Thumb Sucking - Fort Lauderdale,FL

Needing to suck may indicate a cranial fault- very very common slight mialignment of the cranial bones.One of the adjustments to fix this actually uses thumb sucking as part of the adjustment, as that effects the sphenoid basilar junction.
Sucking on fingers or thumb puts digestive enzymes on those tissues, and can have consequences, as they are not suppose to be there.
If she calms instantly why withhold this? Really?
Please let her have it, until you can get her to a Webster, SOT Cranipath Chiropractor. The only ones trained to fix this, in the mean time sucking on a pacifer helps her.
All this crying is her only way of communicating to you. Listen, please.
best, k

I don't understand. Why is her thumb/fingers okay but a paci is not? One is not any healthier than another.

I say if the paci is what works for her, give her the paci.

pacifier is easier to break than a thumb. mine is a thumb sucker and started doing it on his own took the paci out and thumb in. I would go paci if i could get them to go that way. as opposed to thumb sucking. jmo I tried the paci and it didnt work so if thumb sucking isnt working I say paci. and dad will just have to get over it. they are babies and have a need to suck why torture the baby.

Did you consider that she may just not really need a nap and that is why she is fighting it? A lot of six month olds do not require a nap. I would try reading her a book and rocking her when it is nap time. If she is really tired and needs a nap she will fall asleep during story time. But don't wait until she is totally worn out before story time. Start story time before she is overly tired. I always read a book and rocked my girls not only at nap time but at bed time also. They always fell asleep. Sometimes it took more than one book but I feel it was not only comforting them but educating them at the same time. Daily reading is important to any child at any age.

Just my opinion but I'd rather they suck a pacifier if it's only for sleep because at least you can take it away when the time is right you can't take away a thumb.

I really don't mean this with an obnoxious tone:

The pacifier might not be right for you, but it clearly is right for your daughter. She's telling you what she needs right now. This would not be a battle that I would pick.

Good luck.

i feel your pain. My second (Hailey) is a binky girl, despite many attempts. Our other daughter went straight for the thumb and blankety. I hate having to buy the binkys but it has saved us many times- tired and cranky moments, teething, not feeling well, and bedtime. We have limited the binky time as she got older so we can phase it out soon. I wont let her walk around all day with it and still working on finding another lovely.

I would go with the pacifier. My oldest did and it is so much easier to take away than their fingers. Plus I think fingers have tons more germs on them!!

I did read your clarification and know you really don't want to use a pacifier, but I would also really encourage you NOT to encourage thumb/fingers as an alternative. As you mentioned, and others probably have, it is REALLY DIFFICULT to get a child to quit sucking his/her thumb, because you can't get rid of his or her thumb! I have had children who took a pacifier and sucked the thumb, and while initially the thumb made things so much easier, we are still paying for it and struggling to get her to stop sucking it to go to sleep. She is six now. I had a friend who tried every expensive contraption there was, and ended up spending many sleepless nights staying by her children's sides at night and pulling out their thumbs when they put them back in.
Here is another issue you may not have considered, and this is one of the major reasons I would not want another child that sucked his/her thumb. My daughter that sucks her thumb has gotten pinworms twice this year already. It is so disgusting, and since my other children haven't had a problem, I really think she is more susceptible because she sucks her thumb. There are a lot of other germs, diseases, and junk that can get under the fingernails, etc. and all it takes is a drop in vigilence once (easy for me with 5 kids!) for him/her to catch something, eetc. when they suck the thumb. I realize you could probably get something from a dropped pacifier also, but we never did (and of course I always sterilized them if they fell and I knew about it). It's much more likely with hands/fingers/thumbs that are touching all kinds of things all day. And the thumb-sucking likely won't be limited to sleep time either. It will grow to anytime they feel the need for comfort--when they're angry, sad, etc. It happens. Habits are hard to break, but especially when they're attached to you and can't be thrown away. An alternative to the thumb and a pacifier? I'm not sure if I know of one... a blanket? music? Nothing really great come to mind that would work for a young one unfortunately. Best of luck! I hope you find something that works for you. It's not fun to hear a baby cry! (I've got a 1-month old right now, so I know!)

My daughter had similar issues, and to this day (she's six) doesn't nap well, even if she needs it. She did briefly take a pacifier as an infant, but it didn't stick. She NEVER sucked fingers or thumb. She would (and still does) sleep like a rock at night, though. And it's not our parenting, either--our son sucks his thumb and could fall asleep in a train station if he's tired!

We learned that she is just very alert and engaged. Try starting the nap process ridiculously early--before you think she's tired, move to a slower, less stimulating activity and environment. Have a good routine and stick to it; keep the room as uninteresting as possible--we had room darkening shades and no toys in the crib. White noise helped. And actually, making her bed time earlier helped with the napping.

