How can I wean off pacifier as it's disrupting sleep?
Hi everyone! 4 month baby is currently awake 7AM to 8PM with 1.5/2/2/2/2.5 wake windows usually, dependent on her cues. She still has a lot of trouble connecting sleep cycles and wakes up after 30 mins, but I know this is normal for this age... Some naps I can save by nursing IF she's hungry, but she still has a false start every night.
My current issue is her pacifier which she only uses for sleep, not during the day. It brings her a lot of comfort but I'm really struggling for nighttime especially. She keeps grabbing it with her hand and pulling it out but doesn't know how to put it back in yet.
For her naps, she cries while we put on sleep sack but instantly stops once we put binky in. Then she falls asleep within minutes as long as binky stays in!! Since naps are short, I can pop the binky back in for her usually.
But for bedtime, I cannot keep playing the binky game! I've tried not giving it to her upfront but she just cries. Shushing, patting, rocking, cuddling, etc does not help! She keeps screaming and screaming. When I think she's stopped, she just takes a breath and goes again.
When I try to nurse her, she'll be ok for a few minutes but then pops off to scream cry cause she doesn't want milk, she just wants to suck (I think my letdown is pretty strong). If she false starts, she wakes up screaming and I'm in a loop again where nursing is not what she wants.
Please help!! I'd be ok with teaching her to put it back in by herself but I don't think she can until like 7-8 months??
How can I wean her off it for bedtime gently? Do I need to wean it for both naps and bedtime? Or will giving it for just naps confuse her?
I've tried every single brand and type to help stay in, but she either hates them or they still fall out!
Posted Nov 1, 2025, 8:02 PM UTC