Thumb Sucking - Glendale, AZ

Hi! I tolally sympathize with you! I breast fed both of my children. One was a thumb sucker and one was not, but, I felt like a human pacifier with the one that did not!
My ten year old only stopped sucking her thumb when she was 8 1/2. I tried EVERYTHING! I could think of. Old folk remedies...wrapping the thumb, my sis tried hot sauce (That one upset me) the stuff they sell in the store, etc. But, nothing worked. Finally, my niece got her to stop when they went on vacation together. She is a wee bit older and told my daughter that people were looking at her sucking her thumb, and she might not make friends if other kids saw her doing it . It was embarassing at times.
To my relief, her teeth are fine. But, regardless of what I tried, and I tried since she was a wee one, it took someone her own age to finally convince her.
I've been told that they should not be forced to stop because they need the sucking action for soothing themselves, and until they learn how to sooth themselves in some other way, let them alone.
I hope this helps in some way. It's not the worse thing that they can do!! lol

Hi V.. I have two thumb suckers, so I totally understand. I weaned my daughter at 4, (she's 5 1/2 now) just becuase she was getting ready to start school and it was time for her to be a big girl. I actually talked to my pediatrician about it because I was having a really hard time making her stop. He prescribed something to me called Mavalla stop. It is a clear nail polish-like stuff that tastes just nasty!! That made her quit within 1 day because you can't suck it off and its so gross that they don't even want to try. However... I also took them to a pediatric dentist, and he said that it shouldn't affect thier adult teeth unless they are sucking when thier baby teeth fall out and their adult teeth are starting to come in so it probably won't affect your son for a while. My son is now 3 and we are getting ready to make him stop too and I will definitely use the mavalla again. Good Luck!!!!

Hi there-
Have you asked your pediatrician about it? I had one son who loved his thumb, and my doc said not to worry. He said if I noticed it after he was sleeping, just to gently pull it out. He assured me that it wouldn't cause problems with his teeth, and up to this point, it hasn't. He is almost 10 now. I hope this helps, and I hope you'll talk to a doctor or two or three to get some different opinions. It might make you feel better.
Good luck!
P.S. my first son loved his pacifier, second one d ANYTHING,.. it was my third (and most content, by the way) who loved his thumb. :)

V.,

I totally agree with kristy on this. I was a thumb sucker(7 years old) and my mom was a thumb sucker and now my 7 month old daughter is a thumb sucker. When it comes to teeth issues remember there are people out there that didn't suck thier thumbs that still need dental work. So really it's nothing to worry about until they get to 2 or 3 and then you can "try" to break the habit or limit it only to bedtime and naps. Besides that, you relaly cant do anything and it's much more important to have a happy soothed child them worry about thier teeth that can be fixed... I hope this helps.

N.

My now almost 6 yo daughter used to suck her thumb. She started really early - like 4 or 6 weeks, and I loved it! She was able to soothe herself without any external support. Some kids give it up on their own, but our daughter kept up the habit. When she started going to the dentist (a pediatric dentist), he told us that her teeth and mouth were shaped poorly because of the thumb sucking. I don't really think it is as big a deal as the dentist said, because later we took her to our family dentist and he said that her teeth and mouth were just fine. She was still sucking her thumb at that time. When she was turning 5 and getting ready to start kindergarten, we started talking to her about how "big s" don't suck their . She decided she was a big and stopped sucking on her own. She also had a favorite blanket that she would snuggle while sucking her thumb. The two seemed to go hand in hand, so to help her kick the habit, we put her blankey away until the habit broke.

Hi! I wouldn't worry about it. Two of my four children were thumb suckers for years (only at night as they got older). My children did have braces, but may have needed them anyways. I tried a lot of things to get them to stop, but they finally just gave it up, but it took a long time, but I noticed they were very happy because they could calm themselves when young. When they are school age the orthodontist can put a device in the roof of their mouth that pokes their thumb. We never did this, but I know it is an option. Take care!

I was a thumb sucker until at least third grade or longer. My mother tried EVERYTHING to get me to stop. Nothing worked until I decided to stop on my own. My teeth are perfectly straight. I hope your little one's teeth will be too. Good luck! I still remember how comforting it was to have my thumb when I was sad, lonely or in need of comfort.

