My three year old is trying to quit sucking her thumb. She is doing pretty well during the day. Any advice for the night time? I don't know if I should be forceful and just get it over with, or let her stop on her own.
Thanks!
Perhaps I should have included some background. We have been to the dentist, and he says that they like to see them quit around the age of 2, and that she is developing an overbite, quite likely from her thumb sucking. She seems really ready to quit, and does well during the day. But, it is how she puts herself to sleep at night. So, like we all know, sleep associations can be really, really hard to break. So I think that she has the capacity to deal with life without it, there is a very real habit that is going to need some attention. I totally agree with giving kids choices, and not being overbearing, however, we as adults understand that there are things that have some long term consequences. Just like I would not let her take a sippy cup full of juice to bed, or fall asleep with a t.v. on, I want to teach her how to go to sleep without the thumb. :) Thank you so much for all the good advice. Moms rock.
Sorry, no advice from me. I, too, have a thumb sucker. He's 4. We've been working on it since he was 2. (Not actively, just reminding him to stop.) I'm interested to learn any advice anyone can give us! :)
i have answered this question so many times and my response is always the same. they will give it up when they are ready. parents need to get rid of this idea that it is wrong, uncool, or whatever, to suck a thumb. there is no medical evidence that it hurts teeth (until a child is getting their adult teeth). if your daughter has been convinced she has to stop, what a good big girl to try to stop on her own. don't make her feel bad for still doing it at night. she's probably stressing out about living up to your expectations. let her know you love her whether she sucks her thumb or not. let her know that you support her if she has a hard time stopping it.
what everyone seems to forget is that children suck thumbs, fingers, whatever, as a comfort mechanism. when they are old enough to deal with those insecure feelings on their own, they will naturally stop sucking. any disruption, trauma, stress, can cause them to do it. my son sucked his thumb from about 4 weeks old, at which point he started sleeping through the night, until about 2 or 2 1/2 years old. we have gone through a house fire, several moves, starting preschool...he stopped naturally, on his own, with zero "help" from me - i never said a word. my family going back three generations, also sucked our thumbs. we are normal, well adjusted, successful people. thank god my mother never made me feel bad about sucking my thumb as a small child. i am sorry if this sounds harsh, i just feel like people are so quick to judge a child who sucks their thumb, or even their parents. WHY? why do i feel like i have to stick up for YOUR child? research it first. then let her do what she feels like she needs to.
My advice is she will stop when she wants-I have a 4 1/2 yr old who sucked her finger-one day when she was 3 plus I was so irritated I just said to her ok MAYCEE u need to stop sucking that finger(which is so unlike me) but it worked for soe=me reason-she stopped during the day and occ at night she would which I told her was oK then she just completely stopped on her own-Give them room kids do things when they are ready not when u r? L.:)
I completely agree with the response from Adansmama. Thumbsucking is a comfort action. Let it go.
She is only 3, but my sister did it until she was 9. I'm not sure what you mean by forceful? Helpful would be a better word to use. Don't make her feel bad for doing it, try to help her find a way to avoid it.
If you decide that you really want her to stop then I have 2 suggestions. 1)they make a product you put on nails that tastes bad. It can help deter nail bitting and thmb sucking. 2) have her put a glove on when she gets in bed. Not a big frumpy mitten, but one of those thin stretch gloves that look way too small but stretch to fit your hand.
My mom used the liquid stuff when I was little to help me stop biting my nails. I also used the glove method with my girls when they would chew their fingers or nails. Worked well.
Before you do anything, take her to see a dentist and ask about the thumb sucking. It is my understanding that most of the time, thumb sucking before adult teeth come in doesn't hurt anything. However, depending on how she's "hanging" the thumb on her teeth, it could actually change the shape of her mouth?...If it's a medical issue, deal with it. Otherwise, give her a little more time unless it's her idea to quit. Some of my kids sucked thumbs, fingers, etc. and they stopped on their own eventually. Also, maybe a really soft blankie or stuffed animal to hold -- if she's holding that up by her face, it might provide a different sensation for her that is comforting, and also keep at least one hand busy and not in her mouth.
It's hard at night because the child will do it without even thinking. I'm not a fan of the bad-tasting polish, because I think it's punitive and can make eating in general unpleasant. We used bandage tape on my daughter's thumb to remind her not to suck. That worked really well! If she accidentally forgot, as soon as her thumb touched her lips, she realized what she was doing and moved the thumb away!
We used the "thumb guard" by Medetal. Daytime was fine, the first couple nights were horrible. But in the long run it was worth it. I believe the protocol is 2-3 weeks for 24/7 (we took it off for swimming, sand play, etc with no problems) and we used it for longer b/c our daughter was 5 and had shown little progress in quitting--almost a reflex for that thumb to go in! We have had no regressions--worth the money after the first couple nights!
Hi there,
I had the same experience with my son (4 years old). All he loves to do is suck his thumb. I've tried all these different thing but he just switches to this other thumb.
I then just thought I would give up; I figured he isn't hurting anyone and that was his security blanked. Then I asked his doctor about it and he told me all the bad things that can happen as far as his teeth are concerned & its stops your child's chin development!
He told me to look at adults with no chin form and that most likely means they sucked the them...
So I searched the internet and found these pair of gloves...he loved wearing them & after a couple of weeks he has stopped sucking his thumb!
The funny part is we just bought him another pair because he loves wearing them...he calls himself Sonic the Hedgehog...lol
Here is the site in case anyone else is looking...not expensive and they offered free shipping.
<a href="http://endthumbsucking.com/">http://endthumbsucki...;
They never really stop on thier own becuase they can always suck at night.There are many ways to help stop thumb sucking but always remember to do it in a positive way and never shame a child. Thumb sucking can cause the teeth to be pushed forward and the palate of the mouth to raise, therefore changing the structure of the mouth and can even lead to speech problems...and possibly lead to braces. Talk to your dentist on the repercussions of thumb sucking. There is a fun product that kids love to help stop thumbsucking called "Thumbuddy To Love" that you can google or get on Amazon. Remember to always use praise for the little accomplishments!
My four year old has made the decision to give up the thumb too. She tries, but when she tired or having a little emotional problem (also tired) she does tend to go for it without remorse. I remind her anytime she is quiet and she always asks how I know she is sucking her thumb. (It is because her mouth isn't running) When she is sleeping and I find her thumb is in her mouth, I just remove it and she is fine.
Hi A.-
I learned about a product called Mavala, which is like a nail polish. It apparently taste bad and stops thumb sucking. I found it at a pediatric dentist office.
Also Leap & Bounds/ One Step Ahead, the online kids products store, has a devise that fits over the thumb to stop sucking. It seems to work wel..
Good Luck.
R. Magby
I too have a 3 yr old thumb sucker. I am a firm believer that she will give it up when she is ready. She came into this world sucking her thumb (her first ultrasound is of her thumb heading to her mouth) and even when the nurses tried to force the pacifer on her at the hospital, she would spit it out and went back to her thumb. She does use it as a comfort mechanism and only when she has her special taggie with her. I was a thumb sucker until I was 9...I turned out ok with the exception of 4 years of braces.
