Thumb sucking?

Hey ladies

Baby A is a HUGE thumb sucker! She sucks on it so much that it is actually irritated and dry from having so much saliva on it. She won't take a pacifier. Any suggestions as to how to make her stop? None of my other kids ever did this, but Ellie just loves that thumb!

Angel

 

I have never had a thumb sucker before, but if she likes it and it keeps her content, I would let her do it!

 

Hi! My Baby A started thumbsucking about a week ago. I noticed that his appetite went down about then; he was the better eater, but started refusing his feedings. My mom mentioned to me two days ago that thumbsucking can cause a bad overbite later. Not wanting that to happen, I put a mitten on the hand that he thumbsucks on, which has worked for me. Also, his appetite's back, so it must've been the thumbsucking that affected his feedings. I read somewhere that it's not good to pacify babies at about their feeding times b/c it affects the feedings, and I guess the thumbsucking was a form of pacifying for him.

 

Both Emilie and Trevor are thumb suckers. I have tried 3 different kinds of pacifiers with them and no luck. My oldest was a paci girl though. I just let them suck their thumb, I'll just be sure they aren't still sucking it in kindergarten (seriously I've seen a little girl in my oldest DD's K class suck her thumb during story time).

 

I have thumbsuckers too! In fact, all 5 of my kids have been thumbsuckers and 3 of them are through adoption. I say, let them do it because it isn't like you can force them to suck their thumb or use a pacifier. It is rare that a kid sucks their thumb past kindergarten because of peer pressure but if it does, orthodontic care will take care of that. We all have our security things even as adults (ie...computer, cell phones that we have to have, coffee, etc.) That is just how I look at it and our older children are well adjusted teenagers.

 

I sucked a finger -- and yes, I had to have braces. But so did my sisters who both used pacifier .... And I think I grew up okay

My mom tried many things to get me to stop (even painting nasty tasting stuff on my finger), and nothing worked until I decided on my own to stop.

Mine won't take a pacifier either, and I'm content to let them suck their thumbs. (The mitten idea gave me giggles -- I'm pretty sure my kids would just suck the mitten )

 

I just had to put my two cents in ...

My DD (yes, the one who is expecting the twins!) sucked her thumb until she was in her teens, I think she was actually 15 if you can believe that!

Once she reached 6-7 years old, she wouldn't do it at school and at home she would quickly pull her thumb out of her mouth if she saw me coming, but nighttime was no holds barred, she sucked her thumb vigorously! I envisioned her going off to college with a raw, scaly thumb! Oh the battles we had ... it got ugly at times ... sheesh!

From the time she was 2, we tried everything you can imagine to make her stop and nothing worked. We even tried hypnotherapy when she was in grade school! When she was 10 or 11, the orthodontist put a "guard" type of appliance in her mouth that actually had sharp spikey edges sticking down along the roof of her mouth, and she still managed to suck her thumb even though she would sometimes have bloody fingers! The orthodontist was amazed, he said he had never seen a child that the appliance didn't work for. (I quickly had that removed when we realized that it wouldn't deter her, it was an awful contraption!) She even sucked her thumb during her first year of braces. I think the braces, and her desire to have pretty teeth, finally helped her quit. She always wanted to quit sucking desparately but just couldn't.

The good news is that her teeth are perfect! (I'm attaching a picture of her from her college days, just to brag! ) And the funny thing is that she now works for an orthodontist, lol!

Hang in there with those thumbsuckers, it can be so frustrating. And MOST of the time, it's true that your little one will NOT start school with his thumb in his mouth! Good luck!

http://www1.snapfish.com/slideshow/AlbumID...087/t_=87486087

 

I sucked my thumb until I was 7. I did not do it in public after about age 5. My family joked that I would be walking down the aisle getting married with my blanket.

I had a very slight overbite and only needed a retainer for a few months.

 

Tyler sucked his thumb in utero - we could see it on the u/s - he sucked it consitantly until about 7mos and then he just stopped...I wouldn't worry about it, they usually stop on their own before it's ever an issue

 

Both my girls have been trying to suck their thumbs - and are almost coordinated enough to do it. I wish they'd take a paci instead as it's easier to get rid of.

I myself sucked my thumb until I was 10. Then I really, really wanted to stop. I swear it's almost like smoking; the motivation has to come in cause it's a hard habit to break! (Although I'm not a smoker, so forgive me if anyone here is!)

I think it's a losing battle, honestly. Just start saving up for those braces!

 

Just curious, does anyone know if finger sucking is a precursor to thumb sucking? Both boys suck on their first two fingers, or some combination of fingers (which may or may not include the thumb). They're kind of obsessive about it, which reminds me of thumb sucking. Also, they will not take pacis. They just spit'em out like it's some kind of silly game.

I was a big time thumb sucker until about 4yrs. I did have a pretty extreme overbite and had to have both a neck gear and braces--but since I've had perfect teeth, and as far as I know, no other OCD tendencies .