Finger Sucking

DD (she will be two 5/3) and has taken to putting her fingers in her mouth when she is watching tv or riding in the stroller. When I see her do it I say "please don't put your fingers your mouth" and she will take them out. My husband said that perhaps we should let her do it and then just let her work through it.

My brother was a thumb sucker until the sixth grade and I new a girl that was sucking her fingers until we were in high school.

My plan was to try to head it off before it became an issue but now I am looking for advice on this...should I let her suck her fingers? If not what are some strategies we can use to get her to stop for good.

TIA,
Lindia

 

My DD sucked her thumb from 3 months to 4 years. She just quit. We took her to the Dentist for one of her 6 month checkups and brought it up with the Dentist. He talked to her about why she shouldnt do it and she quit that night. :lol: No kidding. At 2, I would have no issue with sucking fingers or thumbs for comfort.

 

kids don't usually start sucking their thumbs at 2 y/o that I know of anyway. I wo uld do the same as you and just gently remind her not to do that. It could be an anxiety soother and by having her not do that, she wil learn other ways to sooth herself. I think it's easier to stop somethng before it's a habit then for them to have to break an established habit.

 

We have nail chewing and hair twirling habits :cry: So I feel your pain. My kids did stuff at two that they don't do at 4 , but they replaced habits!

My pedi said to give them a bracelet or watch or something for them to fiddle with instead of hair and nails! I did buy THUM for Ali's nail chewing habit, but don't keep it on regularly enough, I am sure! You can try it, too.

They say not to call attention to the habit, but divert them. "I like your bracelet, can you show me how many fingers you have?" that type stuff!

Good luck! :hug:

 

I was actually wondering if it could be something else? Jake was not at all a finger/thumb sucker ... but he has been A LOT in the past month ... and when we took him to this 2 year doctor's appt, the doc said that two of his molars were coming in! so maybe she's sucking/biting because of her molars? It just jumped out at me when you said she was about to turn two, because that is when Jake started.

Have the doc check for molars if you have your two year old appt soon!

 

My daughter used to suck on her fingers all the time. She has really cut back recently and only does it occasionaly to fall asleep now. When she was still doing it we just diverted her attention when she would start and it seems to have refocused her.

 

My son started to suck on his fingers at around two when we took his pacifier away and sucked on his fingers a lot for about 6mths. We would either ask him to take his fingers out of his mouth or if I was sitting next to him I would just do it myself and not say anything to him just so I didn't make a big deal out of it to him. When you wrote this post I started to think of my son doing and a just realized he really doesn't do it anymore if at all. I would just keep telling her nicely not to do it and try not to make to big of a deal out of it. It really bothered me when we were out since he always ended up with a runny nose and cough a couple days after we went to the grocery store or some other store.

 

Wow, thank you ladies! That was very helpful. We are new to this parenting thing are really trying not to screw up

It takes a village!!

Lindia

 

I agree with Erica that it is probably due to molars coming in. When she is in the stroller or watching tv, she isn't otherwise occupied, and the teeth are probably bothering her more then. I would just not make a big deal out of it, she will probably stop when they teeth come in. It seems that toddlers do one of two things when those molars are coming, suck on fingers, or become biters.