Binkies and new toys

I never wanted to give my child a pacifier. I don't like them and don't like seeing kids with them. I know it can be a life saver and I am not judging any parent who chooses to use them. I just don't like them and figured if I didn't use one then I wouldn't have to deal with the task of breaking the habit when he's older. I want Jack to be happy without one and to be able to self-soothe in other ways. But sometimes I think Jack likes to nurse to help him go to sleep or just for comfort, so I tried giving one to him a few times. He showed zero interest. One time he played around with it in his mouth, but I had to hold it there the whole time. The purpose of the pacifier is to soothe the baby at bedtime and I figured if this would help him sleep better, than I might as well give in and try it. A happy, well-rested baby makes for a happy, well-rested mommy! Last night I tried again and he loved it. He sucked and he even kept it in on his own. I was happy he was able to do it and without me holding him or the binkie, he fell asleep. I thought it was great! Until I took him to bed that is. He stopped holding it in on his own and when it fell out, he fussed. This happened a bunch of times and then he was hungry. I nursed him and decided not to give him back the pacifier because I can't spend the whole night putting it back in whenever it falls out. It definitely soothed him and it would be nice to have it be part of the bedtime routine, but I'm not sure what to do. Does anyone have any experience with this and can offer some advice?

I was proud of him for taking it and keeping it in all on his own though:


It even looked like he was trying to hold it in:


And just a really cute picture:


In other news, we tried out some new things today. I've been thinking I need new ways to entertain this little guy during his awake periods, which he is having a lot more of. He likes his bouncy seat for maybe 15 minutes and then wants out. I wanted to get an activity mat but they're so expensive and I thought I could do without one. I recently got a surprise gift card for Target so I went out and got one. Jack doesn't seem too interested in toys yet and he barely looked at them, but he liked laying on the mat and it'll be nice to have the toys there for when he does want them. I'm looking forward to the day he starts grabbing at them and gets more interested. Until then, the mat is good for tummy time and looking in the mirror!





I've read that you can help babies with their grip and get them interested in toys by placing things in their hands since they can't intentionally grab on their own yet. I put this octopus in Jack's hand and he held it really well:


He even tried putting it in his mouth, but he doesn't quite know where his mouth is yet!


I didn't want to get a swing because I didn't think it was that useful for the cost. Plus I don't have a lot of room for all of this baby gear and swings take up a lot of room. Well I got one as a hand-me-down from a coworker and was actually looking forward to trying it out because Jack really likes movement. I picked it up on Saturday and tried it today. He fell asleep almost immediately and it was great! This will really come in handy during the day when he's tired and I'll be able to get some housework done. And it looks so comfy and cozy!



I never knew that having a baby would generate so much stuff but anything to keep him happy and help with his development is okay by me!