Q&A: How can I get my daughter to sleep now that we took her pacifier away?

The first task here is to be sure there is no illness that might be interfering with your daughter's sleep. An ear infection, for example, hurts more when lying down. Once cleared of illness, comes a discussion about sleep associations. These are objects or people that children use to comfort themselves during the transition from wake to sleep.

Children learn these associations just as they learn other behaviors, and 'unlearning' them can be hard. While some toddlers can go cold turkey, most need some time to adjust. Many parents substitute one association (a pacifier or bottle) for a more acceptable one (a blanket). Beware, however, of allowing yourself to become that association, or you may find yourself involved in a bedtime ritual that takes your evening hours, and being called again in the middle of the night. Most experts feel that infants and toddlers should be put to bed sleepy but not asleep, so they drift off to sleep alone and can rely on themselves again if they awaken.