We have noticed that my son ONLY sucks his thumb when he has his security blanket. It's rare to see it happen any other time. He is almost five. He still demands his "ganget" at nap and bedtime. Which in theory it's fine. A security blanket hurts no one. But as soon as his gets it, the thumb follows. The dentist has told us he needs to stop the thumb sucking, damage will be done if it doesn't stop soon. We have tried the thumb guards with various amount of success, but nothing has really worked. We were without his blanket this weekend and although it did take him longer to settle down, he didn't suck his thumb at all. Is it time for us to loose the blanket?
It sounds like you answered your own question, you just want some reassurance. I assure you - you are doing the right thing. I am not one to deprive someone there ganget - we call them wubbys - but if it leads to other destructive behaivor and he can self soothe without it, it's gotta go! My son sleeps with a stuffed puppy. Maybe you could switch him to something that he won't associate with thumb sucking.
If it is going to damage his teeth, probably yes. If it was just the blanket or another comfort item, it might have been ok, especially since he only uses it at night.
My son couldn't suck his thumb without his blanket, either, and to tell you the truth, I can't remember what I did -- I think his blanket just kept getting more and more shredded, until he was holding a 4 inch piece of cloth (which I've kept in his memory box), and at that point it was just kind of time to give it up.
Maybe if your son's blanket isn't shredding on its own, you could help it out a little bit, and cut off some pieces here and there...
i would say it is time if he cannot give it up. one method you may try is tell him that it's time for the blanket to go on to the next little boy that needs it more than he does. my daughter was on pacifier's and OMG! we moved and i told her that her binki had to stay there for the next baby girl that lived there, and she never gave me an issue. i of course hid one in my purse "just in case" and she saw it about 2 months later, and said MOMMY! you were supposed to give that to the next baby, and wasn't satisified until she actually gave it to the baby in the family that moved. the parents threw it away of course, but she gave it up for a good deed and to be helpful to another family.
never once did she miss it, and well, she's 7 and didn't have to "wein" her off of it either.
yes, blankets are fine, but alternate them frequently so attachment to one blanket does not happen, that's what I did when my now grown children were baby's/toddlers. J.
