My three and a half year old is a thumb sucker. Last week he had a cold and couldn't suck his thumb. I thought we might have a breakthrough if he got out of the habit of doing it. But, now that he can breath through his nose again, the thumb is right back in his mouth.We've tried to encourage him to only suck it when he's in bed. But it's a constant battle. And I don't even know if I should be battling it! He doesn't do it at church or at preschool. Just when he gets sleepy or focused on something like the TV.
So, do you have any advice for me? How do I get him to stop? Should I get him to stop? If it's ok for him to do it now, when will it not be ok? HELP!!!
Oh gosh, I have the same problem with my 4 yr old girl. Her teeth are already affected because of it. We tell her she can only suck it when it's bedtime and we have to constantly tell her to get it out of her mouth the rest of the time when we're with her. We've tried putting raw aloe on it, this herb Bahamians use (hubby's from the Bahamas), but nothing has worked. Would love to hear if anyone has a method that has worked.
ReplyDeleteHey! In response to my question about a finger/thumb sucking exorcism on our 9 year old, a wise pediatrician replied, "Trust me, he won't walk down the aisle sucking his finger." I laughed then, and let it go. They stop on their own, and in the end, require orthodontia, so my advice, save your breath and your pennies!
ReplyDeleteVery interested in the advice - my 3 year old (3 years and two months, to be exact) isn't a thumb sucker, but he sucks his middle and ring finger simultaneously and while I'm not worried so much about him doing it as much as I know he does when he's anxious or bored. I'm wondering when to start teaching him how to deal with these feelings instead of reverting back to this. And I refuse to put that goo on their fingers that tastes so bad...that seems so mean.
ReplyDeleteWhen my brother was 5 he was still sucking his thumb. My grandmother offered him $5 to stop sucking it. He said make it $20 and I will!
ReplyDeleteHA!
Our daughter sucked her thumb constantly until she was about 1. At that time, she got sick and congested and couldn't suck her thumb. She pretty much stopped on her own, but just to make sure the habit was kicked, I bought some of the nasty tasting stuff and put in on there while she was sick and for about 2 weeks after. I don't know if she ever even put her thumb in her mouth while it was on her thumb, but since she wasn't sucking it anyway at the current time, I wanted to make sure I didn't see the thumb go her mouth anymore. However, I will tell you this, once she stopped, she didn't know how to control herself w/o her thumb to comfort her, so we had a bit of a time with fussiness until she learned - still a work in progress.
ReplyDeleteMy son used to suck his index finger, and then one day he just decided to stop. BOth dh and I both sucked our thumbs until we were 12. Mom tried everything it seemed like even nasty tasting stuff on my thumb but nothing worked. I had to make the decision. Thank God for orthodontics!
ReplyDeleteMy first daughter was a serious thumb sucker. she also had the blanket which she held in the hand while she sucked the thumb. the advise we were given was that if you continue to nag her and force her to stop sucking the thumb, this will make it worst, and so it did. as she got older we realized what triggered the finger sucking: 1. she was bored, 2. tired, 3. anxious/stressed.
ReplyDeleteBut the break through came when she started doing sleep overs at about 8 years old. her friends called her a baby, laughed at her and told the other kids at school. this was embarrassing for her and difficult to watch her go through. I simply asked what she was going to do about it. She decided that it was time to stop. She tried and was not always successful. It took about a year for her to fully stop. She is 10 now, still has the blanket but does not suck her finger.
My advise:don't, push or nag, or threaten. save yourself the stress.
each child is different and there may be other methods but I can safely say letting them stop on their own is more victorious.
My daughter is 15 now. She was a serious thumb sucker. We tried everything to get her to quit, money, live animals, nasty tasting stuff, whatever she wanted at the time, to no avail. Finally when she was 10 she just decided on her own "Mommy, I am going to stop thumb sucking. Will you help me if I need it?" Done and over with. Yes, she did get braces, but how do we know she wouldn't have had to get them anyway? I'd say let him be. He will stop in his own time.
ReplyDeleteI read somewhere recently that the ADA has determined the thumb sucking does not raise the risk of needing braces later in life-but I could be wrong on this.
ReplyDeleteHowever, a sucking action in small children helps to form neurological connections that become later in life. Most children stop on their own when they are ready. In the few people where it does last into adulthood, it usually takes some form of internal motivation to stop and harassing them about it will only make them feel conflicted. You may want to gently warn the child that most people stop sucking their thumb at an early age and that other children may find it strange.
If gentle prodding doesn't stop it, then let it go.
