Hello to all. My oldest daughter is 7 years old and she still sucks her thumb. She started doing it at 3 weeks old and can't give it up. I dont want to make her feel bad about herself for doing it, but I have no idea how to stop it other than to continue to remind her while she's doing it and ask her to stop. Most people I know had problems with binky's but not the finger, binky's you can take away..fingers you can't hehehe. Please help me figure out a safe and effective way to help my 7 year old stop sucking her thumb before it interferes with her new adult teeth that are coming in.
I just wanted to thank everyone for their wonderful advice on her thumb sucking. It seems like the best thing to do at this point is to leave her be and just remind her when she is doing it. She really is trying hard to work on it, but I think it is best to let her outgrow it on her own. Thank You All very much for your time and advice, it's making my decision a lot easier to cope with. Hope all is well with all of you.
LOL, when you get the answer please let me know! My 9 y/o son still does this!!! We keep reminding him not to, and have even gone as far as hot sauce, without any success. Because of this his upper jaw is growing malformed. I wish it was a pacifier, because at least with that you can cut up and throw out.
M.
Hello, i wish i had an answer for you but in reality im looking for an answer my self,,,lol.
my son just turned 8 and he still does it. but he only does it when he is really tired watching tv or when he goes to sleep. he has a little bit of an over bit and the dentist said its gonna affect his adult teeth but i dont know what else to do. i tried that nail polish that is supposed to tast nasty, he waited til it dried and put it in his mouth and said, its alittl bit nasty but its ok, and continued to suck away. i tried the taking out of the mouth when he falls asleep but he puts it back in. my brother makes fun of him thinking he will feel like a baby and stop but he dont,, he just says,, i dont care! sooo,, good luck and if you find something that works i would love to hear about !!!
C.
you can try to reward her with a gift of some kind if she can go so long with out sucking her thumb. but i'm 31 and still find myself doing it that could be her way of copeing with thngs it is for me i hope this will help you
B. r
I had four daughters all who sucked their thumbs. My pediatrician advised to leave them alone as counseling for feelings of insecurity were the same price as orthodontics with less success. My children are now all college graduates, 3 graduated with highest honors, 2 have post graduate degrees and all are happy and healthy. Only two actually needed braces. They all stopped sucking their thumbs when they were ready. We didn't make a big deal of it.
Hi! Sorry to hear about your dilemma. None of my children ever sucked their thumb, but one did have a chronic nail-biting problem. Not the same thing, but perhaps you could try the same preventive measures....they sell a nail polish in the pharmacies (CVS, Walgreens, etc) that tastes HORRIBLE. It goes on clear...and it's non-toxic, so it's safe. My daughter stopped biting her nails w/in 1 week of when I first applied it. I only had to use it 2 times. She was 7-8 years old at the time. We've been CUTTING her nails regularly for 3 years now! Yeah! That's the only thing I can think of....hope it helps!
-W.
Freetown, MA
Hello,
Our daughter just turned nine and she has just about grown out of the habit. She's going to need braces, but then so did I, so I cannot say for sure that it was the thumb-sucking. Sometimes at night - late at night, I will go in and peek and she will have her thumb in her mouth, which we just gently pull away. I think she will eventually just stop on her own. My mother said I did at about age 8. Good Luck!
a friend just told me her mother and her daughter went to get a manicure and ever since she wont put her thumb in her mouth. i dont think that was the plan and it was never discussed, but it just happened...i would be surprised if it was this easy for everyone, but it worked for her.
E.
D.,
I know this may not be what you want to hear, but your daughter will stop when she is ready. I know because I was a thumb sucker too as a child and my mom tried all kinds of things to get me to stop, but I always got around it. She would put nail bite on my nails so they would tast bad, but it never worked. As she gets a little older she will want to be a big girl in front of her friends and she will slowly stop doing it.
A.
Her thumb sucking may be a sign of insecurity. You mentioned that a new baby is on the way, and she has a younger sibling. She may feel like you will not have time for her. Talk with her about her feelings, and set aside some one-on-one big girl time with mommy. This may help.
