Thumb Sucking and Breaking the Habit

If you go to www.onestepahead.com they have guards for the thumb and fingers. But I say he will probably stop on his own. I have a son who sucks his thumb and he is 2 but he only does it in his crib to fall asleep. He dosen't do it when he is awake at all. I also have a daughter who is 5 and still sucks her fingers but again, only when it is bedtime. Sometimes she does it when she is tired and awake but I just casually mention to take her fingers out of her mouth. Sometimes she stops herself from doing it. I think it is a form of soothing and eventually they will grow out of it. Hopefully! :)

Thank you for not putting hot sauce on your baby, that could really be bad. Maybe a dentist can help you, the teeth are whats affected. I actually had a baby sitter who believe it or not sucked her thumb, yes I know pretty gross. It might be the attention your giving him thats he's enjoying and not the actual thumb sucking itself. Re direct with other activites that he enjoys.

my opinion- don't worry about it. my son stopped on his own between 2 1/2 and 3, i firmly feel that this is something children use as a coping mechanism when they don't know how else to deal with their emotions. there is no actual evidence that it harms adult teeth, and putting pressure on a child to stop does just that - puts pressure on them. causing more stress. making them crave it even more. why? i vote leave him alone.

I know exactly how you feel. My son is 2.5 and sucks his middle & ring finger. He only does it at night or when he has his bubba(blanket). I found this online, it's a guard for their thumb and they have one for their fingers. www.thumbguard.com I know some people have also tried the polish www.planetbeauty.com/shopping/displayproduct.asp?product=... . I am not sure if any of these work, I personally have not tried them yet. Now my twins are doing it also, one sucks his thumb and the other sucks the 2 fingers like his brother. I took my son to the dentist 2 weeks ago and the hygienist said she just read an article that said thumb sucking can be hereditary. Good luck !!!

As an adult now who sucked their thumb....my advise to you is simply discourage him from sucking it....take it out of his mouth gently whenever you deem necessary and let him have his thumb, he won't be sucking it in high school. Maybe he needs that little bit of security for some reason. What is the big hurry He is only 2?

when I was little I used to suck my thumb all the time, did it for years, until my mother found this liquid that she put on my nails, and skin and it was dreadful tasting! and soon after I stopped because the taste was horrid!
that was the only way to get me to stop!

Mavala Stop-Nail Biting and Thumb Sucking Prevention, 10ml

Product Features
Harmless, yet effective product that helps adults and children break the nail biting habit
Transparent formula with a distinct bitter taste
Can be used alone or over color
Also recommended for children who suck their thumbs

http://www.amazon.com/Mavala-Stop-Nail-Biting-Sucking-Pre...

also-----
Thum Liquid 0.2 oz Stops thumb sucking and nail biting
Product Features
Thumb Sucking and Nail Biting Deterrent.
Thum Liquid Stops thumb sucking and nail biting.
http://www.amazon.com/Liquid-Stops-thumb-sucking-biting/d...

My doc said to not worry about it unless it carries on once they have their adult teeth. Good luck, and remember it's ok for a little self soothing :)

My son is 4 and was a 23 weeker. He still sucks his thumb. I was told this is a soother for him. He was in the hospital for 7 months after his birth and had just had surgery a week before hurricane Katrina where we were seperated for 2 weeks. The nurses taught him to suck his thumb for comfort. He has had a total of 12 surgeries and still deals with a great deal. His pediatrician tells me that he will stop on his own but because of his illness it helps calm him. I find this to be true so I leave him alone.

Leae him alone-I have a 4 yr old and a 3 yr old who suck fingers and it soothes them and they will stop-the more pressure u put on them the more they will do it-kids do things when they want todo them not when we want them to do them-be patient L.:)

I like the idea of maybe trying a band-aid and telling him it has a boo-boo. There may not be evidence of how it affects teeth, but I have seen an awful lot of thumb suckers where the shape of their mouth is a dead give away. That is evidence enough for me. I also know an adult to this day who still sucks his thumb. No joke. He is approaching 30. I see him driving around town with his thumb in his mouth. It really is not attractive and yes, he has the mouth shape to go with it. So I do think it is something that you need to start discouraging though I think there is nothing cuter than a young one with his thumb in his mouth.

My mother tried everything. She was told i would eventually quit but she just continue trying whatever she could think of. From hot sauce to nail polish remover. None worked. I eventually stopped right before highschool - i had two close friends that knew and never said anything about it. Yes it messed up my teeth wihich braces helped but honestly my advice would be continue to help him stop but dont stress over it - he will eventually stop. : )

Right after our daughter was born, our then 2 1/2 year old had sucked his thumb so much that it had gotten a little chapped. My husband put a little band aid on it and told him he had a boo boo and couldn't suck it until it got better. He was so upset about his boo boo that he left it alone. 3 days later, the band aid came off and he hasn't sucked it again and our little girl is about to turn one. I think the band aid kept it out of his mouth and that was long enough for him to realize he didn't need it anymore.