Totally Hardcore Mom
My role of “mom” has forced me to do many things that I never thought I would be capable of doing and has helped me exceed my levels of hardcore. I met my first level of hardcore when I had to sit on a toilet with my jeans on in a bathroom stall in order to breastfeed Sayle in private.
My second level of hardcore was met when I stopped freaking out about poop getting on my fingers while changing a ridiculously foul diaper. My last level of hardcore was exceeded when I became the champion of formula barf and I seriously did not think I could get any more hardcore than that.
To my surprise, I have recently graduated to a whole new level of hardcore-I am now a booger picker. I simply cannot stand to see my child with boogers or goo around his nose, and there are some instances that a Kleenex simply cannot help the situation.
Bye Bye Sucky Ball!
In Sayle’s younger months, I did things by the book; I suctioned his nose. I couldn’t bring myself to dig in his precious little newborn nostrils so I spent a lot of time with that stupid ball syringe (aka-sucky ball) that never really worked well. I had to position the nozzle just right while battling a screaming child who vigorously thrashed his head from side to side like a killer whale with a seal in his mouth. Not only was that quite an ordeal, but I also never really knew if I suctioned the snot out or if I just pushed it further in his nose.
Sayle has yet another double ear infection, this time coupled with a cold. This particular cold has produced the kind of sticky thick mucus that forms a wall of dried crusty snot over Sayle’s nostrils. I’m certain all you moms know exactly what I’m talking about-the kind where you can’t figure out how your child is breathing through it. I was using a warm washrag to soften the crust up and then wrestling with Shamu in order to remove the mucus with the sucky-ball. This task has not only given me a headache, but it is also time consuming. I have found that using a washrag to soften the mucus and then using my finger to clear it away, to be far more effective. If I don’t have a washrag or Kleenex, I get real crazy and gently scrape the dried crust away or pluck the nasty booger from his nose with my fingernail.
I’m not saying I dig in my child’s nose, I’m simply saying that the days of using the sucky-ball for visible snot, goo, and boogers have ended. Oh yes, I am totally hardcore!
Well…..you can pick your friends and you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your friends nose. In no baby book that I ever read did I see where you can’t ever pick your baby’s nose. Go for the gusto and be the best fingernail booger picking nostril cleaning extraordinaire you can be. If it makes the baby feel better, I am all about it!!
It makes me feel better to know that Sayle doesn’t have a snot militia at the edge of his nostril and it makes him feel better to get air! I was going to use that saying in this blog Christy-ha! You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose….and you can also pick your child’s nose! I didn’t see anything in the mommy-know-how rule book that said we couldn’t pick noses either!
My daughter is just about 9 months and I’ve been picking her nose for about 8 months. I gave up the sucky ball after using it twice. She hasn’t been sick yet (knock on wood), but when I see the random booger in her nose I get tunnel vision and all I can think is, “Must Pick It Out!” And it’s a lot quicker and easier to just use my pinkie finger than wrestle with her and the sucky ball. I think it’s just part of settling into motherhood
I too am constantly on boogie patrol, but sadly still have to rely on the good old “sucky ball” because I don’t have long enough nails, oh well (:
Rylee turned into Shamu also with that stupid stupid sucky ball. He hated it. It was like wrestling an alligator. If I even came near his nose with a rag, kleenex, etc he would scream and start vibrating with anger. Once I started using my finger, we’ve had no problems whatsoever.
Sarah, I believe you may have found new motivation to grow your fingernails out!! HA! I’m telling you, once you put down that sucky ball you will never go back!
Ashley, what is it about a kleenex or rag that makes a baby have a melt down? You’re lucky that Rylee doesn’t mind the fingernail; Sayle hates anything going for his nose, but the fingernail is so much faster than the wipe or the sucky ball. Boo to the sucky ball!!