Before I had babies I was firmly anti-soother. Why would I subject my infant to sucking on a nipplish-shaped piece of plastic / silicon? How unnatural! Humans have survived for eons without soothers. Animals don't use artificial nipples to soothe their babies. Growing up on the farm we sometimes had cats with a blanket-sucking habit. Yet those were the cats whose mothers had tragically abandoned them as tiny kittens. :|
Then I had colicky Hayden. I took many many different approaches to soothe her crying. Among them, soothers. Because when your baby is crying, you basically just want them to stop. She resisted the pacifier for weeks but then at 3 months she finally took it and never looked back. It was an instant sigh of relief. No more crying in the car, or in the grocery store, or when I needed to defer a feeding.
Bedtime was a breeze. All I needed to do was place sleepy Hayden in her crib, pop the "paci" in her mouth, and she was out. Eventually, if she woke up in the night, she could find the paci by herself and put herself back to sleep. Who needs mom?! It was great. I would fall asleep at night and think, Well, I've got this parenting thing pretty much figured out.
Then I had hungry Deacon. Since birth he really only cries to be fed. But that's like all the time. There's no deferring his feedings because he refuses to take a soother! He won't even consider it! It would be nice to not have to jump when he says jump. So he's a little more high-maintenance in that when he starts getting fussy I have to pick him up. (Wow, I feel like a lazy mom now that I'm writing this. lol) Yes, I know he has to learn how to "self-soothe". Well he can't. If he's grouchy and isn't hungry it's right into the Ergo for him. Then he's fine. And that's honestly how I get him to sleep some nights. He falls asleep in the Ergo and then I put him in his crib. No popping in the soother for night-wakings. Fortunately, he's sleeping through the night more frequently these days.
On the plus side of Deacon not taking a soother - at least we don't have to eventually take it away from him when he's two-ish like we've just had to do to his dear sister Hayden. The Easter Bunny came and confiscated her beloved "paci". She was OK with it at first because, of course, he left an abundance of Easter treats in its place. But, the first night without the paci she was up until 4 am. She has since learned to fall asleep without it THANK GOD. Hayden, my poor abandoned kitten, still often tries to sneak Deacon's unused soother into bed with her.
I still don't really know where I stand on the soother debate. On one hand, it feels wrong to let your baby be soothed by a piece of plastic. On the other hand, wow is it ever awesome to let your baby be soothed by anyone or anyTHING other than me! I know Hayden is happy with a few extra snuggles and songs from mom and dad to help her fall asleep. AND they're only this little once so I've gotta get all the snuggles I can. For that reason, I should have got rid of the paci ages ago!
Goodnight!!
Liza
