My big girl is a big girl in so many ways. She potty trained early, obeys so sweetly, is my rule follower, loves to learn and picks up on things so quickly. One thing we still have struggled with is finger sucking. She has sucked her two little fingers since she was a baby. I have always thought it was the cutest thing, and I was so proud we did not have to fool with pacifiers (losing them, night time paci-plucking, getting rid of them, etc.). But then I realized that we were in trouble. I could not take away her fingers! I thought she would grow out of it and she had some by only doing it when she was tired or in the car, watching a show on tv or in an uncomfortable situation.
With the support of both dentists she has seen in Charlotte and B'ham, but pediatricians, and some family support we started to tackle it. We gave her incentives, we told her babies sucked their fingers and she is a big girl. We refused painting her finger nails because we told her she would suck off the paint. We explained how Maggie can cause she is still the baby in the house but Mae is the BIG girl! We tried putting band-aids on her fingers. We told her we would go get a REAL manicure and the Easter bunny would bring nail polish for her finger nails (we have always painted her toes). We explained that everytime she put her fingers in her mouth she was bringing in yucky germs from school, outside, and would get sick and have to maybe go to the doctor...all to no permanant avail.
So finally, I bit the bullet, and Ryan and I decided together it was our last resort...we bought the nasty Mevela you paint on her fingers that taste bitter and sour and went with it. We told her when she stopped we were headed to get her nails done! BB offered, my mom offered, I offered, and our neighbor even offered (two sets!). Everyone was on board for the most part.
She was so excited until the first time she put her fingers in her mouth out of habit once moreing watching a cartoon and I could hear her gagging from the other room. She learned quickly. We used that stuff for a week or so until some little 2 year old dropped the GLASS bottle. We thought Mae learned how to kick her habit so we just kept encouraging her and telling her Jesus can see her all the time and loves when he sees her like a big girl. Since then we have caught her a few times before nap, but we STILL explain no sucking fingers and remind her. It seriously is just a habit and she has done it for 4 years she just needed a little guidance. I bit the bullet and bought MORE of the stuff (so dang expensive!) and we are not back on track! She is SO proud she isnt sucking them and I can tell when we are in the car and she normally would suck them, that she is so proud to say "look mommy I am not sucking my fingers! Jesus is so proud of me!" yes baby, and so it mommy!
So to celebrate, BB won the manicure day, and we had a fun girls day of lunch, park, and mani-pedi's! Thanks BB for helping support our little habit breaker!
Maggie snuck in on the action. She is next when she turns 3...my little thumb sucker!
