Friday, June 12, 2009

You Live and You Learn

a mom was at her wit's end trying to stop her 4 year-old son from sucking his thumb. finally, she told him if he didn't stop, his stomach would grow very big and puffy.
the following sunday in church, there happened to be a very pregnant lady sitting in the same pew. the boy kept staring at her. when the meeting was over, he pulled at her arm and whispered, "Your stomach is big and puffy... I know what you`ve been doing!"
okay i admit it, i read this on another blog and used it. but i thought it was just so perfect. before i got married, i thought of binkys as a crutch. if they got lost then forget trying to put your kid to sleep or calm him down.
but then i started dating kyle. introduce his niece, maeli. she is an adorable little girl who loves to suck on her first two fingers. because they are wet when she pulls them out of her mouth, anything she touches sticks to her fingers, eventually ending up back in her mouth where she sucks them clean again. i have seen maeli do this over and over with the three cats that live at kyle's parent's house, which means she is eating the cat hair. poor girl. she might as well lick the cats. (for those that know me well, i do knot like to touch animals, and when i do, i immediately wash my hands when i am done. i hate smelling like an animal or wearing their fur. plus i HATE cats. cats + hair + mouth = so disgusting).

as a part of growing up, addison is finding her fingers.

can't let her get used to that. ps. isn't this a gorgeous pic? i could eat her. yum.


while addison's cousin is adorable, i don't want this to be a habit for addison as well. i think that maeli's parents have tried to stop her fingers from going in her mouth, but what can they really do? douse her fingers in hot sauce? no, then they have to bring the sauce everywhere they go. plus some kids like that stuff. bribe her? that never works more than a few times. we're talking about habits people, they take time to break. cut her fingers off? i think that CPS might have a problem with that. (there is also the possibility of kids sucking on their thumb. my dad did this until he was in fourth grade. i know, pretty sad. you run into the same problem of how to stop that too.)

so i had all these thoughts running through my mind when i had addison. i hate binkys like i said earlier, but i would rather have my children suck on something that is not connected to the rest of their body. plus binkys are something that i can eventually take away. i let you know how that goes, but i don't anticipate it being that hard.

note*(some kids are trained to never use anything, and you would think that this is clever, but i had to babysit for those kids growing up. when babies don't know how to soothe themselves and can't take a bink, they are a NIGHTMARE! maybe the parents delt just fine, but you gotta remember to think of the babysitter. you want them to come back right? just a thought...)*

again, like i said, i hate binkys. they are ugly and never match clothes. but i received some adorable binki clips *thank you casslyn* and found binkys at target that are completely clear - made by avent. PERFECT! i bought two. they are great with the clips and match everything. plus this brand is small, and with it also being clear, you can actually see addison's face. imagine that. i was told that i needed to buy several different kinds to see which addison would take. then i heard that my next baby might like a different kind. how ridiculous is that?! i would be swimming in binkys. nope. some other mom can hassle with all that stuff. only one kind for me thank you.

TO ALL NEW MOMS: introduce them early. your baby might have a hard time at first with the binki you choose, but stick with it. everything is new in the beginning. do you stop feeding solids to a baby that doesn't like it, or that doesn't know how to use his tounge yet? no. you keep trying and encouraging them and they learn.

all well. you live and you learn right?

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Sometimes kids still find their fingers and like them better than the paci. I gave Scott a paci and then at about 3 months found his fingers and wouldn't take a paci. Oh, well. He will out grow the finger sucking, plus it's genetic I think. I used to suck my fingers and my sister sucked her thumb. matt's sister also sucked her thumb. Poor kid didn't even have a chance. We will break him of his habit. I am determined to do so, hopefully before august when school starts.

The Mckays said...

it has to be genetic. like i said my dad sucked his thumb, maeli sucks her fingers, and i sucked my bottom lip when i was young. that's why when i see addy putting her fingers in her mouth i try to sop it quickly. let me know if you are able to break scott's habit.