Finger Sucker

I was a thumb sucker from day one. My parents tried everything: dyeing said thumb green and telling me it was poison, incentives, sticking my hand in a sock at bedtime. You name it, nothing helped. Then sometime around the middle of second grade, I suddenly realized I hadn't sucked my thumb in weeks. I remember that moment of clarity and pride very clearly: I had quit all by myself and felt so grown up. I did end up wearing braces for years, though judging by my kids' teeth, that may not have been only the thumb. He will wean himself off it when he is ready. I know that is hard to accept, but it clearly still satisfies some need for self-comfort, so he's not ready to stop.

I agree with S. H. on this matter. I was a thumb sucker until after age 7. Time (read maturity, having similar aged peers, school, etc.) is what helped me stop. I vividly remember all the nasty stuff my mother put on my hands - jalapeno juice, various over the counter remedies, gloves, tape, etc. None of it made me stop but it sent a very clear message to my young mind - I was a failure and not good enough to please my mother. I couldn't do that one little thing she ragged me about which undoubtedly did not help my thumb sucking.

My daughter was a thumb sucker until 9. Almost 12 and no braces needed. I used a rubber thumb guard I purchased on line. Totally worth it and they make it for fingers, too.

You can ask your dentist to put a tongue crib on front teeth. It is little nubs glued to the backside of the front teeth that make finger sucking uncomfortable. The dentist may have other suggestions.

We have an 8 year old thumb sucker. She has slowed down a lot, but no great decisions to stop.

An interesting read: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/resolution-not-confli...

We never shame our daughter about her thumb sucking, just remind her. Sometimes we poke at her in fun and we all stick our thumbs in our mouth and she will laugh and stop.

After reading the article, I am guilty from time to time of saying, "Because I said so". The because I said so comment comes after some silly questions at 8 years old of, "Why". By this time, we have explained and asked her to stop, so to ask why is just a beg for such a response.

What helped the most is the socks. We never put tape on the sock. I recall reading some article about a foster parent taping a boys hand because he was a thumb sucker. He lost circulation and lost the thumb.

If she is on the couch, chances are, she has a sock on her hand. She prefers one hand, so only one sock is needed.

After a hard work out on the ice, she has been known to put a stinky hockey sock on her hand.

Sometimes she tries and sometimes she doesn't. We just ask her to stop and if she is caught more than once, we tell her to do something about it. Most often, nothing more said.

Earlier today in the car, I had to ask her to remove her thumb. I just checked on her and she fell asleep without it. I can't put any rhyme or reason to it other than she sucks her thumb when she is sleepy and perhaps tonight she was too sleepy to place it in her mouth. No telling!

Back to the article, it talks about the preschool aged children who comfort themselves and are independent. I have never viewed my daughter as being independent. Most often she would like me to accompany her for nearly everything. She is shy. On the flip side of this, she has a friend who still bangs her head when she is upset. Thankfully, daughter was never much of a headbanger. So considering the two, I will take the thumbsucker.

I always read it takes 20 days to make/break a habit. I thought this would be true, but hasn't proven to be so far. At some point, she did make a promise to herself to stop, then started again said she just changed her mind.

Don't mean to dash your hopes, but I've seen/ known life long finger suckers/ nail biters/ nose pickers. Something about that behavior is very soothing to them. Under stress, or if they imagine themself alone, they can and do revert to it.

Best,
F. B.

He won't stop. It's a habit. Unless you plan to stand over his bed and sit beside him all day every day he's going to suck them any time he can.

I took my daughter off the bottle way too soon then didn't let her keep her pacifier. So she found her finger. She sucked it until she was a teenager that I know of.

Her lower jaw is recessed, her top jaw is normal, her bottom teeth point inward, she requires surgery to break her jawbone, wire it together where it would have grown bone to fill in, and make her skull correct.

Sucking on a pacifier would have been so much easier to take away later in her childhood. But I knew better and took it away. Her face is ruined if you look at her from the side.

My son was a thumb sucker until age 7. It had started to push his front teeth outward. He wanted to stop but found it difficult, particularly when he was tired. A speech therapist suggested putting a loose tube sock over that hand when at home. The habit was broken within a few days.

I think it relies on the child being willing because if they don't want to quit, they will just take the sock off.

Have you tried Mavala Stop? I have a couple of friends that swear by it. Their kids stopped thumb sucking and nail biting in a couple of days.
I think you can buy it off Amazon.

Ask your dentist for suggestions. My friend had to get a palatal crib for her daughter who was thumb sucking because it was ruining her teeth. I'm not sure if the same device would work for finger sucking, but it wouldn't hurt to check. It worked for her.