According to the baby experts, there are only a few reasons why an infant cries:
• He or she may be hungry. (Owen is ALWAYS hungry, hence why he already weights over 11 pounds.)
• He or she may be hot or cold. (Owen is a hot and sweaty little guy, but doesn’t seem to mind it.)
• He or she may be feeling sick. (So far, Owen is as healthy as can be.)
• He or she may need a diaper change. (Owen never cries when his diaper is soiled. Apparently he doesn’t mind sitting in his own feces.)
• He or she may want to be held and comforted. (Owen likes to be cuddled with now and then.)
Well, I’m pretty sure the experts neglect to mention the most common reason babies cry:
Babies cry for no apparent reason at all.
And what do you do then??? What if you’ve fed him, changed his diaper, checked his temperature, made sure he’s comfortable, and tried to cuddle with him but he’s still screaming and fussy?? What do you do?
You get a binky.
In the past week, I’ve discovered God’s gift to mothers. Pacifiers are the reason why more babies aren’t the victims of Shaken Baby Syndrome. They are, without a doubt, life savers.
At first, I didn’t want to give Owen a binky. They seemed unsanitary. Plus, I was afraid he’d become addicted to it and that it would create nipple confusion and breastfeeding issues. And I was stubborn…giving in to the pacifier made me feel like a weak parent.
Well, all it took was one full day alone with Owen to change my mind. I don’t regret it and I fully embrace my weakness.
Because the most beautiful, remarkable thing happened when I forced the binky in his mouth for the first time…
There was silence.
No whimpering. No grunting. No screaming or squealing.
Owen was quiet and he wasn’t attached to my chest. He was happily sucking away on his binky. It was love at first suck for both me and Owen. I was so relieved that he didn’t spit it out that I actually weeped (no joke).
Thank god for binkies.
Owen WITHOUT his binky.
Owen WITH his binky.
I’m very close to “breaking down” and trying one too… During the time period between about 7pm and 11pm, Camden seems wide awake and almost inconsolable, no matter how persistently we meet those “only reason infants cry” needs. I had actually completely forgotten about the pacifier option, but now I have a feeling I’ll be writing a very similar post to this one next week 🙂
The pacifier definitely helps, especially if you have a baby that takes comfort from sucking. I don’t use it all the time, because I don’t want Owen to rely on his pacifier to be able to fall asleep. But it’s great for occupying him when I can’t figure out what else he needs/wants when he’s being fussy. It’s also nice to have when we take Owen places…it keeps him from crying while we’re at the grocery store or out to eat.
Oh my God that was the funniest blog yet. I could so relate. I’m still laughing out loud by myself!!! Thanks to you and Owen making my day!!!!
congrats on baby Owen!! He is adorable! I agree 100% that they are God’s gift to mothers as well 🙂
Remind me sometime to tell you have I got Ryan and Kaylin off the binkie. You will love it!
Ahhh, the pacifier!! It saved me, too, with my first baby, Kay. And, she did not become addicted to it, even though she took it to bed. It beats thumb-sucking, hands down, believe me, for breaking the sucking habit later on!! (I could tell you stories about how long Steven sucked his thumb!) I say, use it and don’t worry!! Babies need to suck, so why be resentful of having him attached to you all the time??