Pacifier or dummy - who uses or used it to get your baby to sleep?

[Mamabear12]

I know I know, not a good idea to use a dummy or pacifier to help baby sleep. I'm curious about your experience with this? My son wakes frequently at night from 2am or 3am (every hour or two hours). He sleeps fine from 6:30-11:30pm when we give him dream feed and back to sleep until 2/3am. I'm not sure why exactly he wakes so much after. We have had a few good nights where after waking at 3am he sleeps until 6:30am. I wonder if his frequent waking is bc of the dummy? Also, his day time naps don't last more then an hour before he wakes crying not knowing how to self settle. I'm exhausted!! I can't get him on a routine!

used one when DS was a baby and toddler. It worked for him. Started at about 3 weeks old as DS would only fall asleep on the boob and would wake when laid down and I was knackered. It took a while to get beyond DS falling asleep with dummy then dropping it and then waking up again.

Eventually tho it became part of his sleep time routine and cues to sleep.

You don;t say how old your child is... good luck. Daytime sleeps might only be short, that might just be his/ her timetable. DS would only sleep in 45 minute blocks as a baby.

Dd has one. I'd be out of my mind without it. She's mega sucky though I absolutely loathe them.

who said it was a bad idea? I used then with both of mine from about 3 weeks. From when they were about 18m we restricted it to sleep times only and got rid of them at 2 1/2 ish. DD had a few weeks of unsettled nights but as sorted herself out now. I don't understand why they are considered such a bad idea as a sleep aid, especially for young babies. They are a bad idea if you let them have 24/7 when they have teeth to pull out of shape and they have them in their mouths when they are learning to talk but it makes me cross when I hear new mums beating themselves up about "giving in" to a dummy as though they have somehow failed a test of perfect parenting.

My baby is 3 months. My worry is that he won't ever be able to settle w out it and that it is causing him to wake several times a night. It could just be bc he still young :) I'm just frustrated and want to see an improvement in his sleep. He still sleeps as a newborn! Worse then some newborns! Argghhh. My daughter was a much better sleeper and didn't take dummy. My son uses it to nod off.

If it works for your DC then it's a good idea. I researched this geekily when we had DS and the only provisos seem to be don't introduce when just getting used to BF (not an issue for us) and watch out for ear infections.

After about, well, I can't quite remember but 6? 7? months, maybe a bit less, he could pop it back in himself. We used one of these even from younger than that to stop it falling out of the cot/buggy.

We're easing off daytime use now he's turned 2, he puts it in a little drawer in his room when I get him dressed (but I sneak one in to nursery bag in case he needs it at nap time), and I don't mind if he uses it at night