This giveaway is sponsored by Tommee Tippee.
Try as I might, none of my kids really took to the pacifier.
The NICU Maddie was in regularly used pacifiers, and she would suck on hers occasionally. However, when we got home, she was pretty over them, only accepting one every now and then. Annie took a pacifier the longest of all of my kids, until she was a few months old. James, however, never liked the pacifier…and he’s definitely my child who would most benefit from one.
James really likes sucking for comfort. The transition from bottle to sippy has been so hard for him because he really is soothed by sucking on his bottle. When he’s crying or fussy, I know I could give him a bottle and he’d settle down immediately. I’ve even tried giving him a pacifier now (at almost 16 months!) but no dice. Although, he DID enjoy chewing on it! So at least there’s that.
My friends with kids who use a pacifier all tell me that I’m lucky, because breaking their kids of the pacifier habit is brutal. I’m definitely grateful I don’t have to take away a pacifier down the line!
It’s always changing, but we have a few go-to ways to soothe James now when he’s unhappy. Cuddles are a sure-fire way to calm him, which is of course nice, but we are working hard on teaching him how to self-soothe. He has a blanket that he’s attached to, and often rubbing the blanket on his cheek will calm him. Singing lullabies instantly quiets him – he absolutely loves music! And we’ll give him stuff to chew on – chewthers from Tommee Tippee are favorites, as are frozen fruits in mesh bags.
For me, I just remind myself that this needy phase is just that. Soon he’ll be pushing me away, afraid of my mom cooties!
This month, Tommee Tippee is giving away a Soothing Prize Pack. The winner will get some pacifiers, chewthers, and other items to make life with a baby a little easier! To enter, just leave a comment below with your go-to soothing trick for your baby. Winner will be chosen by random.org. Open to residents of the US and Canada. Contest is open until Wednesday, October 1 at noon Pacific time.
Thanks and good luck!
Also, on Wednesday, October 1, I’ll be co-hosting a twitter party with Tommee Tippee! Be sure to join in for a chance to win a Fall Prize Pack!
Heather says:
If my eight week old isn’t interested in nursing, then it’s usually bouncing on my knees to keep her calm. Sometimes she’ll take the pacifier, sometimes she spits it out in digust!
Melissa says:
My 4 month old will only take Tommee Tippee pacifiers. He is best soothed by being cuddled in Mama’s arms with his soother in his mouth.
Crissy says:
A pacifier and the mamaroo!
Griselda says:
Thanks for introducing me to chewthers! My 8 month old would love them, I think.
Griselda says:
We still nurse to soothe. She also takes the paci sometimes, since 5 months, especially in the car seat. She twirls her hair to soothe. We sing to her or hum, she sings to herself too.
Teresa says:
We nurse to soothe. He will take a pacifier at daycare but not at home.
Sara Mc. says:
My niece is 9 months and I give her a pacifier. If that doesn’t work, I turn the kitchen sink on and let her play in the water. Saves my sanity!!
Alejandra says:
My little one nurses when she’s fussy. It’s the only thing guaranteed to work every time. She also really likes teethers, and munching on her hand of course
Jesabes says:
Nursing…but she’s starting to bite me! No teeth yet, but there must be some coming.
Shannon D says:
Nursing usually works, but pacifiers are a big hit too!
Erin says:
Pacifiers were our go to. Now that they are older, snuggles and the good ole fashion, shhhh…
Erin says:
Nursing is the only thing that has soothed my kids…which means I have become their human pacifier.
Dani says:
Nursing is the number one soothing thing for my baby. After that, she will take a suckie.
Sara says:
Both of my kids will calm down if they’re laid on their changing table. If I have no idea why my son is crying, and none of my usual tricks are working, I lay him on his changing table and within a minute he’s smiling and cooing. I have no idea what it is, but I think it might be magical.
Sarah says:
pacifier and cuddles!
Erin says:
Either nursing or skin-to-skin, but she’s only 5 days old….I’m trying to avoid the pacifiers for a little while longer.
Jody Munn says:
My 17 month loves books and usually when I pull out one of his favorites, he’ll settle down and want me to read to him.
Chelsea L says:
I’ve never heard of chewthers before but I know a little boy who would love them! He is also a big fan of strawberries in mesh.
Katie says:
Oh man. It’s all about wearing him in the ring sling for us. And boob. There’s always the boob.
Danielle Walker says:
I have 16 month old twin boys and they will take the pacifier for bedtime but that’s pretty much it. Lately our soothing method has been reading. They will almost always calm down if we grab a book and sit down to read.
Erin says:
My nine month old prefers to be held when he gets fussy but really that’s just a sign he needs to sleep. Nursing is another soother for him.
Mommabird2345 says:
My teething 5mo has been so unhappy lately. We try nursing first, if that doesn’t work, a cold teether from the fridge.
Carolyn says:
My almost 18 month old never liked so others either, but he has a favourite blanky he loves so much it’s already been worn to pieces and replaced blanky and cuddles are all be needs to cheer up.
Heather says:
Nursing my 10 month old for standard upset, but a chew thing helps with teething upset in a way my poor nipples cannot tolerate.
KDot says:
My boy is all about the soothers – he needs three! One in his mouth and one in each hand.
