Need to break the habit...

[Dancemom03]

DD8's thumb sucking, that is. We could throw away DD19's pacifier, but we can't very well cut off the youngest princess' thumb. It's always with her, so comforting and handy. She starts third grade this week, please help us with ideas/suggestions to stop what could be an embarassing habit.

She doesn't suck her thumb in school but tends to favor it when bored, tired, or under stress so there's always the possibility that she'll slip up on the bus or elsewhere in our small town after school hours. I'd planned to buy the liquid you brush on the thumb but have been told by both Walmart & Target pharmacies that they no longer carry it and can't order it. Telling her doesn't work. It's just a really hard habit to break...

 

[Ohiodislover]

my niece had that problem. When she was in 3rd grade, her dentist sent her to an orthodontist to put an appliance on so she could no longer suck her thumb.

 

[disneycruising]

That is a hard one. I know because I did it until I was her age. I finally quit after she put that "yucky'" stuff on my thumb.

I have an even harder one...my DS (11) sucks his tongue!! That is really hard to break. We have been working on it for years. It was much easier to break the 'binkie habit' of my other DS...at 2 in went into the trash!

 

[Justanopinion]

The appliance the dentist puts in is called a fixed habit applicance. Just google that.
I was told that most insurance does not cover it and it runs about $200 out of pocket.
I've also been told it hurts

You could also google thumbguard and look into that. Sounds much better. We will ordering one in the not so far off future.

 

[wilderness01]

My child did the same. The stuff you paint on their thumb didn't work. The thumbguard didn't work either. I found out what she really wanted to do (ballet) and told her she couldn't do that until she stopped sucking her thumb. Stopped sucking overnight!

 

[wdwmom0f3]

My sister had a problem with her DD doing that when she was small and they tried having her sleep with a glove on, and I guess it worked.

 

[MsLeFever]

My DS was the same age and had the same problem. I asked him if he sucked his thumb at school and he said he didn't. So - when he got home from school we put a big awkward bandaid on his thumb. When he "slipped" it would remind him and he would take it out. Really - only about a week and he'd kicked the habit!

 

[cepmom]

DD9 sucked her thumb also; I remember being thrilled when she was a baby that she found her thumb It kept her so content. Then years later we were begging her to stop. Her teeth grew around the thumb so there was a space between her upper an lower teeth where her thumb could fit through it perfectly

Unfortunately, she developed a wart on that thumb (fortunately?) The Dr told us to cover the wart with duct tape for a week or two which prevented her from sucking her thumb. A week or two later, the wart was gone and the thumb sucking was over!

We also told her she could get her ears pierced when she quit sucking her thumb which helped motivate her

 

[IDoDis]

My DD was a thumb sucker. Her pediatrician said to try our best to get her to quit before any of her permanent teeth came in. Her thumb sucking was tied to her beloved "blankie." When she had blankie, the thumb was in her mouth. At night when she was asleep, I'd pull her thumb out of her mouth and could just feel the very strong suction. I knew this couldn't be good for her teeth & jaw.

When she turned 3 we told her that blankie had to stay on her bed, so she only sucked her thumb during naps and at night. When she was approaching 4 years of age, we told her that the blankie was going away to live with another little girl when her 4th birthday came. We talked about it often to prepare her. When her 4th birthday came, she hugged her blankie goodbye and the thumb sucking ended.

In your case your DD has already most likely changed her bitewing and will need braces to correct the problem. My DD's friend got an appliance when she was 8 to help her stop the sucking. This had to be done before she could get braces. The appliance bugged her for the first couple of weeks, but then she got used to it. She wore it for several months. They do work, so you might want to look into that.

 

[chell]

The appliance the dentist puts in is called a fixed habit applicance. Just google that.
I was told that most insurance does not cover it and it runs about $200 out of pocket.
I've also been told it hurts

You could also google thumbguard and look into that. Sounds much better. We will ordering one in the not so far off future.

When my sister took my nephew they told her it was $500. Amazing the price difference depending on where you live. He will be 7 soon and they just recently started having progress getting him to stop.

