when do babies suck their pacifiers without needing help?

My baby is going through quite a thing with the sucking of something during the night..she just cant figure out how to get her fingers or thumb in her mouth..i have been giving her a pacifier from day one but the prob is she needs me to hold it in...when will she learn to keep it in her mouth on her own?

Thanks!

Message edited 2/1/2009 5:54:23 PM.

Re: when do babies suck their pacifiers without needing help?

DD didn't take a pacifier right away; I want to say she took the paci around 2 months and she was able to keep it in at that time. However, we did get up 5 times a night to put it back in when it fell out over night That stopped when she could find it herself-around 6 or 7 months, I think-it's all a blur.(we throw 3 or 5 of them in the crib at any tim to make it easier for her to find them.

Re: when do babies suck their pacifiers without needing help?

I read Happiest Baby on the Block, and the suggestion it gives is to gently pull on the pacifier when it's in the baby's mouth to make the baby suck harder to keep it in. My daughter is about a week old and whenever I put it in her mouth, I do this. Also when she stops sucking and just holds it in her mouth, I give it a gentle tug. I guess it makes the sucking reflex stronger.