Thumb Sucking

[WDWorBUST]

My brother sucked his thumb for years. My parents were beside themselves, and the doctors offered little help. Well he is now 36, happily married father of 2! I asked him a few years ago how he stopped and he didnt even know. He has always had the most beautiful, straight teeth, no braces needed, so much for the theory thumb sucking hurts teeth. My point, my parents worried for years and tried everything under the sun, for nothing. Based on their experience, if any of my children were thumb suckers I would not worry about it.

I'm glad your brothers teeth were never effected....but my dd's teeth have been very much affected and she is 5 1/2. One of her front top teeth is significantly lower than the other (it drives me crazy I'm ready for them to come out) - I just wanted to point this out because I had a little bit of the "she'll stop when she's ready mentality" and now I wish I had been more proactive in helping her stop.

 

[Leajess99]

I am of no help because my kids had pacifiers that were easy to get rid off. Can't really throw a thumb away. lol

What I wanted to share is that when I was in Basic Training, there was a female from Nre York that was still sucking her thumb. She tried to act all big and bad towards the other females in our unit but then was sucking her thumb. She was 18 and I honestly have no idea if she ever stopped but I can say none of the other ladies in our unit took her seriously. The Drill Sergeants tried to make her unit leader and she lasted all of 5 hours and then was fired.

 

[I Believe n Fairies]

My dd started sucking her thumb when she was one month old. Two years later the dentist was seeing early signs of shifting due to thumb-sucking. I knew we had to stop.

She always sucked when she was sleepy, not feeling well and always at bedtime. DD had a lovey that she rubbed with one hand and sucked the other thumb.

We used good ole bribery to get her to stop. Every night that she went to sleep without sucking her thumb, we would put a star on a chart. Once we reached 7 or 10 nights (it's been six years, so I don't remember) we went to the Disney store to pick out any super deluxe dress up she wanted.

It was tough. We had her put her hand under her pillow as she went to sleep. I would spend extra time with her at bedtime to ensure that she would go to sleep and not be too upset. It was tough, but so worth it. And she still has her super deluxe Tinkerbelle costume.

 

[reenie1]

Mavala Stop! It's the best product for stopping thumb sucking ever! My daughter was 9 years old and a constant thumb sucker. She went for her first orthodontist visit and they didn't want to do any braces until she stopped sucking her thumb - they said her teeth will improve just by stopping. They gave her Mavala Stop (it's like nail polish and you paint in on the thumb nail) and it worked like a charm. This is way better than the other things we painted on her nails - those didn't bother her at all. The Mavala Stop tastes horrible and the taste does not wash off. And yes, her teeth have improved dramatically since she stopped.