My daughter sucks her thumb also, having been one myself, I had lots of dental problems so I was concerned. I talked to my pedi and they said that if it goes on past 2-3 yrs old then to try and wean them from it but at this age it is nothing to be concerned about.

I must say that I agree with Natasha in part that it can begin with weening when 2 - 3 years for nap time & bedtime.

That is what we do with our 2 year old son who sucks his thumb. We don't seems to have any problems with him on it either. We have just had to at times gently remind him by asking: "is it bedtime?/nap time?"...and then he takes his thumb out.

This is almost the same way our 8 year old's weening of his binky/pacifier was handled when he was around 2 years old. We just set limits/boundaries that slowly got smaller and smaller until we told him that we felt he was big enough to go without it.

Hope that helps.
~D.

At this age, don't worry about it!!! It's normal and healthy. The only time you really need to concern yourself with the potential of dental issues is if the thumbsucking goes beyond 4 years. Even then, you're not going to have a child with major issues! If you're that concerned, talk with your pediatrician.

I have three kids and every one of them tried to suck thier thumb. I stopped it right then and there. I thought that the more I allow the thumb sucking the harder it would be when they are older. So ever time they stuck that thumb in there mouth I told them that is not ok and gave them a cracker or what ever health snack was around so it would keep them busy. This I think is not a good thing becauseof the dental problems and the germs on a childs hands at any given time.

V.,
I've responded to two other moms who were concerned about thumbsucking. I will just tell you what I told them. I have four children 16, 14, 12 and 12. My 14 year old sucked her thumb until she was about 6. Her dentist kept asking me about it--worried about her teeth and future braces. But truly she was such a happy (like your baby) and content kid that I never tried to stop her. I told the dentist that I'd rather pay for braces than therapy. He let up. She is now healthy, happy and DOESN'T suck her thumb. Just relax--they are babies for such a short time--and I think it is great he knows how to console himself. My friend told me her pediatrician asked her if her son had a "lovey" when he was 1 1/2 years old. She told him he didn't. He said, "Oh no--he's going to have issues." He is now 16 and she swears that pediatrician was right. Take it for what it's worth! Good luck!
K.

Two of my kids so far have been thumb suckers. They were completly breastfed (no bottles or pacifiers). My mother-in-law assured me it's different for breastfed children & to not worry about it. My oldest stopped at around 9 or 10 months after his top teeth came in for whatever reason. The other kept going until just before she turned two then seemed to lose interest. She was still nursing at the time so that probably helped the need to be soothed. If you are breastfeeding I wouldn't worry about it for now. It's not until they're older that it can become a problem.

Hi V.!

My son sucked his thumb until he was three years old. I breast-fed him and we didn't wean until he was two. At the age of three, we took him to the dentist, concerned about his apparent overbite and indentation in his upper palate. The doctor told my son: "you have to stop sucking your thumb because it's bad for your teeth." So that night, my son stopped. Just like that. He just made a "big boy decision" and he never sucked it again. But he was old enough to make that decision and find other ways to self-soothe.

Breast feeding is one of the best ways to ensure that your child's palate and musculature will develop properly. As long as you continue to do this, you are doing the very best for your child in this regard. Also, my son's palate fairly quickly returned to normal, so that now a dentist would never know that my son ever sucked his thumb.

Pacifiers don't really correct the problem -- they do nothing to properly train the musculature of the mouth and jaw -- and he doesn't seem interested in them anyway. My personal feeling is that it's not that big a problem and can easily correct itself later when he stops. In the meantime, you can help him find other ways to self-soothe (like rocking himself when he's lying in bed trying to sleep, feeling the satin edge of a blanket, etc.) Then later, you can explain to him that sucking his thumb might be hurting his teeth and big boys usually stop doing it (like, by the time he enters preschool or something).

Stopping thumb-sucking is kind of like weaning, or transitioning into using the potty -- these things need to be done gradually, with great care and respect, and not before they are developmentally and emotionally ready.

Good luck, and don't worry!