My child did the same. The stuff you paint on their thumb didn't work. The thumbguard didn't work either. I found out what she really wanted to do (ballet) and told her she couldn't do that until she stopped sucking her thumb. Stopped sucking overnight!

That stuff didn't do a thing for my nephew he would suck it anyway. He sucked his so much he had an odd looking spot come up on his thumb. He wanted to take Karate and was told that he could take it as soon as he stopped sucking his thumb. He would even do it in class. The teachers had issues because he wouldn't do his class work or sing when he was supposed to because he was sucking his thumb.

My sister had a problem with her DD doing that when she was small and they tried having her sleep with a glove on, and I guess it worked.

He would have to sleep with socks on his hands because the gloves were easy for him to chew through. They bought thick socks just for his hands, but he started chewing through them too. He wouldn't realize he was doing it in his sleep.

This is what my grandmother did to break all of her kids and grandkids who sucked their thumbs too long - rub a hot pepper or you could use a sauce on the thumb. Yeah, it sounds harsh but it works! It broke every cousin that I ever saw her use it on. It broke them quick!

I'm serious, try the peppers. Don't go get a super hot pepper, get something with just a little bit of heat and that will keep them from putting it in their mouth again. It is an old country trick that works every single time. I've never heard of it not working. If a mild pepper doesn't work try the next one and so on. It will work. But don't be mean to your children with it. A tiny bit goes a long, long way.

And DON'T let them rub their eyes with that thumb.

 

[kafitty]

i didn't stop sucking my finger until SIXTH GRADE. by then my teeth were a horrid mess, and guess what...the habit wasn't broken until AFTER the first round of braces. Then i got my retainer, and the plastic on the roof of my mouth made it literally impossible for me to get my finger in their comfortably.

man, 6th grade...no wonder i wasn't very popular in elementary school.

not trying to scare you, but it may just require some sort of device. Good luck!!

 

[dopeysgirl01]

My 8 yr old DD sucks on two of her fingers. She does it while holding her favorite bear and watching TV or sleeping. When I tell her it really is time to stop she tells me, "but mom I'm addicted to it!"

 

[Imzadi]

It usually takes 21 days to break a habit for the brain to rewire itself.

 

[Dancemom03]

Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions. We'll try the hot pepper idea this week but she's pretty smart and totally addicted so I suspect she'll just wash it off.

I searched online and apparently they don't sell the THUMB brand brush on stuff anywhere these days. Must have been something harmful in it that my parents weren't aware of. I swear sometimes I wonder how us older folks survived childhoods without hand santizers, disposable diapers, bike helmets, car seats, and even seatbelts while eating all those things now known to be bad for you and playing outside unsupervised all over town. Ironically, I was raised on all the things that'd give me nightmares as a parent today.

My 8 yr old DD sucks on two of her fingers. She does it while holding her favorite bear and watching TV or sleeping. When I tell her it really is time to stop she tells me, "but mom I'm addicted to it!"

Exactly, DD8's problem is while watching TV or - worse as we do it more - while in the car when I'm driving. We've heard the same complaint about being addicted too and I really sympathize. While my older two were pacifier babies, I was a thumb sucker into elementary school and remember how hard it was to stop and how embarassing when other kids noticed.

We've had an orthodontist for years as DD19 needed a herbst and it's very likely DD8 will too eventually. I guess this is a good time for that first consult to ask about prices for appliances. I'd been trying to avoid the whole stage one braces thing for financial reasons as she still has quite a few baby teeth left in there but there's a huge space between the two upper front teeth that she'd love to have closed right now and other kids have started to tell her she needs braces. It's an expectation of sorts in our area even in second grade...

 

[Dancemom03]

When my sister took my nephew they told her it was $500. Amazing the price difference depending on where you live.

As a TA, I love to travel and we get decent discounts. If neccessary, maybe we could make a special little mother/daughter trip for an appliance where it's cheaper. I wonder what they cost in... ummm... oh... say Orlando perhaps?

 

[quentina]

I will get killed for writing this however, my husband is 40 and when deep in thought, the thumb is half-way in his mouth (kind of like a chewing thing).

He doesn't even realize he is doing it....just a long, drawn out habit.

Good Luck.