Thumbsucking - Wasilla, AK

Updated on April 03, 2008
H.T. asks from Wasilla, AK
29 answers

My 15 month old won't give up sucking her thumbs.She always preferred her thumb to a pacifier. I even have an utrasound picture of when I was 4 months pregnant with her that showed her sucking her thumb. So, this is an old habit. The problem is that with teething her teeth are very sharp and she will occationally rub a small raw spot on the back of her thumb then it will scab over. Also I'm worried that this will ruin her teeth. Any advice?

1 mom found this helpful

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

So What Happened?

A big thank you for everyone who responded to my " Thumbsucking issue" I am so glad that there is a place for Moms to be able to talk and listen to eachother. We are still working with the thumbsucking. I'm sure with a little time we will be able to resolve this. Thanks so much.
H. T.

Featured Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

B.P.

answers from Seattle on

My son sucked his thumb and his baby teeth did form that way. His lower teeth went in and his upper teeth went out. There was just enough room in between to slip that thumb in there. We did end up with braces for him later on, but that was because he inherited his fathers narrow palet.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.M.

answers from Portland on

My two daughters were thumb suckers from the beginning. One daughter finally stopped when she was about 9. The other is 12 and still does it in her sleep. She doesn't care and neither do I! It is a self comfort. They have learned to care for themselves. For those who blame thumbsucking on dental problems, I say they probably would have had those same problems anyway, how do we know the cause? My daughters have had no problems with their teeth. There are many other things to worry about as a parent, and this is one of those things you can not control, so give it up.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

W.B.

answers from Richland on

My son preferred his thumb to a pacifier also. When he was 2 years old we noticed that he sucked his thumb when he was tired or upset. We told him that he could suck his thumb all he wanted he just needed to do it in his bed. Eventually he just stopped because playing was much more fun than laying in bed. We just had to be consistant. Also his teeth are just fine.

More Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.S.

answers from Seattle on

My daughter has sucked her thumb from the start, too, and she's almost 3. A lot of people give her a hard time about it, but we don't. It's comforting for them to do it, almost like holding their blankie. She wears a hole in her nail sometimes from her teeth, too, or sucks her thumb nearly raw, but it always seems to heal up. Her pediatrician and her dentist both have said this won't affect her baby teeth; that usually is something that happens with adult teeth if they're still sucking it in kindergarten. More than likely, they'll be done by then! I figure it's a scary world out there for a little person, and if this makes her feel better, then so be it! Good luck!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.H.

answers from Seattle on

I am no dentist - let me preface with that! Also let me add my opinions about childhood habits and "dependence" as well as my own experience really color this for me.

We had a thumbsucker I was worried about for a while. My daughter Sophie sucked her thumb until 4 1/2 (she's 6 now). On her first dentist appointment (at four) the dentist commented that it was pushing her teeth open ("open bite"). We explained the situation to Sophie (potential of orthodontia and all) and she tried to stop, but couldn't. I could see a potential bribe / bargaining / pressure situation getting set up (which was causing her to feel more "addicted" to the thumb) so I opted out of that.

She also would get a raw thumb now and then and we'd just tell her why. There isn't much you can do about the raw thumb IMO.

6 months later, after her next appointment and another talk with the dentist (who wasn't great with kids, but a nice enough guy), she gave it up on her own. No struggles, no "tricks". Her bite corrected very fast, I was shocked (the dentist said it likely would). I was also impressed and proud of her; considering it had been a life-long habit!

I am glad I didn't take much responsibility for the situation except to explain to her in a matter of fact way the reasons the dentist was concerned. I think it took the pressure off of her; and I know it took the pressure off of me!

15 months old sounds too young to understand why she should stop. If I had another child (my son who's 4 never took up any comfort habit) I know I'd follow suit for those first few years and let them have their habit.

Incidentally my daughter is an incredible self-soother when it comes to feelings. She is also extremely articulate about her wants and needs and responsibilities. I think of thumb-sucking as a potential positive trait in a child; it's them learning how to take care of themselves.

