Ok, well heres my problem:
My baby is 11 months old and sucks his thumb all the time besides when he's playing. At what age am I supposed to get him to quit sucking his thumb? I'm just so afraid of it messing up his teeth. And how do I do it? I've always heard of people saying put something gross tasting or spicy but I don't know if that will work because he'll just suck it off. He's really attached to his thumb. Any advice?
And due to the responses I haven't done anything to try and get him to quit but my mother-in-law keeps saying I HAVE to get him to quit now or he never will. But I myself don't think it's a big deal.
Let him keep sucking his thumb for now. He's just a baby and needs the comfort. My daughter is five and we "cut her off" at her 5th birthday. She wasn't psyched about it, but now has a loose tooth and knows she can't suck her thumb or it will mess up her "princess teeth." My son is 2.5 and is still a thumb sucker. We'll probably stop him at 5 too. Seriously, if he'll 11 months and can self-soothe with the thumb, stick with it for now.
I would let it go. Ignore ignore ignore. He will either continue or not and you could make him crazy in the long run! :)
I sucked my thumb til I was 8 years old and my parents tried everything short of hitting me or cutting my thumb off. I just stopped one day.
My now 2 1/2 year old chewed on his fingernails and gnawed on his knuckles for 2 months...I was beside myself b/c I thought it was going to continue, was he anxious, etc.....he just stopped.
Dr. Sears says to ignore these things, that they shall pass. He believes that all kids will do something for comfort: blanket, pacifier, thumb, nail chewing, lip chewing, fabric rubbing, etc.
I would really ignore it and your mother in law. Show her this link, he actually says to let an 11 month old enjoy it for now! :)
http://www.parenting.com/article/Baby/Development/Ask-Dr-...
I was a thumb sucker when I was little and I gues I just ended up stopping at 4. My family constantly bothered me about it, I think it would have been better if they wanted me to stop sooner than I did on my own then they should have enforced it. Just my thoughts.
Just let him do it. It's not going to mess up his teeth. Most kids stop on their own sooner or later. My daughter quit on her own at 24 months old.
It's comforting to him, so don't worry about it.
Let him suck it, he will eventually quit on his own. Most kids don't go to school sucking their thumbs, so I would imagine he won't either. It only messes up their teeth if they suck extremely hard and most kids don't. I was a finger sucker and my teeth are perfectly straight and I've never had braces. Besides, kids are cute with their thumbs in their mouths! :)
I've been reading up on this because my daughter is a thumb sucker. Most articles I read said that most kids stop by the time they are four and if you make a big issue out of it, it can back fire and lead the kids to suck their thumbs more. If you get Parents Magazine there is a section in the June issue about bad habits and how to stop them and one of them is thumb sucking, but it really is geared for when the kid is older.
He is pretty young so I wouldn't worry about it too much right now. He may just grow out of it as he gets older. But as he gets older and if he is still doing it there are some tricks you can try. You can use medical tape and tape socks on his hands at night so he can't suck while sleeping. Or you can us the medical tape and gauze to wrap around and around his thumb until you make a really big thumb so he can't suck on it. Also if he is getting much older and continues to suck you can take him to an orthodontist who will put a retainer in his mouth that will make it so he can't put his thumb in his mouth. Again these are all things to try later. But I just wanted to give you ideas for the future. As for now he is still so young I wouldn't worry about it.
Tell your mother-in-law to suck it! LOL!
It is entirely appropriate for your baby to suck his thumb. In fact, this will teach him to sooth himself. You shouldn't try to get him to stop until he is much older (school age--and then try to get him on board first). And I think putting something spicy on the thumb is a terrible idea. It would end up in his eyes.
Your child is still pretty young to worry about it...let him suck to self soothe, but as soon as he turns 3, i would address it because the American Dental Assoc. reccommends stopping at a early age.
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 are some simple things you can do to break the thumb sucking habit. I would not use the thumb bitter polishes. they have chemicals in them. 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!
I clicked on your question because I was sure you would be talking about a much older child - 6/7yrs old. Reading now that your baby is 11mos old, personally, I wouldn't do anything. The more attention you draw to it (at any age) the more he'll do it. My kids weren't thumb suckers but myself and my siblings were - my sister needed braces, my brother and I did not - my brother sucked his thumb till he was 11! (no joke!) - At my son's school, at least 6 kids in the kindergarten class suck their thumb (maybe more, but this is what I see during the day) - Very normal, lot's of kids/babies do it - it's soothing. If he's not going to suck his thumb, he's going to need something else to self soothe. I would have loved it if my kids had been thumb suckers (-: Just my .02.
mine is 2 and still sucks his thumb why are you worried about an 11 month old???
I did not rad your other posts so please forgive me if I repeat-I worked for a pediatric dentic for over 5 yrs and have a 4 1/2 yr old who USE TO suck her finger and a 3 1/2 yr old who still sucks his finger. One day I said to my 4 1/2 yr old ok-I need u to stop sucking your finger before u start school-and it worked!!!!!!!!!!!!! GRANT IT it is always not so easy, but my EXPERIANCE in working in the feild-they will STOP! L.:)
Look around a class of 1st graders .. you will not see many (if any) sucking their thumb. Trust me, several of them did earlier in their lives. This is a comfort for him. If only children who sucked their thumbs needed extra dental care, the orthodontists would have been out of business. He's fine. He's still too young to worry about this. You might gently lower his hand when you notice it, but don't make a big fuss about it. It's more of a hygiene issue if he's in a daycare and germs are more easily spread. Who knows though .. it might make his immune system strong since he's exposed to more! Ask your MIL if she's ever seen someone walking down their wedding isle getting married sucking their thumb ... everyone stops at some age! Relax with your little guy and enjoy these sweet little things.
