Thumbsucking!! - Williston Park,NY

Why don't you try to "bribe" him w/something he really wants. You and him set up a goal on when he will stop sucking his thumb by a certain date, and for every day he goes w/out doing it, give a sticker on a calendar until he reached so many days w/out doing it and then get him whatever you both agreed he would get when he reached that goal.. You could also make it a huge deal when you see him correct himself. If all else fails, you could show him online pic's of crooked teeth and talk to him about what it is doing to his mouth. He's 6 after all, he should bee able to understand. For the record, I was a finger sucker(my pointer and middle finger) and I stopped around 5. It took until my mom had my brother, then I didn't want to be like the baby, maybe pushing the big boy issue will help. But try not to make him feel terrible about himself, it's such a fine line w/kids. Good Luck!

We all have ways of comforting ourselves to get to sleep. I'd leave him alone. He will probably outgrow it. My son was a big time thumb sucker..... both thumbs would get red and raw because either thumb would do. When he was getting ready for his first day of school at the age of five, I told him they didn't want him to suck his thumb at school, so he should only do it here at home. He stopped cold turkey that very day! My husband and I were so surprised by that! Please do not belittle him into stopping. Be gentle. Good luck.
D. N.

We tried everything with my son and nothing really worked except peer pressure in the end. By 4th grade he stopped completely. I have resigned myself to the fact that he will need braces - most kids do anyway. Sorry I have no secret solutions!

There is a thumguard which you can purchase it online.
My daughter use to suck her thumb when she was a year old. I tried putting on the thumbguard and it worked.

I don't know for sure, my son is only 16 months old. But maybe you can dip his thumb in lemon juice before he goes to bed and everytime he tries to suck on it while he's sleeping he will not want to because of the terrible taste.

I don't remember the brand name, but the drugstore sells small bottles of liquid with a little brush inside for application (just like nail polish.) It's really to stop nail-biters, but I suppose it could be also used to stop thumb-suckers. When I was young, my mother painted all my fingernails with it (it has to dry) because I used to bite my nails so badly. It tasted hot and terrible, and soon stopped me from putting my fingers to my mouth. After a while it cured me.

A.,

He's six. Ask him how he would go about remembering not to suck his thumb.

Take him to the dentist (pre-arrange with dentist ahead of time for an information session) and have the dentist show him what thumb-sucking will DO to his teeth.

Ask him what he needs to do when he forgets and pops it in there.

Good luck!
M.

Most kids outgrow it. However, some years ago I saw a TV show about adult thumbsuckers. They did it for comfort. Some people never outgrow it no matter what you do, including bad tasting gels. Better than being depressed maybe. Maybe tell him to try to do it only when he really needs it.

A., I would consult with a orthodontist,They can apply a device just for thumbsucking that will break the habit almost instantly. If you don't catch it now the new teeth will be bucked and you will have larger ortho expenses. We used it on our child and have no regrets. She turned 28 yesterday and has a beautiful mouth!!! You will be sleep deprived sitting at the bedside all night. Good Luck
Nancy

I'm responding as a previous thumbsucker myself. I used to suck my thumb when I was watching TV or trying to fall asleep. It was my comfort. As I got older I eliminatd the TV time when friends were over for fear of ridicule. My mom tried to get the dentist to "scare" me to stop, but as I was easing into sleep, it found it's way into my mouth. My mom felt bad & never rubbed anything on it, but the nail bite stop polish might work (don't use lemon juice - the acid is no good for the enamel). My teeth did shift horribly & even changed how I swallow - I was a tongue thruster. When I was in 5th grade I got a retainer that had 5 short little spikes that came down to keep my thumb out & my tongue back. That was when I finally stopped sucking my thumb at night! I eventually got braces to straighten my crooked teeth. They do braces & retainers so much younger now so you probably won't have to wait until he's in 5th grade! Good luck - it's a hard habit to break! Start with your dentist - maybe your son will be "scared straight"!

A couple of suggestions:

They sell nail polish for kids that bite their nails because it has a terrible taste. This could also work for a thumb sucker.

With my little sister, we took her to the dentist. He talked to her about what could happen to her teeth and showed all the different kinds of tools they would have to use to "fix" the teeth. It scared her in a good way. She would kiss her thumb and put it under her pillow. She never went back.

Hope some of this helps! Good luck!

Yes, I sucked my thumb until I was 9, and yes, had to get braces, etc. because of it! I think the thing that worked for me was sticking my thumb in alum. I liked it the first night, but not the second. I seem to remember a glove too. Maybe put some tape around the wrist? Good luck!

My son was a BIG thumb sucker, we tried everthing. when he turned 4 1/2, he is now 5, he started biting the side of his mouth and it really hurt. We blamed it on his thumb sucking and told him he had germs in his mouth. He stopped immediately. Occassionally when he has a bad dream i will fine him sucking his thumb it is very rare. Maybe you can tell your son thumb sucking causes germs. But honestly I think it is a comfort at night. Good luck.

Isn't there some kind of product you can rub on his thumb that tastes gross so he won't suck it?
That's the only thing I can come up with!! :( So sorry. My neighbor's little girl (3) sucks her thumb also and she's panicked that she'll never stop.
Lynsey

This is one of those situations where a little "tough love" is needed. If you give your son attention, albeit negative, he will still suck his thumb for both his own comfort, as well as keeping your interest focused on him. When my daughter refused to give up her "binky" (pacifier), I enlisted the help of my pediatrician. The pediatrician told her that if she ever saw my daughter with a binky in her mouth again, she would have to give her a needle in her mouth to fight the bad germs. My daughter handed over the binky, and never looked back :) You may want to take your son to the dentist, and while he may be frightened, make it a happy ending with the dentist stating that your son came " 'just in time' to prevent a full shift of his teeth, but if this persists, then he will always have to have shots and drills."

I'm sorry for the way this works, but it does work. We didn't raise our voices, and we didn't say anything angrily. We just approached the situation as a "matter-of-factly," and it was a success. Good luck. You sound like a good mom. :)

Hi A.-
I read somewhere that there is a bitter tasting gel that you can use to stop thumb sucking. It's similar to the stuff used to stop nail biting. You should look online or ask your pediatrician about it.
Hope this helps.
K.

Try rubbing aloe vera on it. You can find the plant in your supermarket. Slice it open and rub it on his thumb.
It worked on my 6 year old son.

I would suggest you NOT put anything into his mouth or on his thumb, like lemon juice, because that will cause problems with the enamel on his teeth.
For this, seek your dentist's advice...they can often help you find a solution, even an aparatus you put on your son's hand/thumb that is plastic and cannot be removed by him. They are sold in catalogs, however, I think a dentist would be the best resource.