Thumb Glove

I always knew the time would come that Amelie would have to stop sucking her thumb. And, I always knew that I would be strong enough to get through it with her but never expected such a young being to have so much will power. Amelie is a very avid thumb sucker and her mouth was showing signs of the buck teeth shape so I decided it was time to end it once and for all. She has never been allowed to suck her thumb any time other than to sleep but since I can't stop her while we are sleeping I found a glove that she can't take off. I did a ton of research and it's the best design out there for younger children because while older children want to stop because of social embarrassment, the younger ones could care less what society thinks of them. Here is the link... Http://thingerthumbglove.com/ So, this glove is nearly impossible for them to take off and that is what she needed. And so the drama begins...I first tried the glove at night and I had been talking about it for a whole week while we waited for it to come in the mail. Here is a picture of her last hoo rah. Notice the fear in her eyes...

At first she was a willing participant because she didn't yet realize how permanent this was going to be. But once she realized how determined and serious I was about it, the rage began. There was a lot of crying and screaming. She even threw herself on the floor, kicked and then pounded on the walls and her door. Biggest fit ever. I decided not to get upset with her but to tell her that she didn't need her thumb anymore to make herself feel better and that she has me or daddy or her favorite stuffed puppy to make her feel better. She was sad, angry, and confused but I was still impressed with her strength. I kept telling her I was so proud of her and that she was doing such a good job. Well that night after 45 minutes she got the glove off and her thumb nail was bleeding. I decided to let her go to bed without the glove but told her that we would try again tomorrow. The next day I put the glove on for nap time and she was PISSED!!! But this time it was only 30 minutes and she wore herself out and fell asleep with the glove on...hooray!!!! I even got some pictures of her after her nap. I was so proud of her and she knew it.

Well, it's been two weeks now and tonight she even reminded me to put her glove on. It's just part of the routine now. When she graduates from this issue and no longer needs the glove she gets to go buy a bunch of nail polish. She is very excited about it. I am so proud of her and I sometimes love her stubbornness because it shows me that she is strong. Life will not push her around. Luckily she has a mom that knows a thing or two about being stubborn though or else she would be out of control.