My Thumb Sucker in Disney...

[mybabesuz]

My DD almost 3 is a Thumb Sucker...

Her Pediatrician says she is a fetal thumbsucker,
She sucked her thumb the whole time before she was born.
At my 20 week ultrasound she was sucking her thumb
and she was born with a flat thumb with no thumb nail
and actually had a notch in her gums where her thumb was.
All is normal now...
He said it is very hard to break their habit for them.

Anyways, the problem is that the last 2 times we went to Disney she got very sick.
1st time it was just a cold virus but the second time it was the deaded Norwalk Virus!
I know it is probably because she always has her thumb in her mouth.
I don't think it's a good idea to put hand sanitizer on her thumb...

Any suggestion to help keep her from getting sick this time?
Ideas to humanely stop thumb sucking?

 

[Trena]

WOW! Good luck!

I was a thumb sucker. My Mom put yucky tasting stuff on it to get me to stop. I just endured it and the taste went away eventually.

I think its better to use hand sanitizer, than get really sick. You really can't do much more than wash her hands with soap and water, wipes, or hand sanitizer.

Keep her hands busy holding something, doing something. If she prefers one thumb to another, make an effort to hold that hand in yours. Offer pretty nail polish....Give her lolly pops to put in her mouth instead?...not so go for the teeth.

I wish I had a great solution for you. It would be great if you could stop her from sucking her thumb, but that might not happen. Do the best you can, and don't stress over it.

 

[brymolmom]

Just a suggestion for anyone reading this who has a baby that seems like he/she is a thumb sucker. When ds was very little - we started giving him his burb cloth every time he sucked his thumb. He eventually came to associate his 'burpie' (security blanket) with his thumb. This was great because when he got rid of the blanket....the thumb sucking naturally went away with it.

This also worked the same for my nephew so it can work.

Too late for a 3 year old learn this association, but if you have a 3 month old sucker...try it! You (and your child's dentist) will be happy you did when it comes time to break the habit.

As for the OP...hopefully now that she's older, giving her more reminders will lead to her not sucking it as much this trip. Maybe bring a toy for her to hold onto in lines - with somethign in her hands - she won't be able to put her thumb in her mouth. Good luck!

 

[GoofyFairie]

There used to be a product called Thumb available at any local drugstore. You apply it to the thumb and when dd puts it in her mouth it will taste horrible. It is harmless. It has worked for many people. The only other option is to keep hands clean with wipes or soap and water. Hand sanitizer is not a cleaner. Good luck!

 

[michael's mom]

I would definitely not do hand sanitizer, but carry some baby wipes with you and just wash her hands with those when you don't have regular soap and water available. I will not use sanitizers unless it's a last resort (or antibacterial soap for that matter) because the chemicals that kill the bad bacteria on your hands also kill the good bacteria that is there to help you fight off infection. As a teacher, I used to wash my hands with antibacterial wipes once every 45mins (as I left each class). I got so sick that year, but continued to use the wipes. Then, I realized, the wipes helped me to get sick and stay sick longer. Since then, I get the occasional cold, but nothing to keep me out of work because of (as opposed to the pneumonia, bronchitis, strep that I had that particular year).


On a completely different note, my DH's grandfater was a dentist and my SIL was a chronic thumb sucker. He taught her to push against her front teeth with her index finger while she sucked her thumb to counteract the effect the thumbsucking has on your teeth. She's the only one of the 4 siblings that didn't need braces.

 

[attagirl2]

Can you put a bandaid on her thumb?

I have three fetal thumbsuckers- 3, 5 and 6- My 5 yo just stopped because she wanted a manicure! the boys, however, haven't stopped for any amount of bribery!

Good luck! The bandaids seem to be a deterrent for us- just slows the instinct a bit.

 

[scottish mum]

No advice just wanted to wish you luck. My ds is almost 8 and has only just stopped sucking his thumb. We had tried everything but nothing worked until new year when he made it his resolution to stop and he did

 

[Ariel on Land]

Another thumb sucker here. THough to compound it, like brymolmom said, DS mostly associates his thumb sucking w/ his lovie. Problem is, his twin brother, a paci baby, has the exact same lovie (something we tried to avoid... but in the end, they choose their lovies!) So while I know the easiest way to end the sucking would be to get rid of his giraffe, I'd have to take his twin brother's away too, and that just seems downright mean! Maybe we'll have to look for the nasty stuff for his thumb...

