Riley has used the pacifier in the past, but he wasn't too sure about it. We got him some new ones when he started teething, the ones he had before were size one and they were hard for him to keep in his mouth. I got him some MAM 6 month pacifiers and he enjoys them a lot. He can keep these in his mouth, when he wants to. You can pick him up, tickle him, and he won't drop it. It's actually really cute. Call me crazy but I think they help him sleep.
Here's some pics

They've got pirates on them! =)

He's been sleeping a lot better. For about a week he'd been going to bed at 1 or 2 am, or later. Made for a cranky mommy and daddy, cause Collen worked all morning shifts that week, so we both had to get up early and one of us would have to stay up late with him. The last several nights he's been falling asleep between 9 and 11, and waking once more to eat around 11:30 or 12. Then he's normally out for good. The seahorse helps, the one that plays music and ocean sounds. If he stirs a lot when we lay him in the crib it will get him back to sleep.

He's been sleeping on his side, which will occasionally make his diaper leak by morning. He sometimes gets up at 4 or 5 to eat, and he sometimes sleeps until 7 or 8. A couple times I've fed him at 7 and he'll sleep again until 10! Those days are nice lol.

I've been reading a little bit about helping your baby go to sleep and sleep through the night. My technique for putting Riley to bed isn't normally recommended. He gets sleepy when he eats, then I'll transfer him to the swing, where he sleeps a little while longer. Then he'll either eat or get put in his crib. But it's been working for me so far...... he's been waking just once a night. Up until lately he'd been eating every 2 hours at night.

One method I refuse to try is the cry it out method. I can't just leave him in his crib to cry and just ignore him. That would hurt me and him. If he's upset, I go to him. Apparently this is called attachment parenting, and it will take longer to get baby to sleep through the night. Which could explain why he's just reaching that point where other babies of parents I know have been sleeping through the night at a really early age. I don't want Riley thinking he's insignificant, I want him knowing that he matters. That when he's upset, I'll be there for him. I'm willing to miss out on a little sleep to make him feel secure and loved.

Another idea suggested as an alternative to crying it out is just putting a hand on the baby when they're upset, letting them know you're there but not picking them up. I might try this one. I tried it a while back but he was still waking regularly to eat. He's been flipping onto his belly at night and getting upset that he can't flip back over. This normally wakes him. Last night I turned him back over and kept a hand on his belly, so he couldn't flip back, and he fell back asleep for another few hours.

But all in all I feel fortunate. I've also known a lot of parents who said their babies didn't start sleeping for long periods of time until much much later, even up to a year old.

No matter how long he does or doesn't sleep, he's still the best baby in the world.