My Thumb Sucker in Disney...

[walkerag]

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.

I can vouch for the bandaid thing. I used to suck my finger as a child and when I had a bandaid on my finger I didn't like the way it felt in my mouth so I kept one on there until I finally quit.

 

[Ela1972]

I can vouch for the bandaid thing. I used to suck my finger as a child and when I had a bandaid on my finger I didn't like the way it felt in my mouth so I kept one on there until I finally quit.

Thanks for advice.
Have a DD who is 9 and sucks her thumb. Have tried everything from horrible tasting nail polish to chilli oil. Nothing stopped her and she now loves very very spicy food!!!

Will try this. BTW she didn't suck her thumb till she was 4 go figure!!

Ela

 

[Mrs. M. Mouse]

I just found this site too www.thumbusters.com
looks interesting and not as expensive as one step ahead....

 

[SmallWorld71]

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

I just found this site too www.thumbusters.com
looks interesting and not as expensive as one step ahead....

Thanks for the links.

 

[mybabesuz]

Thanks for all the replies...

I was more asking how to keep her thumb clean than how to get her to quit just yet.
She is still only 2.
But all this info. will be handy when the time comes.

Thanks Again

 

[bluesaturn]

I was talking to someone about this the other day. They are trying to get her almost 4 year old to stop the thumb sucking. They are using a chart with stickers, so you get stickers for not doing it for a number of hours. However she said the key was that the dentist introduced this to her son. The dentist got all excited and made it a huge production. Then the dentist told her son that when he stops thumb sucking for good, mom will call him and he will get a HUGE SURPRISE from the dentist. As you can imagine, the kid just ate it up. He's now working for the prize.

 

[Manda]

I was talking to someone about this the other day. They are trying to get her almost 4 year old to stop the thumb sucking. They are using a chart with stickers, so you get stickers for not doing it for a number of hours. However she said the key was that the dentist introduced this to her son. The dentist got all excited and made it a huge production. Then the dentist told her son that when he stops thumb sucking for good, mom will call him and he will get a HUGE SURPRISE from the dentist. As you can imagine, the kid just ate it up. He's now working for the prize.

We did this last summer with my then-4-year-old. We had a four week chart with a small prize at the end of each week and a big prize at the end of 4 weeks. He pretty much stopped immediately and did really well all four weeks.

Got his prize...

... and then started sucking his thumb again. Now he's 5 1/2 and sucks his thumb just as much and as enthusiastically as he ever did. He got us.

 

[Manda]

Thanks for all the replies...

I was more asking how to keep her thumb clean than how to get her to quit just yet.
She is still only 2.
But all this info. will be handy when the time comes.

Thanks Again

I always just use wet wipes. Even after my son potty trained, I carry a small pack of wet wipes in my purse (little 99 cent travel packs from the sample aisle at Target) and wipe him down when I feel like he needs it. He's pretty good about washing his hands though and he's not really had any problems with getting sick (knock on wood). Although, he's old enough now that I can tell him 'you just touched that <insert yucky thing>, don't put your thumb in your mouth until we get to a bathroom and wash your hands.'

 

[northriver]

I think at 3, a child can begin to understand "germ theory".

While I have no suggestions for the thumb sucking, make sure she understands NOT TO TOUCH. I swear, those handrails are nasty, especially the ones at kid level. Touch the hand rail, touch eyes, nose our mouth - and get very sick. My DD has gotten quite ill every trip to Disney and she is not a thumb sucker, just a kid - that touches everything!

I'd also ask your doctor about the antibacterial lotion. I think as long as you use it, then have her wait long enough for the alcohol to evaporate - it should be safe for her to suck her tumb after using it - not right away, but after awhile. Ask you doctor or maybe check with Purell and see if they have a suggestion as to how long you should wait.

 

[sk!mom]

Keeping her healthy- frequent handwashing. Wash her hands every time she touches things. Actually the frequent washing might encourage her to stop.


As far as breaking the habit- I think she's too young. My DS was a hardcore thumbsucker, as well. My pediatrician recommended that we ignore it unless/until it became a dental issue. He wanted to quit when he was 5. At that time we used a sticker chart/ reward system to help him succeed. But quitting at that point was totally his idea which is why I think it was successful and he never went back to it.