Good luck!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.P.

answers from Richland on

My son is also a thumbsucker. We have limited his thumbsucking to bedtime as I heard someone else suggest. Also, during the day or when he is really having a hard time keeping it out, we put a knit glove on his hand, and to keep him from taking it off, we put masking tape around the wrist opening. This is loose enough to slide a finger between the glove and wrist, but keeps the opening from being able to strech open enough to come off. I have been told that thumbsucking can reshape the pallet, and the soft bones of a little ones mouth, regardless of wether they have their permanent teeth or not. You might check into this just in case. I hope the homeschooling thing works for you. I am homeschooling my little ones, and my husband and I were both homeschooled. I think it is an admirable thing you are considering.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.T.

answers from Spokane on

Dear H., Do not worry about her thumb sucking yet. She is too young to stop it. My two youngest children were thumb suckers (best babies ever), and they will eventually give it up. My daughter had a rough, red spot too, so I just rubbed vitamin e oil (capsules) on it. Enjoy your little thumb sucker, and when you get a chance find the author Shel Silverstein's poem about the Thumb Sucker's Thumb. It is adorable! Bravo for considering home-schooling too. Those years were fun at our house. Best wishes to you! S. Teague

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

T.B.

answers from Anchorage on

My 22 month sucks his thumb too. My first reaction was to make him stop at all cost as soon as we could. After a little research about it, I am content to let him suck away- and he does. Some of the studies we read and people we talked to said
- the more you try to stop them the more they want to suck.
- there is also a lot of social reasons why he will want to stop on his own, and it won't be hard for him to pick them up. I am convinced that the little damage I anticipate might happen is worth not having to worry over it and fight him about it and try a million ways to get him to stop.
- Most kids that are allowed to suck there thumbs will just stop on there own between the ages of 4 and 5.

I had to remove from my thinking all the things that had been ingrained in me from society in order to be ok with this. The only reason sucking your thumb is bad is because of society- and who cares about them anyway, really. I read nothing that said it would be harmful to his teeth.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.A.

answers from Portland on

My daughter sucked her thumb till she was four. Then a girl I was watching knocked her front tooth out. The dentist told her she could not suck her thumb or it would hurt. It was such a mixed blessing getting that tooth knocked out or I am sure she would still be sucking her thumb. So I don't have any ideas, I just know she will stop when she is ready. Aren't those thumbs great though? Always avaialble.
The dentist did say that if you can get her to stop by 2 then her teeth should be fine. We obviously were to late, but my husband and I both had braces so all our kids probably will to.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.M.

answers from Seattle on

There is this stuff called "Thum" that you can find in the baby care aisle at the drug store. It goes on like nail polish and tastes really bad. My parents used it on me and it WORKED. Be sure you use it on all her fingers. My parents didn't realize at first that when the put it on my thumb, I just used my other one and then on to my fingers. Eventually I got cought and had it on all ten fingers and stopped putting them in my mouth all-together. It also works for nail biting.

I have used it on the kids in my home daycare as well (with parents consent and wishes of course) and never seen it fail. It tastes NASTY. Costs very little as well - 2 or 3 bucks.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

V.R.

answers from Portland on

All three of my kids have been thumb suckers, as was I. I stopped at the age of 5. My daughter, who is 5, does it very, very rarely now. When their thumbs have gotten raw and sore I use pure lanolin. It's the only thing that can go in their mouth that won't make them sick. I even had a doctor tell me that that was a great idea to use lanolin. As for her teeth...I wouldn't worry too much. My teeth are perfectly straight, compared to my siblings who didn't suck their thumbs and have buck teeth. My kids teeth are so far straight also. Just try to give your daughter alternitives to thumb sucking, besides a pacifier. Good luck!!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.S.

answers from Seattle on

There is a product that we have used for nail biting, but it works for thumb-sucking as well...Mavala Stop.
http://www.folica.com/MAVALA_Stop_for_d442.html

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.T.

answers from Portland on

H.,

I think that if sucking her thumb is the worst thing your toddler does, you're in great shape! It's important for little ones to have sources of comfort, and your daughter has one that shouldn't cause any real trouble. Unless your dentist expresses some concern, I wouldn't worry about her teeth. Also, it's possible that she may develop a callous on her thumb, which is no big deal. For what it's worth, I sucked my finger until I was almost seven, and I'm one of the few people I know of my age group who never needed braces. My older son did the same thing, and his teeth are enviable. In a nutshell, I don't think it's worth the distress that making her quit would cause. Good luck!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.B.

answers from Seattle on

http://parentcenter.babycenter.com/0_thumb-sucking-why-it...

Here is a good article on thumb sucking from parentcenter.com Try not to worry too much. At least your not running around looking for a binky every two minutes! :)

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

E.K.

answers from Seattle on

A pediatrician would probably say that this is totally normal and not to worry about it, but have you asked? I have 2 kids and the first one never put anything in his mouth. The second made up for it by putting everything in his mouth. Everything! Bringing it to his attention helped us.

