Spinoff to my CIO post -- If you do CIO do you ditch the paci?

If you do any kind of CIO, self-soothing method, did you also drop the paci as part of the bedtime routine?

We can't decide if it's worse to do it all at once, especially at this age, or worse to ask her to self soothe when we are giving her a paci that she can't get back in her mouth if she loses it at night.

Re: Spinoff to my CIO post -- If you do CIO do you ditch the paci?

DS is 6 months and we let him CIO last week and I still gave him the bink. He usually fell asleep with out it because of the crying but I left for him for some comfort. IMO I wouldn't do both pick another time to ditch the paci they are still little and I wouldn't want to change to much at once.

Re: Spinoff to my CIO post -- If you do CIO do you ditch the paci?

We didn't take it away when we did CIO but I wish I would have.

I think it would have better. We had to take it away at 12 months and it was a nightmare.

It's 1 less transition you have to deal with but not sure what would have happened if I took it away then.

Re: Spinoff to my CIO post -- If you do CIO do you ditch the paci?

Thanks for the replies!! Still so confused!

Any other thoughts??

Re: Spinoff to my CIO post -- If you do CIO do you ditch the paci?

I know it's so hard to know what to do.

I think if I had to do it again I would do it the same and take away the paci at a different time, as I think about.
If they don't have a paci at 4 months how will they soothe themselves. This is if they already take the paci.

Re: Spinoff to my CIO post -- If you do CIO do you ditch the paci?

Re: Spinoff to my CIO post -- If you do CIO do you ditch the paci?

We did CIO at 6 months and dropped the paci at the same time.

We went from full-time cosleeping, waking up 8+ times/night and needing to be BF to sleep to STTN and falling asleep on his own.

Night #1

cried 10 minutes
slept 11 hours, 15 minutes
cried out 2x during night for <1 minute


Night #2

cried 8 minutes
slept 11 hours, 10 minutes
cried out 2x during night for <1 minute


Night #3

cried 10 minutes
slept 10 hours
cried out 2x during night for <1 minute

Night #4

cried 1 minute, 50 seconds
(didn't record how long he slept, but it was more than 10 hours) and he did not cry out during the night.

He has been STTN ever since, with no attachment to pacifier (we threw them away that night and never looked back!)

Re: Spinoff to my CIO post -- If you do CIO do you ditch the paci?

No, I still gave him his paci. It was part of the process- he needed it to sleep. Now at 18 months he still sleeps with the paci but doesn't need it during the day. I am thinking of trying to take them away soon, before he can actually ask for it.

Message edited 11/9/2011 4:28:53 PM.

Re: Spinoff to my CIO post -- If you do CIO do you ditch the paci?

I'm in the same exact boat as you... DS only just turned 3 months, so I'm going to ask ped next week about when to start CIO. I have the same struggle as you as to whether or not the paci is helping or hurting... DS was sleeping 8 - 12 hours without a peep, but now he's crying in the night and I have to give him paci several times.

Good luck!!

Re: Spinoff to my CIO post -- If you do CIO do you ditch the paci?

DS needed the paci for sleep and for a while, we had to go in several times a night just to give it to him. But at the time, I never thought of taking it away. By 7 months (maybe earlier) he could put it in his mouth on his own. Problem solved but he was still not STTN. That didn't happen until 10.5 months old. I was so happy he was STTN that I never wanted to take the paci away. Flash forward, I took the paci away from him at 22 months and it was a nightmare!!!! If I had to do it again, I'd do it sooner.

Re: Spinoff to my CIO post -- If you do CIO do you ditch the paci?

I don't know if I could've handled both CIO and getting rid of the paci. He was 7 months when we did ferber and I couldn't imagine taking it away from him at the same time.

Getting rid of the paci (which we did about 2 months ago) was easier then I thought at 22 months, I was terrified but he cried (bloody murder, mind you) for 20 minutes the first night and then we were done with the paci.