Any good ideas on how to stop thumb sucking? **UPDATE**

[CEDmom]

I'm taking DD to the dentist today and I know I'll get a lecture about getting her to stop sucking her thumb. She has cut down a get deal as she's gotten older. It's to a point that she only does it when she's falling asleep and when she's upset. However, we really need to stop it completely. We've already noticed her top front baby teeth are pushed out a little from the sucking.

So, what have you done to get your kids to stop? I really don't want to use that icky tasting stuff. I need a more creative solution.

Thanks for your help.

UPDATE:

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. DD had a great checkup and told the Dentist she was trying to stop but it was really hard. Her lip started to quiver when she told him and I felt so badly for her. He was great though and told her he was proud of her trying and to just keep working at it. As a lot of you said, he told me it shouldn't be a big concern until she's around 6 (she's not quite 4 1/2 now). We'll just keep up the positive reinforcement and try not to make a big deal of it.

 

[peg2001]

Distraction and substitution. Hand her something soft and cuddly to hold in both hands when she is tired. You could try offering a sugar-free sucker when she's upset.

Best of luck. This is a tough habit to break. I had a hard time breaking my DDs of their beloved pacifiers but at least I could throw them away.

Peggy

 

[Suzy Mouse]

My ds(5) sucks his 2 fingers and it drives me crazy. the dentist says that he is going to definitely need braces later. Although I have never tried it, someone told me to put vinegar on his fingers. They said the taste is awful.

 

[ByTheSea]

Time and patience. You didn't mention how old. My DS was a thumb sucker. We just made an effort to make him aware of it when he did it, and as he got older he didn't want to suck his thumb infront of "friends" as he didn't want to be a "baby" so it was pretty much limited to at home when he was sleepy.

But actually, he finally quit when we forgot about it.. we just noticed one day that he wasn't sucking his thumb and we couldn't remember the last time he did.

 

[crazyforgoofy]

than psychiatric counseling later" - that's what the pediatric dentist told us about Jeff when he was young and sucked two fingers. We left him alone except for the occasional gentle reminder. He did need braces - but so did his brother who didn't suck any digit - but the world kept turning. Some kids need the comfort and security that the additional sucking provides, big deal. They'll grow up and it'll stop.

BTW, Jeff is 26, newly married and a successful, handsome, loving person. So sucking those fingers until he was 5 didn't cause any major problem

 

[debster812]

DS was a thumb sucker, and had a small terry bib as his lovey. He threw away his loveys on his 4th birthday, because we had been talking about "big kid" stuff. At this point he was down to sucking his thumb only when he was falling asleep, or if he was up late, and really tired.

So, as we approached his 5th birthday, he decided for himself, he was going to stop the thumb sucking when he turned 5 and he did. He did it when he was ready, there was no strife or trauma, and it was fine.

My very humble personal opinion is that there are so many other big issues, that this was not a real hot spot for us. His dentist commented on his teeth a bit, but said in the grand scheme of things, it was not bad.

I also am a big proponent of rewards and bribery for the big milestone stuff like this (Oh the angst of potty training a boy who wanted NO part of it!) Maybe a sticker chart and a big reward at the end.

Good Luck!!

 

[Chattyaholic]

My DD sucked her right index finger, to the point of forming a calous on it. But she gave it up when she was ready. I was a thumb sucker (at night only, going to sleep) until I was 8.
Never needed braces, and DD didn't either.

 

[tw1nsmom]

Our dentist also said that "braces are cheaper than therapy." I really wouldn't take any drastic measures...we're not. DD will be 4 in April and is still sucking her thumb. We do remind her that she might need "wires" on her teeth and that germs get in her body from sucking her thumb. She also has some sensory issues. Her PT said that some children who suck their thumb need lots of oral stimulation. We're going to try (at her suggestion) buying a vibrating tooth brush and giving a gentle mouth massage (outside and inside) a couple times a day...I'll let you know how it works. Even though I'm a little worried about her teeth, her dentist said that it was more important to try to get her to stop sucking before her adult teeth come in. Besides, DH and all his siblings needed braces, so even if she stops sucking there's no guarantee for straight teeth.

 

[maps]

my daughter will be 5 next month and i swear she's sucking her thumb more now than ever! all the articles i've read say to just basically ignore it until age 5 or it'll turn into a power struggle. well, she's 5 so now what?!

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

Give her the chickenpox!! Just kidding. My sister was a thumb sucker too until she was 10 and got the chicken pox. She sucked her thumb SO much that she got icky little sores in her mouth and throat because she would scratch and then suck her thumb. After that...she never sucked her thumb again.


