When we went to China to get Ami I packed along some burp cloths. In my prior mothering experience we had had a couple of kiddos that spit up a lot and I wanted to be prepared for this. Little did I know that these burp cloths would become Ami’s little security cloths. That sweet baby would stick her first two finger into her mouth then she would also tuck a corner of one the burp cloths right under those two fingers and suck away. I was actually glad that she had a way to soothe herself, probably one of the ways she got through eight months of being institutionalized.
Over time Ami somehow gave up the fingers, but she has continued to suck on those cloths until they are ragged. No other cloth or towel would do, only the original burp cloths. She gets a clean one every night and I have also bleached them regularly, but they are raggedy on all corners and even somewhat stiff on the corners. Gross!
Ami only uses them to go to sleep at night, but I’ve been wondering how long this would go on. So I decided that when she turns four (in just a couple of weeks) that it would be time to say good-bye to the cloths. I don’t mind at all that she has a security item that she sleeps with (I have an older kid who still sleeps with Kitty every night!), but the sucking on it is what I was concerned about. It’s nothing like a thumb that will mess up her teeth, but it just doesn’t seem right at this age.
Am I doing the right thing? We’ve been talking about it for several weeks now and she knows her fourth birthday is coming up very soon. She laughs about it, but I know she doesn’t really want to give the cloths up. If she just slept with them that would be fine with me, but I know from habit they would end up in her mouth.
Aaaaah, is she really growing up? I’ll be sad in a way to see the cloths go, so maybe that’s why I’m second guessing myself. What to do!!! I took these pictures this morning after she came wandering out into the kitchen.
such a sweetie! love her smiling eyes in that last picture!
Oh, she LOVES those cloths! Allison is a thumb sucker, but only at night IF she is holding a particular doll. But still- I wish it was a habit that was gone for good. I think asking Ami to get rid of them when she turns 4 is reasonable. I’m kind of a cold turkey person, but she might do better only having them on weekends, or one day a week. Whatever works, right?
Let me know how it goes.
Turning four will be magic – she’ll do fine, I’m sure! Our babies are growing up!
We are friends of Kate and Eric. We had a child give his “suckie” to a new baby that was born. After talking for weeks about how “big boys” didn’t need them and babies do, he decided to give one to a new baby. And that was that. (Of course, the baby’s momma gave it back to me for his treasure box.)