booger eatersIf you have toddler who has discovered the thrill of digging for gold, you may find yourself grossed out and afraid to leave the house with the little booger eater. Convincing your toddler to abandon his newly-found self-entertainment center can be challenging for all parties involved. I mean, how long have you been waiting for that magical moment when your child can play all by himself?

But the fact is, it's a nasty habit that you don't want to encourage unless you want to stop getting play date invites from other skeeved out parents. Our own parents had ways of dealing with this issue that we'd probably like to forget, but were admittedly effective. The new generation of parents, however, is struggling with the least damaging methods to curb the snot intake. Borrowing from the old and the new school methods, here are 10 ways to curb your toddler's appetite for boogers.

New School

  1. Have a frank discussion about the content of snot, and why it's not good for your body. Focus on organic fruit and vegetable substitutes.
  2. As the finger heads north, grab his toddler hands and start doing an enthusiastic Pat-a-Cake rendition.
  3. Talk about how she's making the boogers feel by shoving them down her throat so viciously.
  4. Write and perform a song for her: "Fingers are for Caressing"
  5. Decide that he won't be doing it by the time he goes to Prom, so it's okay.

Old School

  1. Hot sauce on the fingers.
  2. Shame
  3. Explain that no one will like them if they keep chowing down on the boogs.
  4. Tell the story of little Jimmy who ate too many boogers, and died.
  5. Pretend not to notice, pour yourself a Scotch.

Do you live with a booger eater?

 

Image via merfam/Flickr