DefendUSA says:
Just in case anyone needs some help with the “binky breaking”…
When my oldest was weaned from the boob at 1, I would put the binky out of sight and distract with a snack. The only time she had it was in her bed, period. In the car, I would allow it until we went into a store. We played “binky out!” and were binky free in stores, too. Finally, at Christmas, we left the binky on Santa’s cookie plate for him to give to someone who needed it. Santa left her a prize, and her reaction was priceless….”Oh my dear!” : I’m sure this had to come from a Disney movie…because she was so little!
Each kid was broken by the age of 2 with the exception of #2. He threw it and the boob “away” at 9 months…
Lisa says:
Kisses and cuddles always help, but at 22 months old, boob is still what works best for my son.
Mirabel says:
Kisses and cuddles by Mommy, but she’s a Daddy’s girl so she looks for him first.
Shana says:
I hate to say the Mamaroo … but yeah, the Mamaroo is genius.
Ashley says:
Booooooobs.
Erin says:
Thor is my only child who took a pacifier but at 16 months the time is rapidly approaching to wean him from it. The chewers would be a huge help I think, especially since he’s getting ALL of his remaining teeth
Diana says:
My daughter won’t take a pacifier – except just to chew on it, so I’d love to win one of these to try it with her!
Jess says:
I found singing and walking worked.
Elena says:
For my son, he uses a pacifier, but only the kind with a ring on the back instead of the nub so that he can stick his finger through the ring, flip it back over his hand, and suck his thumb! It’s the strangest thing because he WON’T suck his thumb without the pacifier on his finger, and it’s one of the few things he does use to self soothe, particularly at night. So, plenty of pacifiers with unused nipples!!! lol
Casey says:
My son just turned one and it feels like he’s constantly teething (he only has 4 teeth so far). Unfortunately, my “go to” way to soothe him is also with a bottle. He will use a sippy cup, but the bottle is a total comfort thing for him! Hopefully we can transition off the bottle soon.
Dayna says:
Lol, boob always wins with my second baby! She’s pretty chill but that is the only way to get her to calm down when she’s been pushed over the edge.
Erin Christine says:
My daughter 11-month old daughter prefers nursing to anything else. However, when she’s with my dad, he will walk around with her cradled in the crook of his arm and talk very softly to her. It works every time. So sweet!
Rie says:
Nursing and lots of cuddles!
Lesley says:
My go-to soothing trick is swaying / rocking / swinging – aggressively. It doesn’t work to just lightly sway, but really getting the arms / swing / cradle going always gets my baby to drift off. Doing that combined with a paci / chewther / their own thumb? Even better!
Rachel says:
Singing always works with my son. Especially if it’s his dad singing.
Kate says:
My daughter hasn’t taken to them, but we never tried the Tommee brand! She was very colicky so we used a vacuum for the noise a lot.
Nicole says:
My niece would love these! My daughter was a pacifier fanatic. She always had one in her mouth and usually one in her hand too. One of the hardest things ever was breaking her of them. Was pretty sure she was gonna have to go to school with that in her mouth.
Angie says:
Singing, pacifier, and holding my 8-month-old daughter with her arms pinned are the techniques we use to soothe her.
Dana says:
Little buddy is soothed by a nuk.
Blythe says:
Expecting in November, we’ll find out!
Johna says:
Our go to soother–especially for teething is a frozen banana in a mesh bag. He loves it!
Jen T says:
We have the same problem. I will have to try these.
Beth says:
I’m sure I’ll be needing some come March when our baby girl is due!
Jenny says:
My son is a thumb sucker, which you can’t take away like a paci. He is also a big comfort nurser as well. And every once in a hile he will take a wubanub. Those chewthers look really interesting though especially since teething is taking forever. .
Mary says:
I don’t have any tricks yet for my 3 mo old- lately she’s been really into sucking on her fingers and my whole goal is to try to get her hooked on a paci that I can take away before Kindergarten, unlike a thumb!
Kristie says:
Reading or singing usually do the trick!
Pei-Ling says:
This post comes at a good time because I am dealing with my first colicky baby. With my first, I nursed to soothe, which is why he was 98th percentile in weight! My second is a tough one. Everything only seems to work for 10 minutes. I have a rocker, a bouncer, and a swing–it depends on his mood what he likes. Today is a bouncer day, yesterday he liked the rocker. He also hated the pacifier in the first weeks, but since last week (when he was at 7 weeks) he has been taking a pacifier, although he gets super-mad when it falls out of his mouth. Car rides also help put him to sleep. The sound machine has started to help this week, but only when you put it on really loud, so I don’t do it very often. I also rock him back and forth while he is propped up on my chest, which calms him. Rubbing his stomach and back also helps. And, of course, nursing. My friends tell me that once he finds his thumb, my troubles will be over, but my first never wanted to suck his thumb. But I’ll try using different pacifiers to see if he’ll find one that will stay put.
Eve says:
My eight month old is all about the baby carrier and boob, but she also likes to chew on her pacifiers to soothe herself!
Kitty Deschanel says:
You’re lucky none of your children liked pacifiers. The pediatric dentist I work for recommends getting rid of the bottle and the binky by age ONE!
Brandi Ringo says:
My 18 month old is soooo attached to his nunu (pacifier). That is the quickest way to soothe him. however, when I rock him…it’s like an instant fix. I sure will miss when he is too old to rock with mommy