TOV

 

[Allie322]

My daughter, like yours CEDmom, would only suck her thumb when she was sleepy. It was automatic and it was only her left thumb. When she was going to start kindergarten, DH and I felt it was time to stop. We taped her thumb and index finger together before bed. She thought it was fun and got a kick out of it. We did this for maybe a week, and that was the end of it. No big drama or trauma. She is now 11 and will be getting her braces next month, which she would have gotten with or without the thumbsucking. Good luck in whatever you decide.

 

[KristiKelly]

I have a cousin that is ~25, when she gets really depressed, she goes home (to her parents house) gets in her old bed & sucks her thumb. They tried everything when she was little even put some kind of brace in her mouth - nothing worked. They said it seemed like the more they tried to get her to stop - the more she would suck her thumb.

DD sucked her 2 fingers until about 18 mo. old, then she got a virus with ulcers all over her mouth and sucking made them hurt more, so she stopped.

I have also heard that braces are cheaper than therapy. Good Luck!

 

[Towncrier]

I was 12 years old when I gave up thumb sucking. My mom tried everything to get me to quit including the icky tasting stuff. I'm not sure why I finally quit. Probably peer pressure. You don't see too many teens still sucking their thumb.

Are you sure that your daughter is pressing against her front teeth? My teeth didn't suffer from my 12 year habit because I guess that I pressed upward on my soft pallet.

It sounds like you've gotten her to stop sucking most of the time. If she only needs to suck her thumb to fall asleep, I wouldn't fret too much. Sooner or later I'm sure that she'll give it up on her own.

And one other thing (in regards to KristiKelly's cousin). The last time that I stuck my thumb in my mouth (as a joke to embarrass my kids), I felt a strange sense of calm come over me. It's amazing how our brains are wired. Even though it's been 36 years since I gave up the habit, I miss that warm fuzzy feeling that thumb sucking provided me as a child. Now where did I put my blankie.

 

[missypie]

My youngest sucked her thumb when she needed comfort until the summer after 1st grade. Her bottom baby teeth were bent in a bit, but no effects on her permanent teeth.

We thought she had stopped when she was 4. In the weeks preceeding her 4th birthday we made a big deal about how 4 yr olds don't suck their thumbs, and starting on her 4th birthday she quit...for a couple of weeks.

We thought about buying some of that yucky tasting stuff to paint on...and then found out that they don't sell that any more.

Amazingly, without any prodding at all, she quit cold turkey shortly after school was out after 1st grade. She just stopped. I'd peek in on her when she was sleeping, thinking certainly she couldn't stop it then...but she had! An amazing little girl!

 

[robinb]

My four year old also sucks her thumb. It really soothes her. She saw a pediatric dentist a few months ago for the first time. The hygentist said they don't worry about thumb sucking until around six.

 

[DMickey28]

I sucked my thumb continuously until i was a early teen and then I continued until i was 18 when I was sick or upset....

No problems with my teeth, as straight as can be with no braces or retainer or anything!

BTW ~ I am 25 and recently was very upset and sucking my thumb for just a moment comforted me enough to relax!!!

 

[sunsprinkle24]

DS 12 just stopped sucking his thumb about 2 years ago, his dentist sent him to a orthodontist and he had to get a retainer. He had gotten to the point where he only sucked it in his sleep, and he was ready to quit, but he would wake up and find himself sucking his thumb! He put a fuzzy glove on his hand, and the feel of it apparantly kept him from sucking his thumb in his sleep. He was ready to quit, though, so that probably helped more than if he really didnt want to.

 

[pjlla]

Wish someone had suggested the "fuzzy glove" idea to me. I sucked my thumb until I was 11. I really wanted to stop, but would wake up during the night and find my thumb in my mouth. I finally started tying my arm to the bedpost at night with a sock. One night on my stomach, next night on my back. Can't really remember how long it took, maybe a week, but I never sucked again! And I looked like Bucky the Beaver when I quit, but fortunately for me, my teeth went back on their own and I never needed braces. You'd never believe it if you looked at pictures of me in about 4th grade!!

I am now a relatively well-adjusted almost-40 year old! No therapy for me (yet anyhow!)....................P

 

[Disney Doll]

I sucked my thumb till I was about 7 or 8. Stopped on my own. My parents basically ignored it. Ended up with braces, but the orthodontist said it was because my mouth was too small for all my teeth, and it had nothing to do with the thumb sucking. If you knew me, you wouldn't believe that explanation!

 

[debster812]

GREAT update. Sounds like you all have it well under control. I'm glad the dentist was good about it.

Give her a hug for me!!!