4 Month Old Sleep Question - for those that did CIO and/or took away paci

DD is 4 months and is a really great sleeper. No night feedings and sleeps 11-12 hours, usually 8-9pm through 8:30am.

But lately she's taking longer to get to sleep and crying for the paci and waking up a few times at night and fussing/crying for her paci.

- If your DC uses a paci at night, how do you deal with this? It's not horrible to put it back in, but I feel like it's getting worse, not better.

- At what age did you let DC fuss and/or cry a bit to get to sleep? I feel like I can't take the paci away (and it's a SIDS rec to let them have it for sleeping) if I'm not going to let her self-soothe, but is 4 months too young??

- When did you stop swaddling and how was the transition? We still swaddle her , but are going to have to stop that at some point and I'm terrified none of us are going to sleep again. When her hands aren't swaddled she is constantly moving them around!!!

Re: 4 Month Old Sleep Question - for those that did CIO and/or took away paci

Bump for the morning crowd!!

Re: 4 Month Old Sleep Question - for those that did CIO and/or took away paci

Everyone is going to give you different answers on this.

My DD stopped taking the paci at about 4 months. She kept spitting it out, and when I would try and out it back in, she would cry.

We used the Ferber Method (a modified CIO) at 5 months.

I swaddled until she was 5 months old. Once she could roll over, I just wrapped her up from the waist down. We moved to sleep sacks, and it was fine. No problems transitioning.

Re: 4 Month Old Sleep Question - for those that did CIO and/or took away paci

If your DC uses a paci at night, how do you deal with this?
DS has his paci to fall asleep but usually spits it out a few minutes after we put him down. He doesnt fuss for it in the middle of the night. He sleeps from about 7pm-5am. He's 3 1/2 months


- At what age did you let DC fuss and/or cry a bit to get to sleep?

Good question. DS is really good about sleeping at night. Usually I nurse and/or rock him to sleep but last night we put him down sleepy and he fell asleep. I wouldn't let him cry himself to sleep yet.
- When did you stop swaddling and how was the transition?

We still swaddle DS. Sometimes he seems like he wants out of it but he would definitely startle himself awake cause he still moves his arms alot. I think we will keep swaddling for as long as we can. We even swaddle for most naps ( if he is crying alot)

Re: 4 Month Old Sleep Question - for those that did CIO and/or took away paci

Thanks guys! I'm really struggling with what to do about the paci and when to try CIO.

I let her struggle a little when she goes down for naps, but I don't let her cry, it's so sad!

Re: 4 Month Old Sleep Question - for those that did CIO and/or took away paci

DS is 5 months now. He's been a great sleeper from day 1....mostly only waking to eat and go right back to sleep.

At my ped's recommendation, I did Ferber around 3.5 months. DS was a very big boy, and clearly didn't need to eat anymore in the middle of the night....and I was going back to work. I did the 5/10/15 minute approach - and really only had to do it for 3 nights before he was successfully STTN....and it totally taught him to self-soothe.

He uses a pacifier when he wants it, and now puts it back in in the middle of the night if he wakes up. Sometimes I have to find it for him.....but if he finds it, he'll put it back in himself too.

Now he wakes up about every other night for a few minutes, but I rarely need to go in and soothe him.....he gets himself back down.

Re: 4 Month Old Sleep Question - for those that did CIO and/or took away paci

Posted by LMFitz

DS is 5 months now. He's been a great sleeper from day 1....mostly only waking to eat and go right back to sleep.

At my ped's recommendation, I did Ferber around 3.5 months. DS was a very big boy, and clearly didn't need to eat anymore in the middle of the night....and I was going back to work. I did the 5/10/15 minute approach - and really only had to do it for 3 nights before he was successfully STTN....and it totally taught him to self-soothe.

He uses a pacifier when he wants it, and now puts it back in in the middle of the night if he wakes up. Sometimes I have to find it for him.....but if he finds it, he'll put it back in himself too.

Now he wakes up about every other night for a few minutes, but I rarely need to go in and soothe him.....he gets himself back down.