Every time he put his fingers in his mouth I just said "Why are those in there?" Then let it go until next time. One day I saw it register that he had put his fingers in his mouth, and he made a conscious decision to take them out. Making her aware of it without offering a solution may let her choose what to replace it with. Keep in mind it is a self-comforting reflex, so offereing some cuddle time in place of thumb sucking may help too. Best of luck!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.S.

answers from Portland on

My four year old sucks her thumb. My pediatrician said not to worry until she gets premanent teeth. By that point, hopefully she will have stopped on her own. The dentist said the same thing just last week. We have limited it to bed time. Also, when I 'catch' her with her thumb in, I just say, "thumb" and she pulls it out. When she is really tired, it becomes a battle that sometimes I chose not to push. Like late night in the car on the way home from Grandma's or something like that. Just give it time, but I liked the glove idea someone else mentioned. I may just have to try that! :)

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.M.

answers from Portland on

My son sucked his thumb until he was four. His lower two front teeth were angled slighty because of it but his dentist said it wasn't a problem as it wasn't that bad and that his permanent teeth would come in after he stopped so nothing to worry about.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.B.

answers from Seattle on

Old Wives know that a baby who sucks her thumb is a happy baby because she always can soothe herself. I fail to understand why people get so worked up about this. It is natural. Look at the shape of the thumb...it resembles a flattened nipple that is being sucked. Just relax. Dentists do complain, but maybe they are control freaks who don't care about the baby's comfort. There are very few children who don't need braces at some point. Consider the number of people in their forties who have corrective ortho work done. Just relax, mom.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.B.

answers from Portland on

do not worry about it! she will grow out of it!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

T.S.

answers from Yakima on

H.~
Isn't it funny how/when they pick up these little habbits? My daughter is 2 almost 3 and has sucked her middle and ring finger of her left hand since birth. She saw a dentist for the first time at 2 years of age and just had her second visit recently 3/08. According to her pediatric dentist, there is no use in being worried about her finger/thumb sucking until she starts getting her permanent teeth and that most kids will stop once they become more involved with other children, such as attending daycare or preschool. My daughter also sucks her fingers raw, and her front teeth are a bit crooked on top. Because this action is soothing to her, my husband and I are not saying to much about. However, I have noticed at play group when she starts doing it, the "older" kids tell her to stop sucking her fingers.
Hope this helps!
T. S.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.N.

answers from Medford on

I'm a pretty laid-back mama, so my kiddo's thumbsucking never bothered me. Only one of my kids was a thumbsucker, but he was avid. Sometimes he developed what we called a "rotten thumb" from all the sucking and his sharp little teeth, but I just figured that if it hurt, he would lay off the sucking. It is wonderful to have a little one with a built-in method of comforting himself. I would take a thumb-sucker any day over a fussy little on or one who is dependent upon a pacifier (I had one like that, too). As far as the teeth go, it will be along time before she has her permanent teeth. I always considered baby teeth as "training teeth" (you know, until they learn not to bite rocks and things like that... I have boys!!). I never negatively mentioned the thumbsucking to my son, and he eventually phased out to doing it only while going to sleep. By the time he was five or six, he quit altogether. So, by the time his REAL teeth came in, he was done sucking his thumb (AND biting rocks...LOL). Often, when we make an issue over something, it becomes more of an obsession than it otheriwse would be. So, as a very laid-back mama, my advice would be to just go with it. If it becomes a problem later on when her adult teeth come in, that would be the time to address it, and she will be much more mature and capable to conciously break the habit.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.W.

answers from Richland on

H., If I were you, I would keep after the thumbsucking child to help her recognize her habit. I sucked my thumb until I was 13!! I tried everything to stop for years. Painted stuff on my thumb, gloves, tied my wrist with a knit hairband to the headboard... I mean, I was desparate to stop and couldn't make it happen after all those years. Eventually, boys were so important that I stopped...(obviously it was a psychological need) And even after i stopped, on occassion when I was exhausted I would still wake up and find i had sucked my thumb that night. I had to have a couple of years of braces because of my thumbsucking and for years before that kids were rude and made fun of me.