 

[bluesaturn]

We did this last summer with my then-4-year-old. We had a four week chart with a small prize at the end of each week and a big prize at the end of 4 weeks. He pretty much stopped immediately and did really well all four weeks.

Got his prize...

... and then started sucking his thumb again. Now he's 5 1/2 and sucks his thumb just as much and as enthusiastically as he ever did. He got us.

He did get you lol.

 

[la79al]

OP-my suggestion is to buy her a princess dress, complete with the elbow length gloves. She won't quit permanently but maybe it will help her keep the thumb out while you are in germ central, er Disney World .

 

[mybabesuz]

OP-my suggestion is to buy her a princess dress, complete with the elbow length gloves. She won't quite permanently but maybe it will help her keep the thumb out while you are in germ central, er Disney World .

I did actually think of this too.
She still like Minnie better than the princesses still.
But Minnie wheres gloves to...
The only problem is that it will be July and HOT...
I think I just need to find some organic wipes or something
and wipe off her hands after every ride.
But that sounds so crazy doesn't it...

 

[la79al]

Seriously, if you are going in July with a 2 year old, I can only assume you are taking a stroller. Take some washclothes, make them wet and put a little Johnsons baby wash on them. Stick them in a ziploc bag and wipe her down after every ride. Not as convenient as hand sanitizer, but does the trick.

 

[lindsmom]

I third (?) the bandaid trick. You have to make sure you get a nice sticky one so you don't worry about it coming off in your child's mouth, but I've never seen that happen, just something I worry about.

I had a childcare and helped many children break the habit by using bandaids and then explaining that when they put their fingers in their mouths (generally around 3 years old) they had to stop playing to wash their hands off - the germies would get on the toys, and then the toys would have to get washed so they wouldn't have the toys to play with for a while, etc....

as the children began to make the connection between thumb sucking and having to wash their hands (as they got older), I would delay the handwashing and point out that if they kept their fingers out they could get more play time because they wouldn't have to stop to wash their hands.

BTW, I was a two finger sucker, and my mom tried every bitter tasting thing she could find. Never worked. And my niece (almost 22) STILL sucks her thumb - her college roomates have pictures of her passed out, sucking her thumb in the dorm

 

[bookgirl]

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!

Nope I'm with you. I was told by someone in the field, that sanitizer isn't going to hurt you. It mainly kills germs. It's the anit bacterial soaps and wipes that will hurt you as they kill the good bacteria as well as the bad. But for the sake of the kidlet. I'd cut some wipes into strips (big enough to clean her thumb) and then everytime she wanted to suck her thumb I'd hand her a strip and make her clean her thumb. She might get tired of it, or at the least you'd know she was sucking on a clean thumb.

 

[hollyk]

My DD3 was also one up until about a month ago.I tried it all, she cut her thumb once, so I wrapped it up, thought hey perfect, she wont suck it, WRONG, she tore it off every time. My pediatric dentist recommended this nail polish, we bought from them, it's clean and it is called STOP I think, it if for nail biting and thumb sucking. IT's a clear nail polish, even smells like it and I put it on her thumb, and when she went to suck it, was not too happy and wouldn't put it back in her mouth. it lasts a couple of days, then I apply it again. did this and I am not kidding, it worked in less than 2 weeks. I don't know what it tastes like, but my DD9 wanted it to help stop biting her nails and she was so mad because it tasted awful. I know you can buy stuff like this in the store, but apparently this is stronger according to the dentist.

 

[Ariel on Land]

OP- your post got me thinking, so I started asking around and some very helpful moms suggested this: http://www.cleanwelltoday.com/ It's an all natual hand sanitizer!!! I'm getting some next time I'm out!

 

[mybabesuz]

OP- your post got me thinking, so I started asking around and some very helpful moms suggested this: http://www.cleanwelltoday.com/ It's an all natual hand sanitizer!!! I'm getting some next time I'm out!

WOW... Thanks...

 

[surfergirl602]

A knew a lady that had a daughter in my dd's class that bought these things that went over ther thumb and attached to her wrists and she wasn't able to suck her thumbs. It took a few weeks, but she stopped.