Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease: Breaking the Binky Habit?

My kids' preschool has been posting up signs about Hand, Foot and Mouth (HFM) Disease going around in the classrooms.

Most commonly caused by Coxsackie Virus or Enterovirus 71, HFM disease results in high fever and is characterized by tiny blisters in the hands, feet, and mouth. It is a highly contagious infection spread through saliva, nasal secretions, broken blisters, and feces. Spread of the disease usually occurs through unwashed hands contaminated with the virus, so it is very important to practice good hand washing with soap and water, especially when these viruses have been reported at schools and daycares.

My older child had it when he was just 18 months old, before he was even enrolled in preschool. He had blisters all over his tongue, making it extremely painful for him to eat or drink. We were both miserable. The worst part about it was that there was really nothing I could do about it, aside from giving him baby Tylenol for the pain.

But one perk came out of it: it broke him of his binky habit. Sucking on his binky made the pain unbearable, so after the illness subsided (about a week later), he wanted nothing to do with his once beloved binky. Never even looked at it again.

So while I sympathize with anyone who gets this miserable disease, at least it has potential for breaking the binky habit!