I am the mother of two kids: a four year-old who sucks his fingers and twirls my hair (his own when I’m not around) and a 21 month-old who has a blanket that isn’t more than a foot away from her at all times. My son has been sucking his fingers since he was two weeks old–I kid you not. And, the habit never really bothered me–until things like the swine flu hits or, the fact that he’s getting closer to kindergarten. As for my daughter, that blanket has been a lifesaver in too many different ways, but I am dreading the day when I tell her it can’t come out of her room. So, how does a parent stop these habits? What may seem like a hopeless and daunting task, CAN be done. Breezy Mama turns to Dr. Frances Walfish, Psy.D. for some help.
It seems to me as if children hang on to five things: a bottle, a pacifier, finger/thumb sucking, hair twirling and a lovey. Should all be stopped?
Eventually all of these habits should be stopped. And they will. Let’s first begin by understanding why these things are helpful and good. They are all Transitional Objects (T.O.). T.O.’s are encouraged with [Read more…] about Stop the Madness: Breaking the Lovey, Thumb Sucking, Pacifier Habit