Though I suppose I"m the oddball out, I DO use sanitizer, as long as it's alcohol based, and mostly on his thumb sucking hand if we're out and about and I can't get to soap and water. I make sure his hands are completely dry before I let them go so he's not ingesting any alcohol, but to me, that seems like the better trade. Though I do prefer non antibacterial soap and water when it's available!

 

[michael's mom]

Hi Ariel...I do use the sanitizer...but it has to be my last resort. I guess I figure, if I normally just use regular soaps/wipes, then the few times that the sanitizer is the only thing available, it won't hurt. I just know so many who use this instead of soap...and it really doesn't clean you..just disinfects.

But, it is definitely better than nothing at all...GROSS!

 

[brittsmum1998]

DD was a thumb sucker. You know how your thumb gets all "wrinkled" when its wet for a long time, when that would happen I told her it would fall off (her thumb) if she kept on doing that. She stopped w/in the week, once she kept noticing the wrinkles .

DISCLOSURE: This did not harm her permanently, she laughs about it now so no flames please .

 

[MiMi2Three]

My DGD5 also sucked her thumb in the womb. I kept her daily while her mother worked, from age 2 to 3 1/2. I would tell her she could only suck her thumb during nap time and when she was at home for bedtime. This worked very well, if I saw her sucking her thumb I would just remind her that it wasn't nap time. If she was occupied playing she normally wouldn't need her thumb, it seem to be when she was bored so I tried to keep her occupied until nap time. Some days were easier than others, but we had explained that it was starting to effect her teeth. Then a few days before her 4th birthday I told her how excited I was that she was turning 4 and that once she was 4 years old she wouldn't need to suck her thumb anymore, since everyone knows 4 year olds don't suck their thumbs. Well her parents looked at me like I had lost my mine, but within the week she had stopped the thumb sucking! This was all done in a way that she thought it was her idea. ( I couldn't stand the idea of the bad tasting dip and I thought that the band-aid could be a choking hazard)

 

[SmallWorld71]

Though I suppose I"m the oddball out, I DO use sanitizer, as long as it's alcohol based, and mostly on his thumb sucking hand if we're out and about and I can't get to soap and water. I make sure his hands are completely dry before I let them go so he's not ingesting any alcohol, but to me, that seems like the better trade. Though I do prefer non antibacterial soap and water when it's available!

Hi Ariel...I do use the sanitizer...but it has to be my last resort. I guess I figure, if I normally just use regular soaps/wipes, then the few times that the sanitizer is the only thing available, it won't hurt. I just know so many who use this instead of soap...and it really doesn't clean you..just disinfects.

But, it is definitely better than nothing at all...GROSS!

DD6 is an avid thumb sucker. In our normal daily life, we just use soap and water on her hands. However, out and about in public I keep an emergency travel hand sanitizer with me. Disney is definitely one of those places I need the hand sanitizer. She is a daredevil and wants to ride everything, but when the ride is new she uses her thumb for comfort. She is all over the railings when we are in line and then as soon as we get on the ride, the thumb is in the mouth. I will use the sanitizer in those situations. The smell of it actually deters her from sucking her thumb.
Anyway, if anyone has a magic potion for stopping thumb sucking, sign me up.

OP- Good luck. DD went camping with my sister last year. Without me there to be the thumb police she ended up with the Hand Foot Mouth which she then passed on to her brother.

 

[dogluva]

My DD almost 3 is a Thumb Sucker...

Her Pediatrician says she is a fetal thumbsucker,
She sucked her thumb the whole time before she was born.
At my 20 week ultrasound she was sucking her thumb
and she was born with a flat thumb with no thumb nail
and actually had a notch in her gums where her thumb was.
All is normal now...
He said it is very hard to break their habit for them.

Anyways, the problem is that the last 2 times we went to Disney she got very sick.
1st time it was just a cold virus but the second time it was the deaded Norwalk Virus!
I know it is probably because she always has her thumb in her mouth.
I don't think it's a good idea to put hand sanitizer on her thumb...

Any suggestion to help keep her from getting sick this time?
Ideas to humanely stop thumb sucking?

My son was threatened with a tongue guard at six by our dentist. I went on line to look it up and the picture scared him enough so he stopped. Your daughter may be too young for this tactic.

He was such a cute thumb sucker but it is a gross habit. I didn't stop until third grade. Good luck.

