would lose her pacifer. I ended up just letting her cry it out. Most of the time she would find the pacifier on her own then go back to sleep. About two months ago I took away the pacifier at night and naps cold turkey. It took about a week for her to adjust but now we no longer have it. She is now 15 months old. My only problem is the bottle. She will only drink milk out of a bottle and water out of a cup only. What a fun age. Good luck
C.

I had the same problem with my kids. They were on a bottle not the pacifier. They would drop the bottles in their beds or they would fall out of the crib and behind and make such a mess. I finally decided that enough was enough and took the bottles and hid them. I would open the cupboard and say oh no they are missing. Uh oh I guess we will have to go night night with no bottle tonight. They understood because we hunted the house together to look for them but didn't find them. I Hope that helps good luck sweetie. -JB

Hello K.,

I can relate to your situation. I also have twins, boy and girl. They will be 3 in June. We went through the same situation. The plan that worked for us was to just do away with the pacifier all together. The first few days were a little tough. They did very well after that and we did not have to get up with them any more because they had learned to go back to sleep without them. Right now I think that in your case the longer you continue to keep getting the pacifier for them the harder it is going to be to get rid of it. Good luck to you I hope that you get back to sleeping all night.

They should be able to locate their own pacifiers at that age. If they are not or not willing, but still want them, then I would suggest breaking them of the habit. Find a blanket or stuffed animal if they need a security item, but no parent should be having to look for a pacifier to put back in any child's mouth at 17 months or 10 times a night.

I have an 11 month old who takes a pacifier and if he loses it in his sleep he either has to locate it or he goes back to sleep without it. We will not go and find it for him, because if we do, then his twin brother who do not uses one, screams til he is held and put back to sleep.

Just my opinion.
T.

Hey. I have a 13 yr old and a 15 month old. I gave both of them the pacifier. My youngest still wakes up in the middle of the night and cant find hers. What i did is put about 5 or 6 in the bed with her and it works. Every once in a while she cant find them if there in the corner of the bed but its worth it to use the pacifier. I work in a dental office and have thought alot about it. My oldest had hers until she was 4 (yeah) but u can get rid of a pacifier, but u cant get rid of the thumb. The pacifier just made my oldest have an open bite but it closed as soon as she got rid of it. The thumb can cause an overbite which has to be corrected with braces. I hope i helped a little.
J.

Have you tried the wubbanub pacifiers? They sell them at children's hospital. They are pacifiers attached to stuffed animals that hold the pacifier in the baby's mouth so the baby can't lose it when they spit it out.