'Pokai' Month

18 months & 1 day old.....

First of all, I got 4 wedding invitations in December. Ouch! Big hole in my pocket. And then, Ethan's chewing habit made the hole even bigger. In the last 4 weeks or so, Ethan had destroyed 5 pacifiers (it's 5 ok) and 2 teats for the milk bottle. I suspect it's the work of the two cuspid.

He has been using the variable flow teat from Avent since he was 3-4 months old. I normally get my friend's help to buy it for me from Singapore. I paid only half of the price here. Luckily, if not more 'pokai'. I normally change the teat after 6 months of use or when it turned matt/dull. Now Ethan seems to expedite the process by puncturing them. Sigh......

Too bad I didn't take photos of the spoilt teat and pacifiers because I was so horrified and I dumped them into the dustbin straight away. I'm scared that he will swallow the torn portion and choke himself. I still remember the incident when a 1-year-old-plus toddler died because he was choked by a pacifier.

I have been thinking of a solution because I cannot be replacing the teats and pacifiers at this pace. For the teats, I will replace it with the soft spout. I think (and I hope) he will not be able to puncture it. My sister gave me a soft spout and a handle (like the photos below) when Ethan was born. The two things can be used with Avent's milk bottle and it functions like a trainer cup. I let Ethan used them when he drinks water but when he started using drinking cup (with straw) few months back, I put them aside. It's high time now to switch him to trainer cup for milk.

For pacifier, I'm giving him the old one, which I kept for emergencies (like now lar!). At the same time, I try to wean him off the dummy. Actually, he has been taking his afternoon nap at the day care without pacifier. But, it's a different story at home. It's already difficult getting him to sleep let alone doing it without a pacifier. I have tried a few times without much success but last night I managed to lull him to sleep without it. Unfortunately, he woke up in the middle of the night looking for his pacifier. Needless to say, I gave in.

(The one in the photo lasted only 2 weeks.)