Four's enough

Like anything unpleasant (hairwashing anyone?), if you make a game of it, the toddler will usually go for it. For us, saline has been a success. Whenever Amelia has a stuffy nose I tell her we are going to put in some nose medicine and she gets excited.

Knowing that this was something most kids would hate, I was pretty pre-emptive about it. Ever since she was itty bitty, I've let her hold the cap and then after putting the saline in her nose, I've screwed the bottle onto the cap as she continued to hold it. She thought that was lots of fun, and worth the unpleasantness of a little water in her nose.

A few months ago when she had her first sniffly nose of the season, she wasn't too thrilled at the Return of the Saline up her nose. Since she loves counting, I thought that might help - and it did. So we do "1, 2, 3, 4", with 1 and 2 being the initial shots of saline to each nostril, and 3 and 4 giving me either a second go-round if I didn't think the first was really a decent shot, or just for show if I didn't need them.

When we first started this routine she thought it was so great she wanted 5 and 6. So I started telling her, "No, four's enough." After all, it's good to teach limits. So now every time we use the saline she ends with "Four's enough," and gives me this stern teacher-like expression with a slight nod. It's pretty funny - especially when she talks about it out of context.

Knowing she can handle the language that describes the concept of limitations, I have applied it elsewhere and she has picked it up. She knows that while something is enough for now, there will be another time.

Now if hair washing was as easy ...