 

[Carriemel]

The One step ahead web site had a product called "Thumb Guard" and it seems to be a great product....


"Help your child "break the habit" of thumb or finger sucking — without yucky nail polishes or expensive appliances. These rubber guards eliminate the pleasurable sensations of sucking, which can lead to permanent teeth deformations. Dentist invented. ThumbGuard includes 2 thumb covers and 60 bracelets. FingerGuard includes 1 finger cover and 50 bracelets. Both include informative CD-Roms."

It's a bit expensive at 74.95...but the web page states: "Highly effective — in studies, 90% of kids broke the habit in 3 weeks or less! "

YMMV. PM me for the web page

Carrie

 

[pednurse]

I used the same trick with both my DS (who used a paci) and my DD (who instead of sucking her thumb, sucked her pointer finger....upside-down....go figure). I told them each about a couple of weeks before their 3rd birthdays that "Guess what! You won't need your paci/finger any more once you turn three!" I said it with tons of excitement & they both asked if it was true (this occurred 4 years apart & I am still shocked at how similar it all went down! lol). When I told them it was true, they both believed me. I kept reminding them all the way up until their birthdays. On his 3rd birthday, DS brought me the pacis from his bed (the only place he'd been allowed to have them after turning 1) & handed them over without me even asking....and he never asked for them back. On her 3rd birthday I reminded DD about not needing her finger any more & she stopped sucking on it. It was pretty cute though....since the finger couldn't be "out of sight" like the pacis, she walked around for about 2 weeks with the finger on her chin (but not in her mouth!) & then that too stopped on its own. Worked great with both of them!

 

[SGTex]

The One step ahead web site had a product called "Thumb Guard" and it seems to be a great product....


"Help your child "break the habit" of thumb or finger sucking — without yucky nail polishes or expensive appliances. These rubber guards eliminate the pleasurable sensations of sucking, which can lead to permanent teeth deformations. Dentist invented. ThumbGuard includes 2 thumb covers and 60 bracelets. FingerGuard includes 1 finger cover and 50 bracelets. Both include informative CD-Roms."

It's a bit expensive at 74.95...but the web page states: "Highly effective — in studies, 90% of kids broke the habit in 3 weeks or less! "

YMMV. PM me for the web page

Carrie

Yikes... I wish that wasn't so expensive! I have 2 fetal thumb suckers and I would really like for both of them to kick the habit.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I would not use hand sanitizer because she is just going to put that thumb in her mouth and now she will have ingested the sanitizer. Wash her hands when you can and keep explaining to her that she is going to get sick from sucking her thumb. Then tell her all about the things she touched that day and how many other people had touched them and how some people are sick, some don't wash their hands after the bathroom, some pick their nose etc. Then when she touches things that they have touched she is putting all that yuckiness in her mouth and it is going to make her sick. Then remind her of her last cold etc. and how yucky she felt etc. and explain that she probably got that cold because of all the stuff you touch with your hands and don't realize and the she put her thumb in her mouth. You get the idea. Trust me, this works and is painless. Good luck.

 

[ms_missy66]

I have to ask...is there anything that triggers your little one to suck her thumb? I have an almost six-year-old thumb sucker and I know she's FAR more likely to suck it when she's holding her blanket, is tired or bored.

I can't believe it, but on our last trip to Disney World, I forgot the hand sanitizer. Where's that little shocked smiley when I need it? LOL Prior to this trip, we did absolutely use it on her hands. She'll even say it tastes bad and suck less. But this time we were challenged with really really paying attention to her and intervening when we saw her experiencing a trigger. We didn't necessarily say "DON'T SUCK YOUR THUMB!" but more were like "looks like you're getting tired. Let's go wash you hands so you can hang out in the stroller a bit." She knew exactly why we were going to wash her hands. She was cool with it. And while I really want her to stop sucking, I wasn't ready to take it on around vacation time.

Good luck!

 

[Leajess99]

Hand Sanitizer with a child who sucks their thumb can be very dangerous. http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/sanitizer.asp

 

[aidtrismommy]

My son is just about three and sucks two fingers (the pointer and one next to it) He does it when he is tired. The doctor said to just let him be and he will stop when he is ready, usually when he gets to school and other kids notice. I use sani-kids wipes on both my kids hands. They dry really fast and it is better than using a pure liquid which doesn't always get dispersed evenly. I just wiped them down before every meal and before his nap because I knew he would stick his fingers in his mouth.