Children with Polydactaly

I have two cousins that had extra pinky fingers too. Yes, have them removed. It is better to have a scar from removing them then the emotional scars they will have from being teased and looked a funny. It is less complicated to do it now, then waiting until they are older. I would not even quesiton wheather or not to have them removed.

I don't have a child with this but I think you should remove the finger now. Don't wait until others have made fun of him and until the scarring will be more apparent. Anybody with a minor deformity that can be fixed usually wants it done. Do the operation now and let your child grow up with 10 fingers like all other children do.

I personally do not have any experiance with this issue, however, I feel that it is better to have this done as early as they will allow. He will inevitably want the surgery one day so letting him make the decision shouldn't be an issue... and if he chooses to have the surgery later in life the full arm cast could and probably would become a much bigger issue. What if he gets involved with sports or ends up being left handed... having the cast for a month could really effect school or extra-curricular activities. that is just my humble opinion...good luck and all the best in whatever decision you make.

I had a 1st cousin who's daughter had an extra thumb. They had it removed and I am unaware of any issues with the removal. Also, I think that children can be hurt by things others say and kids just need one thing to pick on someone about - so let it not be this. If it were my child, I would get it removed and I would get a 2nd and 3rd opinion on how soon it could be removed.

PLEASE have it removed now while he's still young enough to not really remember it later. I understand that it's not really a health risk, but can you imagine the kind of torment he's going to go through growing up? Children can be so mean...

Hello T.,
I have a friend whose daughter had and extra pinky on each hand as well as 6 toes on each foot. The pinky fingers didnt have bones, so they were able to remove it at birth. The extra toes they decided to not remove and she is now 7. She doesnt seem bothered by it at all, but her mom has said she feels that its coming. Good luck in finding the right answer for your family.
~A.

a friend of mine have a baby with two extra pinkies "one on each hand" it runs in her family when she was born they put a rubber band around it and it died . Kinda weird to see but she doesn't have any problems now. not sure how a doctor would do it with an older child

My nephew was born with an extra finger on each hand and I know my sister in law had the fingers removed shortly before he turned 2. He wasn't in a complete arm cast though. I know his hands were bandaged, but he wasn't in a cast of any kind. I would definitly do it when he's little. The scars will be much less noticeable and really the pain will be less severe.

I don't have a child with this, but in school I did have a friend with an extra toe. Sure it was covered up with shoes MOST of the time, but not always. Sometimes in PE, we had to take our shoes off for trampoline or whatever reason. The kids were terrible and mean. It didn't matter that she was the greatest friend a person could ask for - she was made fun of and outcast. It really affected her, and by the time she decided she wanted it removed, her family didn't have insurance nor the money to cover it. I won't say you should or shouldn't - that is for you and your husband to decide. Just be prepared for everything that comes along with having it removed, as well as NOT having it removed. Kids are mean!

Good luck with whatever you decide!!!!

You have to think of one thing, children are cruel to others who are different. Would you want your son to feel self-conscience about himself when he see that he is different from other children? My 9yr old son is teased because he is not as athletic as the other boys. He has asthma. Your problem can handled. My advice would be to have it done and over with before he can remember the pain the surgery or the extra finger might cause. I am sure he will thank you when he's older.

God Bless,

Chris

I would remove it now, what are the chances that he will be upset about not being able to have an extra pinky later on in life? although i'm sure it is possible i doubt he will wish he did, kids can be cruel especially when it comes to differences.

T., I watched a show (I believe on TLC) about polydactaly on children. All of those who lived in America were affected emotionally because they went through the negative social aspects of being "abnormal" even thought they weren't. It was really heartbreaking to see the children talk about how they hated themselves or hated school, etc. I think health wise, it's not a big deal but social-wise it can be a big deal in this culture. I hope that will help you make the decision. Best to you all.

T., does your son's extra pinkie seem to get in the way or bother him (like does it catch on things and pull it, or does he function well with it)? If not, I personally wouldn't worry about it and let him decide one day. The only other reason I'd get it done would be if the dr. said that the procedure would be more difficult on him as he gets older (I'm thinking specifically of tonsillectomies).

My daughter was born with a restricted frenulum (tongue-tied). I wasn't able to breast-feed; good thing for the bottle. We went to a specialist who told us that it can hinder a child's ability to physically learn to speak, so because of that we had the frenulectomy to 'clip' her tongue. If they'd said it didn't matter one way or the other, we'd have left it alone.