As a childhood thumb sucker and the mother of 3 (out of 4) thumb suckers, I can speak with some authority and much sympathy on this subject. What worked for us is a product that was recommended to us by our orthodontist called the Thumbguard. We used this on our oldest when he was 7 and after 3 weeks of use he was cured. He's 12 now and no longer sucks his thumb at all. We also used this on our daughter who was 5 at the time and it worked for her too. At first. Then, she started sucking again in her sleep and the habit crept back in until it was an all day thing again. So she ended up doing another round. She's almost 10 now. We haven't tried it on the 3 year old yet. We are going to give him another year. I do know another family who used it successfully with 3 of their 4 thumb sucking toddlers(they have 2 sets of twins!). The fourth child just adapts and switches to another finger. They are going to give him more time and try again later. The orthodontist claims that at this age it's not doing harm to their teeth. When the permanent teeth start coming in then the habit needs to STOP. You can google Thumbguard to find the website for the company that makes them. They are also available from One Step Ahead and Amazon. You could also call your local orthodontist and see if they sell them. Buying from my orhtodontist was a few dollars more than buying online but the help they gave me in choosing the right size and teaching me how to secure it to my child's wrist was worth the little bit extra. Thumbguard also makes finger guards if you have a finger sucker. I hope that helps. It's a very difficult habit to break. Even if your child wants to stop and can be incredibly difficult. I can be reached via email at jlsbks @ gmail.com for anyone who would like to ask questions.
ReplyDeleteWe also go with the flow when it comes to our thumb sucker. Maybe there will come a time when we need to deal with it, but right now I just think it's quite cute!
ReplyDeleteJamie
My 17 month old is a thumb sucker. His dentist told me that he would start trying when he is 2 to get him to stop. By the age of 3 he would like to see that habit gone. He said next time we were in he would give me a hand out with advice on how techniques to try to get him to stop. But I don't go back until June.
ReplyDeleteSo after all that...I am no help. Yet. :)
Maybe try Googling it and see what you come up with. I know there is a nasty tasting oil that you put on thier thumbs...but don't know much about it.
Good luck!
My 22 month old daughter came home 5 months ago from school and out of the blue was sucking her middle and index fingers simultaneously. She sucks them with her palm up and outward so that I'm concerned she will eventually be pulling her teeth into an awkward angle. I've noticed she does this more when she's tired or when she's focused on something that has her attention. Whenever I try and tell her to stop, or pull down her hand she laughs and thinks that we're playing a game. Sigh... I'm just hoping she moves past this sooner than later. She never used a pacifier or sucked her thumb until this point. I was thinking that I may just begin telling her that big girls don't suck their fingers and as she gets older and sees that her friends don't anymore - maybe she'll stop too.
ReplyDeleteBTW, this may sound insane, but... I have a cousin who is 20 y/o and she has been seen to be sucking her thumb still when she is exhausted. Crazy weird, yet true.
My one year old daughter is a thumb sucker and I don't look forward to being in your shoes. I read another post recently about it, and one thing that was mentioned there but not here, was putting a glove on the hand they suck on. I think I will try that when I'm ready to attempt to break the habit. I don't know when the right time is either, but I've heard it's not an issue for the teeth until 3-4 years of age.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes and don't discount the power of prayer!
My pediatrician said to wait until my daughter outgrows it. I don't like it because I think it causes her to get sick more often, especially during the winter. I heard that Thumb Guard works, unfortunately my three year old daughter sucks her fingers. In the meantime, I am using a waterless hand sanitizer and a wipe on surfaces that she touches when we are out.
ReplyDeleteI know who ya' feel. :)
http://happyheartsathome.blogspot.com/
Pediatrician and dentist both said its a hard habit to break, and I should know-- I sucked my fingers until I was 10. Never neede braces, though. My son (3 yrs old), however has started to push his teeth out. The dentist said his gum line will return to its correct shape when his permanent teeth come in so we are working on it now. Its very difficult because he will suck both thumbs.
ReplyDeleteNow that he is in school he keeps a cold. He also has developed raw and cracked skin on both fingers. I'm hoping that the regular application of peroxide (which he hates)
and bandaids will heal his thumbs and break the habit.
My brothers kids had some sort of dental appliance inserted.
My daughter started sucking her thumb out of the blue at age 3 1/2!!! I have no idea why. Could this be a mimicking behavior? We weaned her from the binky before she was 2, so she has gone over a year and a half with nothing. Should I just let it go?
ReplyDeleteThanks:)