I was very consistent with all five of my children when they were born to teach them to use the pacifier. Then as they got older they broke that habit between 4mo and a year. I replaced the consolation need with a soft, cuddly lovey blanket that we kept with them from birth.. :) That worked for me. Probably at her age now a gentle reminder and a favorite toy or blanket might help her transition away from this habit. You are wise to be concerned and active about this. Good luck :)

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

R.O.

answers from Eugene on

Hi H., My daughter too was sucking her thumb in her ultrasound! I tried everything humane that I could think of, she sucked her thumb till she was 6! She got the sore on her thumb, it eventually callused up, she has slightly bucked teeth, you can't really tell, she is 21 now and has a 2 month old son who is sucking his thumb, she has threatened to put hot sauce on it!!! I told her that was cruel, I think some kids are predisposed to it, and I never found a cure except to tell her that she was the only one of her friends that did that, and she finally gave it up in the 1st grade! Good Luck, R.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.S.

answers from Seattle on

Hi, H...........I hope you get some really good advice from lots of people because I really don't have the answer. i just want to say that our grandaughter started sucking her thumb when her parents divorced. She had lots of love but sucked her thumb until age nine and her permanent teeth wouldn't come down properly. Even after wearing braces she hates to smile because her teeth are still not right and she is a darling mother of two adorable girls. Also, she did something to the nerve in her thumb from all of the sucking.
so I would suggest lots and lots of love when you tuck her in at night and if she does it during the day, gently take her hand and say, "I love you so much and you don't need your thumb to love you".
When I taught school I had a thumbsucker in my class and I had all of the children say I love you to him and he knew that was the signal to take his thumb out. M.- Barb

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.J.

answers from Seattle on

Hi H.,

Just to let you know, I would prefer the thumb sucking than a pacifier. My God-son use to suck his thumb. He was three when he stopped. We just told him that his thumb carried germs and that it would make him sick if continues to suck on it. From that on, he stopped. He would just sit there and suck his thumb, suck his thumb while napping, and while in his car seat. It's their security and I think it's okay. Don't worry about the teeth. Some may say it would mess up their teeth but that's baby teeth anyway. Your child will lose the baby teeth anyway.

So, don't worry. Love AJ

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.R.

answers from Anchorage on

Go to Leaps & Bounds and checkout the thumb/finger guard.

http://www.leapsandbounds.com/catalog/product.jsp?product...

I purchased this for my son. He had a 7mm gap between his upper & lower teeth due to thumbsucking. We tried all the nasty tasting 'remedies' without success. Our pediatric dentist in WA highly recommended this product. It is pricey, but it works 100% The kit comes with a guard for each hand. I kept the guards on for 6wks and he hasn't sucked his thumb once. Best part...his teeth have moved back to normal on their own.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.B.

answers from Richland on

You don't really have to worry about it ruining her teeth until she gets in her permanent teeth. My son is a thumbsucker, and we just have limited the times he's allowed to do it. Only when it is sleep time, that has helped a lot, but they will keep doing it till they are ready to give it up, usually about the time they start kindergarten.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.N.

answers from Seattle on

I was a thumb sucker and at around 7 I wanted to stop, but couldn't. I only did it in my sleep and would wake up with my thumb in my mouth! I eventually quit.My mom tried everything once I said I wanted to stop, but nothing worked until I had retainers at around 11. My mouth just didn't feel the same! Anyway, my daughter (3 years old) is also a thumb sucker. She usually only does it when she is tired, stressed or worried. It is a major comfort object for her. If it makes you feel better, her dentist isn't worried. My friend takes her son to a special children's densitist at Children's Hospital in Seattle and he said that thumb sucking does not do permanent tooth damage until 7 years old, so I wouldn't worry about that. If your daughter needs it, she is way too young to understand why you want her to stop. I don't know what to do about the scabbing over....

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.S.

answers from Portland on

I have the best solution in the whole world, but it sounds totally disgusting.

I sucked my thumb until I was about 7 or 8 years old. My mom tried everything to make me stop, but I would suck even hot sauce off and keep going. Then one day my brother and I were playing in our tree fort and I got Juniper Berry juice and Juniper pitch on my thumb. My thumbe tasted so bitter for days from it that it cured me.

Juniper trees are all over the east side of Oregon, but a little more difficult to find over here. If you go to Sisters or Bend anytime, grab a branch or two with berries and pitch on them. They are NOT poisonous, in fact they have medicinal purposes, but they do taste absolutely awful and I guarantee it will stop the thumb sucking. :)

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions

Related Searches