My 9 Month Old Daughter Sucks Her Fingers

Hello - My 7 month old daughter also sucks her fingers...but her middle and ring fingers! ((it looks like she is holding up the "i love you" sign)) and while she sucks them, she takes her free hand and rubs a blanky on the hand in her mouth...she has been doing this since she was about 2 months, and she never took a binkie, which i think is good...i'd rather have her suck her fingers than a binkie...but my advice is to keep trying a pacifier in place of her fingers, and keep using the glove...i think she will eventually suck the fingers on the other hand if she wants them that bad...best of luck!!

LeapsandBounds.com sells this plastic thing you stick on the fingers/ thumb to prevent them from sucking on them. Kind of spendy. It must work, though, because they're still selling them.

BTW, my 4 yr old dd still sucks on her two fingers. If you find something that works, I'd love to know!! We've tried everything in the book, except the device I was telling you about.

Try this website:

http://www.stopbitingnails.com/?gclid=CMLF0NuMrYYCFSA7SAo...

hi,

maybe you can look into a drug store, when my dad had sores on his finger he would get these little finger covers that are latex or so that slips over the finger to protect it, you may be able to get them and just tape them a little bit at the bottom to keep it from slipping off. this way she could still suck her finger is she wants and it wont be directly in contact with her finger.. hopefully this gives you a little help or some other ideas. good luck...

D.

Hi, sorry I don't have any great suggestions, but I was concerned about one of the repsonses. I don't think you should use finger cots (little plastic sleeves) taped on to her fingers. This would pose a serious choking hazzard if she was able to tear the plastic and inhale it.

I don't have much advice, but I did want to say that we just took the pacifier away from my 10 month old daughter and after a couple of rough nights she is totally fine without it now. We got her a really good teething ring and just kind of suffered through it.

If you don't want to do that, could you try just using individual band aids on the infection, rather than a whole mitten? Or make some kind of "sleeve" just for those two fingers?

Good luck to you, I hope this clears up quickly!

I'm with the last post about thirst.
I've been lucky in this regard, but then I believe it that I pretty much breastfed my kiddos from a year to a little over 2 years (2 years is the recommended time from World Health Organization). I've just mostly weaned my almost 2 year old from breast.

Thirst may be a factor, as teething may be also. It is natural stage for kids to mouth things too. So she may need safe things to explore and mouth to distract her. My kids love licking plain ice (can get popsicle molds). Popsicles, drinks, and you may want to giver her some chunky, easy to grip untesils to play with while eating,...introduce cup?. My youngest at about that age loved to copy the bigger kids with their untesils. Just do your best to keep it clean, and dry...too much time in mitten and not enough air on it may delay healing time even more.
Honestly, I'm hoping not, but you may be spending time watching and continually distracting her.
I would not go with finger cots or anything like it, more air if anything.

Hi C.,

I see you live in Surprise. So do I. Have you heard of the store The Mustard Seed? It is in the Kohl's shopping area. They are very helpful and informative and do things the natural way. I have not only gotten help for myself, my daughter but also my dog. They mainly have Natures Sunshine products. I have a distributorship and can order on my own cheaper, but they give me a small discount and are full of knowledge, so I usually go in there and get my products. If you would like to contact me for more information, please feel free to. ____@____.com. I believe antibiotics should only be given as a last resort. My daughter had her baby and she was still bleeding after the 6 weeks after intercourse and the doctor had given her a prescription for antibiotics assuming it must be some infection, but I had raised her right and she new there must be alternatives. She went into the Mustard Seed and picked up an herb and she never had a bleeding problem again. My son is 12 and has never needed an antibiotic in his life. I have taken so many in the past that I have severe health issues from them. My daughter also notices problems from them. I will take them in extreme situations, but will try other alternatives first.
I hope they can help you,
T. B

Fight Her Now!!!! My four year old STILL sucks her fingers and I wish I had faught her more as a baby to substitute it for a pacifier. Will she take a pacifier? If she will then get her stuck on that and then eventually you can just take it away. All I can say is ween her off now because when they become older it is no longer your choice. Oh and teething. . . that was a nightare. My daughter actually sliced the skin off her fingers while she was teething. . . and went right on sucking.

C.-

You might want to consult your pediatrician as well. Make sure your daughter's finger is fine and see if there are any other sanitary safe remedies.

Hello C.,
My two toddlers do the same and yes it is hard to stop them, they no longer suck them in their sleep. I stopped the covering of the hand for it only frustrates them, the way I stopped the night time sucking is by consistently taking them out "while they're asleep". In a very gentle fashion and then repositioning the head. In the daytime this is going to sound funny but I make them smell their hand and they're at the age now to where they know what stinks. They usually dont try again until later besides that just letting them know how gross it is very dramamtically!! We also in passing or whenever just take them out gently and persistently every single time we see them in and say "ew thats stinky, or gross" "please dont do that" or "big girls or boys dont do that", they usually listen unless they are extrememly grouchy thats when you let them go to sleep and gently take them out again, It has to be a family effort, everyone has to do the same when they see it happening then they'll know its not just mommy! My kids now only suck theirs in hiding.
I hope this is helpful to you, its a real task harder than transferring from bottle to sippy cup! Oh I highly suggest not catering to the need to suck w/ pacifier etc.. Try giving her something to drink or snack on instead or its time for nap.
Since shes only 9mths, take it out in a playful way wiggling them as you remove them and taking to her saying " yucky yucky" or "no no baby thats not good". I hope this helps please let me know.
Good Luck!

Hi,
My son, whom is 21 now, was a thumb sucker. We tried everything and couldn't figure it out. Many years later...I can't even recall how we figured but he thumb sucked because he was thirsty. I even asked him when he was older perhaps 12 and he said yes...he thumb sucked because he was soooooooo thirsty. Weird, huh! And yes we tried offering him drinks when he thumb sucked but he kept thumbsucking,,,,I think he wanted water and we kept offering milk and juice. Perhaps this will help your daughter.GOOD LUCK!

Author W. Ripple
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