The placebo effect

So, we've resorted to buying a nasty tasting nail polish for our daughter.  She just won't stop sucking her thumb.  Don't judge me. :-) I tried, I mean really tried to do this using only intrinsic, and sometimes extrinsic motivation.  We've tried band aids on the thumbs... We've tried dolls, with strings attached.  We've tried talking to her about being a 'big girl'.

Nothing has worked.  When we put a band aid on one thumb, my daughter just says, "That's OK mommy, I'll suck my other thumb."  When we cover both thumbs, she just sucks a finger.

The morning after, my daughter will tell us, with a smile on her face, "It's OK Mommy, I just sucked another finger."

Grr.

That child.  She is a stubborn one.  I KNOW she can fall asleep without the thumb.  She's done it many times.  But won't on her own accord.

Anyways, eClaire's dentist is is pretty adamant about quitting her thumbsucking habit due to his concern about her eventual need for braces.  Huh.  That's strange.  Maybe he's met her mother.  Apparently she has huge teeth!

Ahem.

So, my husband and I decided to do what my mom did for me.  We introduce a nasty tasting 'special nail polish.'

It's worked like a charm.  In fact with the initial warning that this 'special nail polish' doesn't taste good.  In fact, I'm not so sure that my daughter's ever even put her fingers in her mouth.

But, you see... I do.

Here in lies the problem.  That 'special nail polish' tastes like crap.  I should know.  Every single time eClaire gets the privilege of wearing it to bed, I suffer.

Inevitably, eClaire hugs me.  She touches my hands with her hands. Or she touches my shirt and then I touch it.  And then I put MY hands in MY mouth.  Yuck.

I know, I know, all ye naysayers are laughing and saying, "It serves you right!  How dare you be so cruel to your daughter."

True, true.

I've never claimed to be a nice mom! Effective, at times, yes.  Nice... that's questionable.

Alas, I've grown tired of my nightly pepper spraying.  So I've become creative.

I introduced a placebo.

Welcome Sally Hansen Hard as Nails.

Heh

The bottle is similar in shape.  The nail polish is clear and eClaire doesn't EVER put her fingers in her mouth once her 'special nail polish' is on.

Perfect.

It's been one week.  And my daughter?  She's sleeping like a baby an old man. And I've been enjoying my nightly wine without pepper.

Now that's something to be thankful for!

When Nanette's not tricking her daughter, she's blogging about everyday odds and ends peppered with occasional parenting tips at SmilingMom.com.

This is an original Silicon Valley Moms Blog post.