5 Year Old - Help Getting Him to Stop Sucking His Thumb!

I personally LIKED the taste of play dough as a child! So do many children I know and/or work with at school.

I would let him outgrow it. Dentition isn't usually impaired until permanent teeth are in. My guess is, he'll outgrow it in his own time, and it will be emotionally easier for him.

I'd be wary about the play dough! Might promote a new habit of eating dough! ;^)

Good luck!

I have a 7 year old who sucked her thumb until she was almost 5. We go to a pediatric dentist who recommended that we put an appliance in the roof of her mouth that is proven to stop thumb sucking. After a lot of thought, we went ahead and tried it. The appliance did not hurt her in any way she just had to learn to talk with it in so she didn't lisp and it worked!! It took about 6-8 months before she was completely done, but she's never put her thumb back into her mouth since!! It was attached to her 2 back molars and there was a wire that went from one side to the other with a little ball in the middle. I had a ton of concerns about the ball falling off and choking her, but the dentist reassured me that it will not happen. The ball is there to trick the child into thinking the thumb is in the mouth when it isn't and eventually it stops the habit!

My suggestion is to just let him grow out of it. My daughter was a thumb sucker & she just stopped. She is 9 1/2 & on a very rare occasion when she is very, very tired she will still do it, but that is very rare. I think if you make it known that you want him to stop he will continue just in spite of you. Also, we had no problems with teeth or anything. I'd say that she stopped when she was in k or 1st grade. She's now in 3rd.

Just wanted to share a great idea I heard from my 4-year-old's dentist. She said that the thumb-sucking is definitely linked to her bunny and that (by age 5) the key will be distancing her from it. I have done experiments with washing him, making him "unavailable" and it really works. She doesn't suck her thumb when he's gone.

Her idea is that my daughter can make a special bed for her bunny (a shoe box with a flower pillow case, stuffed animals, feathers, cotton balls, whatever!) that will be his to sleep in at night keeping him out of her mitts. So we will definitely being doing the special bed to get us past the habit when it comes time!

Good luck with everything.

It's a comfort thing any time of day but especially at night. I'm big on letting kids outgrow habits like that. At this age they can be embarrassed to have their friends see them suck their thumbs, so the "peer pressure" helps during the daytime. My advice--it'll go away on it's own. Two of my girls were thumb-suckers and outgrew it gradually and naturally (no shaming!).

Hi K., My son just turned 6 and up until about 6-7 months ago, sucked on the 2 middle fingers of one hand. I do agree with one mom that said that it possibly associated with something else that he does or has in bed with him. My son always had a stuffed animal with him that had longer hair on it somewhere. He would always rub the toys hair around on his cheek with one hand and suck the fingers of the other. He would do this whenever his hands weren't busy playing. ex: long car rides. Every time. But if he forgot to bring his animal, his fingers wouldn't go near his mouth. Then once he started kindergarten, he didn't do it hardly at all durring the day, even if he had his stuffed animal and was just relaxing on the couch. He would still do it at night to go to sleep. Then all of a sudden, it just stopped. No matter what you try, kids will find a way around it. Paint anything you want on their fingers, they will wash it off. Put contraptions on their hands, they will take them off or possibly hurt themselves trying. Put something in their mouth and they will take it out. I know this from experience. I sucked my thumb until I was about 7 and my parents tried everything. I just figured out a way around it. A lot of people say that it causes "buck teeth" Mine don't stick out at all and I've never had braces. My vote is to just ignore that it is happening and wait and he will stop on his own when he feels that he no longer needs the "security".

All three of my children are thumb suckers! So I did alot of research and found this product

MAVALA Stop for Nail Biting and Thumb Sucking
copy & paste the link:
http://www.folica.com/MAVALA_Stop_for_d442.html?s_cid=fgl...

I started on a Friday and by Monday my 5 year old and 3 year old stop sucking their thumb. I'm waiting until my 1 year old turns two.
Its a bitter tasting nail polish and it works! I've read reviews on several products and everyone that used this product stop biting their nails or sucking their thumb. Try it!

Be careful painting the stuff on his nails. If he rubs his eyes you'll have an entirely new problem....screaming and crying because that stuff from his nails stings the eyes.

there is always medical tape or bandaids. or hot sauce, My son stopped himeself just after turning five. He said five year old are big boys and only baby sucks their thumb. He has a baby sister

K.

My girlfriend's daughter had the same problem. The dentist solved it. He gave her a wire ball mouth piece that does not allow remove for the thumb. You wear it night and day. Her mouth, teeth and speach were affected by her thumb sucking. It worked she stopped.

See what the dentist can do?

Good luck

Hi K., I am resonding as an ex-finger sucker.. I am 47 years old & I sucked on my finger until I was near 12 or 13 years old. Please don't stress too much. He will stop someday. Typically digit suckers are the happiest children, I was. By the way, he'll find a way around anything you do and all he will do is learn to sneak. I know it's awful & dirty but this too shall pass. I think at 5 the best thing you can do to help him, is to try to understand it would be best if he sucked his "clean, washed thumb" in his room or in alone time. Ask him to try his very best to only suck his thumb in private NOT because it's bad but because other kids & some adults will simply look at him as a "baby" & now he is 5 & your big boy. I'm guessing he is happy little guy, and isn't that what being 5 is all about!

Hi K.,

All three of my kids are/were thumb suckers. My oldest son quit sucking his thumb all on his own, just after his 7th birthday. My middle child is 6 and is still sucking his thumb, but he actually is trying to stop. I have seen him numerous times put his thumb in his mouth, think for a minute, and then take it out! My third child stopped sucking her thumb just before her third birthday.

I just told my kids that you eventually have to stop sucking your thumb because it is not good for your teeth. And our family dentist would reinforce that message at our checkups. I would remind them once in awhile, but not so often that I felt like I was nagging at them.

On a humorous note...my 2nd child LOVES the taste of play-dough! He would eat it out of the can if I let him! You might have an entirely different problem if you tried the play-dough route! :-)

It's hard to believe that they will ever stop, but eventually they do, all on their own! Good luck, and be patient!

Warmly,
J.

Hi K.,

though I've not had thumb suckers (i never encouraged it for this very reason - we used pacifiers) I can tell you that "Thum" stuff you paint on, actually does work to keep their fingers out of their mouths - my 12 yr old is a terribly habitual nail biter - she bit her nails severely (her cuticles were growing over the entire nail in an attempt to protect it from the damage she was causing) - this stuff does work for her.

I honestly don't see anything you could possibly do to stop this... if he isn't doing it at school, and on the playground and walking around constantly with his thumb hanging out of his mouth he's not likely to cause any damage to his teeth.

i'm sorry i don't have any real usable advice to help your son stop the thumb sucking... but the mom's i've known who have let their kids suck their thumbs had to just let them grow out of it... you can't take it away and i wouldn't try to remove a source of comfort if it's not harming anybody. :)

Good luck :)

I just recently purchased a thumb guard from One Step Ahead. It has been very effective. My 5 year old daughter wears it at night only. She hasn't had any problems transitioning or with sleep overall. It is costly but seems well worth the investment.