Two Fingers in Mouth

I sucked on my two fingers until I was 9! I ended up with an awful overbite and had braces for almost 4 years. My parents tried bad tasting nail polish, and other remedies. Nothing worked until I just stopped it. You are probably not imagining the overbite forming.

Please find something to help her. Anything awful tasting, but not harmful, may be worth trying. The worst I can think of is that bitrex put in nail polish remover. I'm not suggesting the nail polish remover, but only the bitrex. Or anything that bitter.

You can buy this stuff called THUM. It is for thomb sucking and nail biting. It tastes horrible. I know because I bit my nails off and on until I was 30. My parents used this on occasion when I was young. It might work, but if she is persistant like I was. She will just chew it off and bear the taste for a little while until it is gone and then continue to suck away. It is worth a try. It has worked for many people, I was just very stubborn and wasn't going to quit until I wanted to.

May be you can reward her when she does not suck her fingers instead of scolding her. I think that is why she is sneaking off to suck her fingers. She is old enough to know it is bad but at the same time has no motivation to stop sucking them. Every day that she does not suck her fingers give her a sticker. Make a chart with stickers on it. May be start off for every hour then every two hours then build up from there. buy a poster board and make a chart for her. Let her help decorate it. Get her excited about it. Every time a week passes with stickers tell her she can go out and get a reward. Reinforce she is doing well and is a big girl and does not need to suck her fingers.

My dentist suggested to wrap an ACE bandage around her elbow so that she would have to Use her energy to suck it and if she falls asleep with doing this she will relax and it will fall out of her mouth. I have just started this I will have so update later

I did the same thing when I was younger - I asked mt mom around age 5 to help me stop. She got some product that you brushed on the fingers - when you went to suck them they tasted horrible. I don't know if they still have something like that or not, but it worked for me.

Hi A.,
I did just see in a catalog from One Step Ahead, a device that is plastic that you could slip over their fingers to deter sucking. However, I agree with the posters who said maybe you should ride it out a little longer, and maybe try substituting and modeling other things to do with your hands.

Have a great day!
R.

My youngest is 5 and still does it. I told her she needs to stop by the time she gets to Kindergarten because the kids will laugh at her. I have found the more I push they worse it is. Now she only sucks her fingers to go to sleep and when she is relaxing at home.

I recommend that you leave her alone. She'll stop when she's ready. I worry that if you make her stop at 3 1/2 you will see other behavioral issues occur and if you keep nagging her you will risk damaging her self-esteem. Kids need some way of their own to self-soothe. She'll probably stop by kindergarten when peer pressure kicks in. I totally disagree with your insistence that it must stop now. She's a little kid and sometimes little kids need to suck their fingers/thumbs, etc.

I am a mom of 4, my 3 girls all suck fingers/thumbs. My son had a binky until he was 11 months. MY SON needed over $2500 of dental work in 3rd grade because his palate was too narrow and his two adult front teeth came in facing each other. My 9 year old daughter stopped sucking her fingers at age 7 and she has BEAUTIFUL even teeth. My 6 year old has an open bite because she has a larger than normal tongue. Most kids need some dental assistance - thumb suckers or not.

Good luck

I am just throughing this out there, did you try the nail polish that they sell to stop nail biting? it has a nasty taste to it and that should keep the finger out of the mouth. I used it on my husband, because he bits his nail. just read the lable make sure it is safe for kids.

A.,

I was a finger sucker as a young child. Ended up going the braces route, but I had some other dental issues too, so I think I would have needed them anyway.

I don't really remember getting a whole lot of pressure to stop, but I know i was in school, maybe 5 or so when I stopped. I got that hand and mouth disease and couldn't stand to have anything in my mouth. By the time I healed up, the habit was broken. The biggest thing I remember about it was that I could finally claiim the stuffed animal my grandma had promised me when I quit.

I think that One Step Ahead sells a clear plastic product that goes over the hand and wrist for finger suckers and thumb suckers that makes it impossible to create suction and takes the satisfaction away from sucking.

Good Luck.

S.

Hi A., As a former "thumb sucker" I can tell you that trying to break this habit with "ucky stuff" on her hand won't work. Nagging will not work either. She has to want to quit. I suggest you take her to a ped's dentist and tell the dentist about her habbit... the Dr and staff will have many suggestions and tried and true methods to get her to stop the sucking. It's not easy, but she can break the habbit with your support. If you don't have a ped's dentist can I recommend Dentistry for Kids? They have 4 offices in and around Pittsburg and they are fantastic. Best wishes!

Hi A.,
I seriously doubt that sucking her fingers will lead to any dental problems. Check with her dentist about it. I wouldn't call too much attention to it.
I also wouldn't do the Tabasco or Pepper (of course, that's because my son LOVES Tabasco AND Pepper!). Seriously, that sounds a little harsh. What about a glove, or give her a little ball to roll around in her hand--kind of a switch and bait kind of tactic? Good luck!

Hi A.,

I remember my mom telling me what she did with my brother to have him stop sucking his thumb. She put tabasco sauce and black pepper on his thumb. She said that it worked quickly.

L.

There is a product you can buy at any pharmacy that you can put on her fingers that has a bitter taste and is advertised to stop nail biting. I don't remember what it's called but it's safe and it just doesn't taste good! Good luck!

Two of my kids were dedicated thumb suckers. They out grew it without me doing much of anything. They came to realize it was a baby habit and kids would tease them if they kept doing it. After they gave it up during waking hours, they would still do it sometimes in their sleep, but eventually that stopped also. It is much easier to get them over the habit when they are ready to stop. You could always try offering her an incentive, something she really wants if she stops on her own.

My daughter was the same way from 3 months to 4 1/2. I thought she would never give it up! When she was at her 4yo dental appt I told her she should think about stopping. She said she would when she was 5 but at her 4 1/2 check up the night before she said she was stopping! I couldn't believe it. So my advice is to ride it out. She needs that security and will stop when she is ready. Don't nag her about it b/c it might make her feel worse. All my best, b.

i did the same thing at that age, sucking on my 2 fingers... and later on my pinky finger (wish mom had tried harder to stop that, now my pinky finger isnt quite as straight as the other)

believe it or not i actually kinda remember doing it and it was a comfort thing... there's nothing in the mouth so why not put something there cuz you're bored anyway and it's just so empty! lol, thats just what it is.

try keeping a healthy snack on you (if she likes a certain kind of cracker or fruit) and every time you ask her to take her fingers out of her mouth, give her the snack to replace it. but if she puts them back after take something small away from her (if she has a favorite doll she carries everywhere, take it away and say she can have it back when she takes her fingers out)

denis is somewhat right with the scolding thing... you want her to feel like ''not sucking my fingers is good'' not ''im bad for sucking my fingers'' when mom yelled at me for it i also just went and hid and did it anyway. cuz i didnt see a reason not to. give her a reason not to do it :) (what i said about taking something away, does not have to be accompanied with chastising, just say ''i'll give you this back if you keep your fingers out of your mouth'' or something like that)

be patient, it may take a few months, but you'll get there :)

Hi A.,

Stop putting yourself down. She will stop on her own.

Call your local dentist and ask him/her for advice.

Good luck. D.