Inspired by the pacifier thread...how to get a 5 year old to stop sucking their thumb

[cepmom]

My DD5 has been sucking her thumb since she was 12 weeks old. I never discouraged her because as soon as she dicovered her thumb, she started sleeping through the night and she looked so darn cute!!

Now she has a space between her upper and lower teeth wher her thumb fits right into. We have talked to her for several years about stopping ~ sometimes she says she will stop, and sometimes she says she will never stop. We have tried telling her she can get her ears pierced if she stops, but she goes back and forth over it. She will sometimes ask if we can go to the mall and get her ears pierced and when I ask her if she is ready to stop sucking her tumb, she tells me she just can't.

I was a thumb sucker too and my mother always painted that bitter stuff on my thumb and I cried and cried until she washed it off I thinkI finally quit when I was like 11.

DD says she doesn't suck her thumb in school, but as soon as I pick her up at the end of the day, it goes right in her mouth. One of DD's friends pointed her out to her mother and said "see, Peyton sucks her thumb" The Mom felt awful and the little girl didn't mean anything...her little sister sucks her thumb too so I guess she was just pointing it out. DD said she felt a little bad that her friend made an issue out of it, but apparntly it didn't make that big of an impression because she is still doing it.

Any suggestions??

 

[tiggersmom2]

Get the popcorn ready.

I would take her to an orthodontist immediately. The thumb sucking has already caused an anterior open bite from what you have described. The orthodontist will fit her with a "tongue thrust" appliance that will make it impossible for her to continue sucking her thumb. It is imperitive that you get her to stop NOW. If she continues to suck her thumb it can narrow and heighten her palate which is detrimental to the dentition(she is obviously sucking hard enough to cause an open bite and so in time this will happen too.)

Good luck

 

[tw1nsmom]

Well, I'm probably not the right person to respond to this post as my five year old DD is still sucking her thumb at night. We've managed to cut it down to just when she's falling asleep (or sometimes if she's hurt or very scared). We gently emphasize that she gets sick more and feels yucky because she's putting germs in her mouth and we discuss having to get wires on her teeth.

However, we've found that the more we make a big deal out of it, the more she sucks. We try to keep things low-key. Right now night time thumb sucking is something she still needs to feel secure. As one dentist told me, braces cost less than therapy.

 

[cepmom]

yikes....I had no idea this was a hot topic!

yes, her teeth are a little messed up...like they grew in around her thumb and she has a fused central incisor to boot! (poor kid)

She has been to the dentist for regular cleanings and they do not make an issue out of it....about 1 year - 18 months ago, they said if she stops soon, the damage will not be bad, not to push it or make it a power struggle, but obviously she has not stopped. She does have an appointment in 2 weeks though.

We have an orthodontist that DD16 went to and DD8 has been to a couple of times for an evaluation. I will give them a call. Thanks.

 

[rascalmom]

Get the popcorn ready.

I would take her to an orthodontist immediately. The thumb sucking has already caused an anterior open bite from what you have described. The orthodontist will fit her with a "tongue thrust" appliance that will make it impossible for her to continue sucking her thumb. It is imperitive that you get her to stop NOW. If she continues to suck her thumb in can narrow and heighten her palate which is detrimental to the dentition(she is obviously sucking hard enough to cause an open bite and so in time this will happen too.)

Good luck

 

[mickeyboat]

I am not sure I will be much help. But I will tell you my experience, anyway.

I sucked my thumb until I was 8. My parents tried the yucky tasting stuff, too, but I would just suck it off and then keep sucking. I only did it at night.

Finally my parents bribed me with a stuffed animal. I don't know if it was just the age, but it didn't take very long to get me to stop.

I had braces, but my teeth came in straight, it was to correct an overbite.

My parents had the cutest picture of me all tucked into bed, sleeping with my thumb in my mouth. Awwwww.

Has your DD been to the dentist yet? Maybe he can put the fear of God into her about the dangers of thumb-sucking.

Good luck.

Denae

 

[cepmom]

Well, I'm probably not the right person to respond to this post as my five year old DD is still sucking her thumb at night. We've managed to cut it down to just when she's falling asleep (or sometimes if she's hurt or very scared). We gently emphasize that she gets sick more and feels yucky because she's putting germs in her mouth and we discuss having to get wires on her teeth.

However, we've found that the more we make a big deal out of it, the more she sucks. We try to keep things low-key. Right now night time thumb sucking is something she still needs to feel secure. As one dentist told me, braces cost less than therapy.

she has it in her mouth a lot of the time...watching tv, when she is tired (like after school) in the car, bedtime etc. If she isn't doing something with her hands, the thumb is usually in her mouth

 

[mickeyboat]

she has it in her mouth a lot of the time...watching tv, when she is tired (like after school) in the car, bedtime etc. If she isn't doing something with her hands, the thumb is usually in her mouth

Maybe you could come up with some sort of project during which she would keep her hands busy. Do you think she is too young for latch hook? Just something to occupy her when she is most likely to put her thumb in her mouth.