She still went through phases where she'd only do twenty minutes or so of nap, like when she was learning to walk. I thought it would be the end of me! It was just hard for her to "let go."

You also might want to get a copy of Raising Your Spirited Child. Hope this helps!

I am not a fan of the pacifier either. With my first born, my mother bought me about 6 pacifiers. She obviously thought it was something I had to have. I have to admit, I tried giving it to my daughter when she was a baby (she was exclusively breastfed) but she would not take the pacifier. I threw them away deciding that they were absolutely worthless. I never bothered offering a pacifier to my second child or even my third. My first born found her thumb quite early whereas my second and third never sucked their thumbs. I also never encouraged thumb sucking as with my first born, it was a hard habit to break her out of. Maybe your daughter is teething and is finding comfort on sucking because of her gums. Might I suggest some sort of small teething toy instead of a pacifier? Honestly, getting a child to stop sucking their thumbs is a very hard thing to do. I know, I dealt with this issue with my first born. But on the flip side, I've heard from many parents who are advocates of the pacifier who had a hard time breaking away from the pacifier as well. Personally, I don't like the pacifier as I think a child looks ridiculous with it in their mouths but I suppose it comes down to what a parent decides is right for their child. I know for my family, like you, the paci was never right...so it was never used.

My oldest took a pacifier, and at 14 mos lost interest. It was very simple to just stop giving it to her. My youngest finally got his thumb in his mouth at 5mos, and wouldn't get near a pacifier. He's now 15 mos. and is happily sucking away, and doesn't seem even CLOSE to stopping. (Its fine with me. From what I understand they will kind of give it up when they're ready.)

I'm not sure if you can convince a non-thumb sucker to suck. I guess you can try... but I'd just go with a pacifier. Much easier to wean off of!

Please don't take this the wrong way, but I was wondering why you don't just nurse her for naps? Nursing is not solely for nutrition. It's also meant for calming crying babies and soothing them to sleep. Then you don't have to worry about breaking habits of pacifiers or fingers. I can't imagine listening to my baby cry, even in my arms, when I could just whip out a boob and nurse her to sleep (which conveniently are always with you). I did with both my kids and they didn't need pacifiers or fingers so I didn't have to worry about them. You could nurse until she's calm and drowsy and then rock/pat the rest of the way to sleep if you're really trying to avoid the nurse to sleep association. It doesn't have to be a battle. I hope you figure it out!

I was SO happy that she did not want a pacifier as a baby...I never wanted to have to search for them in the night, carry them around, keep them clean, etc. And, I think kids look so silly when they walk around with them at 2 and 3 yrs. because they can't give them up. HOWEVER, now my daughter is 3 1/2 and is STILL a thumb sucker...problem is, we can't take it away. With a pacifier, we could have thrown them away when she turned one and listened to her cry for a few days...end of story. Now, she has gum injury on her front teeth from a fall which is not healing well, and we are struggling to keep her thumb out of her mouth!

My suggestion - let her have the pacifier - ONLY IN HER CRIB! NEVER let it out. If she wants it, put her in the crib. Make her understand that it is only for sleeping. She is not too young for this. When you are ready for it to go, you have the option of taking them away...Right now, what is the difference between her thumb and a pacifier? If it is the reasons I said above, you can eliminate them by keeping it a sleeping tool only.

i sucked my thumb when i was little and so did my younger sister. but i never sucked my thumb without my baby blanket tucked up against my nose. and my sister used paper towels folded up and rubbed it against her nose also. i know your baby is young but maybe she just needs something to go along with her thumb?

Hi! I totally hear you about not wanting to use a pacifier. I am the same way BUT I have learned to kind of roll with what comes, now that I have baby #2. My daughter, now 4 1/2, was...and still is a thumb sucker. I always opted for the thumb, b/c it is natural...but over time it has become a problem. I feel like it can make her sick more easily, b/c whether at school, or Disney, if she touches things, then puts her thumb in her mouth, there go all the germs in her mouth as well. She really wants to quit it, and talks to me about it....but she is just really addicted to it now. When she is sleepy, she just can't stop. So, the point of my story is...the pacifier might not be that bad. In 10 years from now, it really wont matter if you let your baby use the pacifier. Plus, if it helps her be comforted, isn't that the most important thing? I am totally giving advice that would be hard for me to take...but it makes sense to think about what is best for your baby right now...and surely better sleep is best! Good luck!
A. :)

Why are you holding her to fall asleep? She is being traumatized. Put her down and give her a pacifier if it helps her calm down. Who cares if she ever sucks her fingers???????

Only give it to her at bedtime and that way you won't be inconvenienced about having to pack something that weighs an ounce. Even if you travel, I'm sure you can manage.