Pictures for pacifiers

I was seeing an adorable 3-year-old for a well visit when she started to become anxious at the prospect of shots. Seeing her child in distress, the mother promptly handed the toddler a laminated drawing of her pacifier that the mother and child had created together. The child held the picture and sometimes touched it to her cheek, effectively calming herself down. I was so impressed by the mother's creative solution, I made a copy of her drawing to share with other parents.

Parent drawings or photographs are a great way to help some preschoolers kick the pacifier or thumb-sucking habit-not to mention calming them down.

Kathy Bain, MD Cincinnati, Ohio.