Need Help in Helping My Almost 5 Yr. Old Stop Sucking Her Thumb

My youngest sucked her thumb until she was 3 or so. The dentist told me she needed to quit but I could not do it. Finally I put hot sauce on both thumbs. I told her if I caught her thumb in her mouth she would get more. Never had to put anymore on her after that. She hates hot sauce. If you do not feel comfortable with it I understand it made me cry and I had to leave the room when I did it. If she hates something else us it. Like I hate peas. SO put peas on my thumb and I would not like it. Find what she hates.

K.,
I completely agree with Theresa D. I was still sucking my thumb at 11 years old. My mom took me to the dentist and had the "spikes" put in there to stop the thumb sucking. The spikes are called a FRANKLE. It worked and I think I only had it in my mouth for a little over a month. Never again sucked my thumb. You should ask your child's dentist about it.

I sucked my thumb until I was 8 and my parents tried everything - hot sauce, nail polish, etc. Now here's the key - when I decided (not my parents) to quit, I put masking tape around both of my thumbs so I wouldn't get the same satisfaction from sucking. I say let her be for now but feel free to gently encourage her to quit. In time, she'll choose to quit herself. Good luck!

K.,

There is a product you can buy in the nail polish section of most stores. It is called "Stop the Bite" by Hoof. There is also a product called "no bite" and a product called "Thum". I used the hoof on my daughter. The taste is horrible so it worked really well. She stopped sucking her thumb right away. I kept the stuff on all of her nails for about 2 weeks just to make sure she didn't start again. If you use this stuff (it is under $4.) be sure to put it on all of her nails because if she cannot suck her thumb she may try to suck her fingers.

She was an all the time sucker, She bit her thumb and cut it because the skin was so soft from being wet. Then she reopened the wound a couple of times. Finally it calloused over so she didn't re-open it, but she had a huge ugly callous on it! Anyway, I hope this helps a little.

hi K..
So I never had a problem with thumb sucking but my oldest son bit his nails until they bled. So what eventually worked was bitter apple. Its something you coat the fingernail with and it is harmless but it tastes horrid. So every time he put a finger in his mouth it was an instant yuck and he stopped. I only had to use it for about 2 weeks and he hasn't bit a nail since.
Good luck
D

My brother sucked his until he was 12 and the dentist put spikes in his mouth. They had to get him to quit sucking his thumb so they could do braces to correct the damage that he did by sucking his thumb. I would get a second opinion on the thumb. I heard that after age 2 they are doing damage to their bite and the placement of the teeth.

My almost five year old sucks her fingers. I hadn't thought much of it. She usually does it when she has her 'blanky'. I've heard that if you take away the blanky it could stop the sucking, but I don't have the heart to do it right now. I've noticed that when other kids are looking she stops, so I figured that when she starts kindergarten, and she's around other kids all the time, she might stop. If not maybe then I'll try something else. Right now I think it's kind of cool that she has her own self coping skills. A lot of times she'll even run to get her blanky when she's hurt before she'll run to me.

I know excatly how you feel. I have 2 7 year olds that just recently stopped sucking their thumbs. Everyone told me not to worry that they would grow out of it. But to me it didnt seem like that would ever happen. We tried everything from putting bandaids on their thumbs to the nasty tasting nail polish and nothing worked. They would just take the bandaids off or suck the nail polish off. I took them to the dentist for a cleaning and he said that the thumb sucking will deform their jaw bones. The dentist put a device in thier mouths so there was no room for the thumb to fit. It worked wonders for my daughter but not so well for my son. He sucked his anyways and broke it. They also have a thing they call a Rake that goes in the top of their mouth that will poke the thumb when ever it goes in the mouth. I was worried about putting something extra in my kids mouth and how well recieved that would be at school. The other kids did ask questions but that was it. Im so proud of my daughter for stopping this bad habit and Im still working on it with my son. You might want to talk to your dentist about the devices or seek a second opion. The devices are just cemented to their molars so there is no surgery or anything like that. But if you child doesnt stop this she will be made fun of at school pr possibly deform her bones which will have to be surgically fixed if it is bad enough.

Hi K.,
I remember when I was 5-years-old, I still sucked my thumb. However, the dentist said it was not ok and put a brace of some kind in my mouth. It kept my thumb from going into my mouth. It wasn't in too long and it broke me of the habit. My thumb just didn't have the same appeal anymore, thankfully.
I'm glad my mother did it b/c I had no intention of stopping. Later in life I had a friend who was still sucking her thumb in 3rd grade. She had to get the brace put in, and she was very embarrased b/c kids knew why she had it. I suggest that if you can stop it now, it is better than waiting until later.
I have never heard a dentist say that it is ok to suck your thumb, interesting! Trust your instinct.
R.