Denae

 

[cepmom]

that's good idea, mickeyboat. She might be too young for latch hook, but perhaps something else like stringing beads or something. Thanks

 

[Aneille]

Double Post! Sorry.

 

[Aneille]

I have the same problem with my 4 year old. She also has an open bite now and has started to lisp. She refused to let the dentist look at her teeth the last appt. but before that the hygenist said she has already reshaped her palate slightly. She mostly does it at night, and not so much during the day unless watching TV or really tired.

My younger daughter sucks her thumb as well.

We bought these thumbguards, one for each of them to wear at night. We put it on my youngest during the day when we first got it and within a day she stopped sucking her thumb and now sucks her finger! We took the guard off and 2 months later still sucking the finger. I do think she will be easier to break than my oldest.

So my oldest was wearing hers at night. THe first night was so hard but finally she fell asleep. Well after that she started sucking her left thumb instead of her right so now she wears both hers and her sisters guard to bed! Its not helping though. She just doesn't want to stop.

I've shown her pictures of that tongue thrust appliance, explained about braces, shown her how her thumb gets so chapped, germs ..nothing helps. We have tried bribing. We do a chip system at home, I said everytime she goes an hour without sucking her thumb she gets 2 chips, well that works during the day but not at night. Okay so we will buy you a Cinderella Jeep if you stop, nope isn't interested.

I've already decided that if she is still sucking by next November when she turns 5, she is going the orthodotist and I am going to beg for that tongue thrust appliance.

I have also talked to I am blue about addictions and how I know its hard to stop because I did it too. And about gave her alternatives to sucking like rubbing her favorite blanket or playing hiding games with her thumb. I read her books one night for almost 2.5 hours....she just can't soothe herself without her thumb.

I sucked my thumb as a kid and stopped around 5-6 years old but I never sucked hard enough to move any teeth.

Its so frustrating!!!

Good luck!

 

[cepmom]

where do you get the thumbguards? I have never heard of them.

 

[PaulaSue]

My DD does her 3 fingers only at nap and bed time, since birth, and just turned 5. Her bottom teeth moved so it looks likes she lost one already.

Since we got new insurance I haven't checked into the new denstist and what they suggest. The old denstist "scared" her into trying to stop but that only lasted a few days.

 

[darrose]

Put bandaids on her thumbs

 

[txSleepingBeauty]

good luck. As a former finger sucker, I know how hard my parents tried to get me to stop. It never worked, I finally stopped when I was ready to. don't really have any advice, but keep in mind that it's not always voluntary, sometimes your finger or thumb just ends up in your mouth while you're asleep and it's a really really hard habit to break.

 

[Cindyluwho]

My younger sis sucked her thumb until she was in Jr High. About 10 years ago she was spending the night on my couch, when I came out in the AM she was sleeping with her thumb in her mouth, at 24 YEARS OLD!! She still does it, her hubbie thinks it's cute. I don't think they had any dental appliance back then to stop it.

 

[Blondy876]

My dd was always a thumb sucker too. Never used a pacifier (well for a couple of days after before she found her thumb). When she was 4 getting ready to turn 5 my dh and I told her that 5 year olds can't suck their thumbs. We told her that there was rule that it wasn't allowed ( ) and she went it. She stopped sucking her thumb on her birthday and hasn't looked back. I have no idea why this worked but it did.

 

[clarabelle]

http://www.thumbguard.net/
Is where we got our thumbguard. it works -but then she starts up again after awhile and we have to use it again.
We have also done the orthodontist thing and it helped as well -but I suspect she was still occasionally sucking her thumb in her sleep with the appliance in.
Most of her thumb sucking is unconscious at night as she is falling asleep.
DD is 10 by the way. It has been very frustrating.
Parenting is soo hard!!

 

[aprilgail2]

My firends daughter sucked her thumb when she was young totally screwing up her palatte...around 6 or 7 the dentist put this stinger thing into her mouth...it was metal that went across the top to try to straighten out the palatte and it had a pointy thing on it that would stick her thumb if she tried to suck on it...she would yell ouch every time she tried to suck her thumb so it did the trick!

 

[Aneille]

http://www.thumbguard.net/
Is where we got our thumbguard. it works -but then she starts up again after awhile and we have to use it again.
We have also done the orthodontist thing and it helped as well -but I suspect she was still occasionally sucking her thumb in her sleep with the appliance in.
Most of her thumb sucking is unconscious at night as she is falling asleep.
DD is 10 by the way. It has been very frustrating.
Parenting is soo hard!!

Thats the thumbguard I got for my daughter but it hasn't slowed her down too much. Although I do think she tends to take it out faster or it falls out faster maybe when she finally falls asleep. I just finished putting them on her for the night.

After responding to this thread earlier I called my daughters dentist. I now have a referral to an othodontist. If we ended up going, I'll let you know what they say.