Thumb sucking

[mselly13]

DD(3) has sucked her thumb since before she born...yes we have sonogram pics of it. Since she did it then we didn't try to stop it. Dr. said it would be okay if she stopped by the time she turned 5.
Well, now she has an almost wart like boo boo on that thumb. We have tried telling her to quit sucking her thumb. So tonight she was looking at the boo boo and I told her not to suck it anymore. She said she would suck the other thumb, I told her not to or it would get sick also. She then asked "then what can I put in my mouth". I tried to explain to her that she didn't need anything but it didn't go over real well. Anyone have any ideas?

She does this thing, it's always left thumb and right hand plays with her belly button(she calls it a lelly). I have to break her of both. She does not like it if she can't get her lelly. She had a one piece swim suit on last week and just about freaked because she couldn't get her lelly. And when she wears dresses it's nothing for her to lift it to get to the lelly.

See the siggie pic.
Help!

 

[Sleepy]

As someone who sucked her thumb for more years than I would like to admit (it was a really long time), I can say there was NOTHING that would stop me (promises of dolls, money, putting nasty tasting stuff on it, etc). I also had a thing for textures. I still rub my fingers over silky material, especially when I am stressed. Personally, I think everyone has something they like to do or feel they need to do. I'm sure many will chime in to say it will ruin their teeth. Well, true. It will make for the need for braces. Most kids need those anyway. (I still have no cavities at age 38). This is a habit that one day, she WILL break, but it has to be on her terms. This is not an object that can be taken away. It is there and she will use it if she wants or needs to. Making fun of her will not make this better either. My need to suck my thumb was so great that I did not care what my parents thought. I think this is just one of those things that parents tend to focus on when really, it is not a big deal.

 

[dmslush]

It is soothing to her, so I wouldn't try to break it. It will only cause her to want to do it more. My daugther 16 has a friend that probably still sucks her thumb. This particular child needed the comfort of it. When she was little, she always had her thumb in her mouth, but when she went to school she never did it at school. She finally transitioned to where she only did it at night when she was going to bed.

If the spot on her thumb is a sore, talk to her dr and see what he recommends.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

One of my children sucked their thumb. We never made a big deal of it. They stopped on their own when I told them that it was why they kept getting a cold from touching stuff and putting their hand in their mouth. We also have the whole have to touch the belly/bellybutton thing. Again- not a big deal so I don't see why you have to "break" her of it. Kids outgrow stuff. Doctors don't know everything. I guess I would be considered a bad parent because I also did not have them off bottles at a year old. The horror! The more you make an issue of the thumb thing the more it will be an issue. Why make her feel like she has to hide it?

 

[DMickey28]

As someone who sucked her thumb for more years than I would like to admit (it was a really long time), I can say there was NOTHING that would stop me (promises of dolls, money, putting nasty tasting stuff on it, etc). I also had a thing for textures. I still rub my fingers over silky material, especially when I am stressed. Personally, I think everyone has something they like to do or feel they need to do. I'm sure many will chime in to say it will ruin their teeth. Well, true. It will make for the need for braces. Most kids need those anyway. (I still have no cavities at age 38). This is a habit that one day, she WILL break, but it has to be on her terms. This is not an object that can be taken away. It is there and she will use it if she wants or needs to. Making fun of her will not make this better either. My need to suck my thumb was so great that I did not care what my parents thought. I think this is just one of those things that parents tend to focus on when really, it is not a big deal.

I also sucked my thumb for a long time. I'd say at night consistantly until my late tweens, even early teens. I have found myself waking up with it in my mouth during very stressful periods as recent as a few years ago. (I am 29.) My best friend growing up also sucked her thumb but she started stopping a little before me. We also both had silky blankets. I still have my blankie and my DS has one that my mom made that is a replica. Nothing would stop me. I just had to do it on my own.

FTR neither my BFF or I needed braces and both have perfectly straight teeth!!!

 

[maelstrom]

I sucked my thumb until the end of kindergarten. I got chicken pox and I got a huge pox right on my thumb. My mom said that if I sucked my thumb that I would get chicken pox in my mouth. I stopped sucking my thumb cold turkey.

 

[nataliela]

My sister sucked her thumb until she was 16 and got braces- They put spikes in the top cavity of her mouth to prevent her from sticking her thumb in there. She was messing with the alignment and pull her front teeth forward. Now she sleeps with it touching her lips and she is in her mid 20s!

 

[puffkin]

I sucked my thumb (mainly at night) until 2nd grade. I got a wart on my thumb too and switched to my other thumb, then to my finger. I stopped when I had to get braces. I wore socks over my hands a few nights and quit cold turkey.

Even now (at 28), I constantly have something in my mouth. I am either chewing on my nails or cuticles, a pen cap, gum etc. I think it is just a boredom habit of mine.

I wouldn't make too big of a deal of it....she will stop when she is ready.

 

[Angelhalo]

I don't think there's any need yet to try to break it. It's comforting to her.

I think this is a gross overstatement:

Most kids need those (braces) anyway

 

[Enchanted_Mama]

my 2 year old is a rabid thumb sucker, too. She gets those sores and her solution is to switch thumbs for a while. At this point, I'm not concerned with trying to stop the behavior. It is soothing for her. My older dd (now 5) was very attached to a paci, which we took away when she was almost 4. I know I can't take younger dd's thumbs away, so I guess we'll just have to wait for her to outgrow it on her own. I think if she hasn't dropped it by kindergarten, she's likely to feel peer pressure and do it then, so I'm not worried.

 

[Beca]

My dd did not suck her thumb....she didn't have to....I "helped" her from an irrational attachment to her pacifier (her "binky") by sticking one in her mouth whenever she cried as a baby....definitely a first-time mom mistake!!

However, in the big picture....I think it was not so bad. When she got to be 3, I tried to take it away and she immediately discovered the pleasures of sucking her thumb. It scared me because I knew I could not take her thumb away later....so, I just gave her back her binky.

At 3 1/2, we made the new rule of only using the binky in bed...at night....after her teeth were brushed. If she needed a "fix" during the day, she had to brush her teeth "to keep her binky clean" and lay down in bed. She didn't like the new restrictions, and slowly began to need it less and less. I did have to monitor her for thumb-sucking at other times of the day, but if I saw her do it, I would send her to her bed for her binky.

The day after her 4th birthday, we threw her last remaining binky in the trash. She cried for one night and then forgot about it.

I know it is MUCH harder to stop thumb-sucking than a binky, and I certainly think kids outgrow it on their own....but, I certainly understand the desire to stop it. Maybe you could try some of the rules people often use with binkies. Maybe you could give her permission to suck her thumb at certain times in certain places, and just let her know that you will stop the behavior if you see it any other time. If she needs to suck her thumb, then she can do it in bed. However she cannot do it while watching tv, playing games, etc.

As she gets older, you can talk about germs and getting sick. Then, you might implement the "you can suck your thumb after you wash your hands with soap to get them clean"...."and lay down in bed" rule.

I don't know if any of this will work, but you might give it a try. My dd is now 6 and her new oral fixation is chewing on her hair. I have to cut her some slack, I did it when I was six also.

Good luck!!