It's not really Blankie that's the problem; it's the "chewies," which is her name for the corners she likes to twist up and cram as far into her mouth as she can get them. She sleeps with a mouthful of chewy, as seen here:
...but can also be found watching TV or just hanging out, looking like she's casually spewing a pink (and, now that she's literally sucked some of the pink out of the yarn, brown) afghan:
We've always thought it was cute, and not a little amusing; besides, who can begrudge a child her method of stress relief? Some people smoke. Bear's got video games and the occasional Jack and Coke. I've got "Friends," reality TV, and Diet Dr. Pepper. And when a world full of shirts she can't button and cookies she can't eat until after dinner gets to be too much, Keira has chewies.
Unfortunately, much like nicotine, alcohol, caffeine, and idiotic TV shows, Keira's vice isn't completely harmless: according to the dentist, having a mouthful of chewies 10-12 hours a day is changing the shape of her palate and causing a significant overbite. It has also caused a few sores in and around her mouth lately. Plus, do you have any idea what yarn smells like when it's constantly wet? There isn't enough hot water and detergent in the world to combat that level of ewww. In short, the chewies have got to go.
How are we to accomplish this? Bear and I haven't really decided yet. We've started by explaining it to her, emphasizing that chewies are to blame for her ouchies and that she needs to snuggle Blankie without putting her (yes, her...Blankie has her own seat in the car and might as well be listed as a dependent on our taxes) in her mouth.
Keira's reply? "But I love her!"
Ohhh, boy. We'd like to avoid confiscating Blankie at all costs, so we'll have to explore our options...hypnosis? A chewy patch?
Besides the chewy revelation, her first dental visit went shockingly well: they were able to do x-rays, a full cleaning, and a fluoride treatment with no problem whatsoever. Keira thought it was ultimate fun, thanks to umpteen billion readings of Dora Goes to the Dentist, and to our dentist being awesome:
Another milestone down...many more yet to come!
Hmmm, I've started wondering lately if Silas might have a bit of an overbite and now you have convinced me that his "baba" (aka pacifier) is most likely making this true. In fact, I've always kind of thought that Keira and Silas have similar teeth and even Phil said something about this the other day. You will have to keep us updated on how you accomplish the tremendous feat of chewie weaning. As for now, I am going to have to find a copy of Dora (or some other lovable character) Goes To The Dentist so that we can prepare him for his future first visit.
ReplyDeleteI highly recommend the "Bye Bye ..." party concept. We did it for Ethan's bottle. Just like a birthday party, with friends and pizza and cake. Then the bottle fairy took his bottles and brought him a basket full of trains he really wanted.
ReplyDeleteWatch it!
We didn't do the party for Alec, but the paci fairy just came and took his paci, too, and left trains in his crib. Not a single tear.
I think stressing the "this is what big girls do" aspect and finding out whatever highly desirable thing can replace the Chewies is key.
Good luck!
That's so cool Keira has no problems going to the dentist. We're waiting just a little longer for Madison's first visit. And good luck with the chewy thing!
ReplyDelete