Five Year Old Still Sucking Thumb

Hello, well I’m not proud to say. I was once a thumb sucker :) I sucked my thumb until I was 9 years old. I would be around the house, out in public, anywhere I’d have 1 thumb in my mouth and the other rubbing my nose. Funny to think about now. My Mom tried absolutely everything, she tried hot sauce, popsicle sticks taped to my thumbs with smiley faces (Dentist idea), everything was tried then quickly stopped. I didn't care people new i sucked my thumb it was just me. Then I went to the orthodontist and they started my braces process (I really needed them) and they put in a weird device at the top of my mouth that was suppose to poke my finger. It didn't really poke but it was just not the same feeling. I literally stopped over night, i still rubbed my nose but that was it. I had braces for 2 years and long before they were off i had forgotten my thumb sucking experience. Now I can look back on it and laugh but i can't imagine being the parent. My parents really did try to get me to stop but i think regardless of what they tried it was at my own time (with the help of $5k of braces :) Good luck!

Dear J., Some children suck their thumbs a long time, even into adulthood. I think you should leave him alone. If someone in school says something and it makes him want to stop (even just in school) so be it. I do realize it messes up the teeth but whatever it is that causes them to rely on this (comfort, security) it is very strong. Grandma Mary

I had a thumbsucker. We tried all those home remedies and nothing worked. By the time she was 7 she had pulled her jaw forward quite a bit.
So at 7, in 2nd grade I took her to an orthodontist. She was fitted with a contraption that would not let her get the suction from thumbsucking. She wore it for almost 18 months and it brought her jaw back and stopped the thumb in her mouth.
She is 12 and just finished 13 months in full braces. Had I not startd with the other orthodontic treatment she would still be in braces and the treatment would be much longer and harder.
The first treatment we did not use insurance and it cost me $800. My ortho let us pay $45 or something like that a month.

I don't think it's a big deal. I sucked my right index finger until I was 9 years old. I was always a popular and high-achieving student. I am now a lawyer. I would leave your son alone on this front. If he's embarrassed at school, he will stop. And, eventually, he'll stop when he's ready.

Also, I don't believe there is any proof that it affects your teeth. My teeth are perfectly straight, and I never had braces.

Our son is also a thumb sucker...but his only does it at night and when he is tired now. I read that it's a security issue and that a substitute is needed. My son has always had a blanket and we have noticed that he sucks his thumb even more with the blanket around...sigh.

My BIL is a dental student. He was told by some of his teachers that there are two popular routes to go with this...dentists can attach a piece to the roof of his mouth. He won't get the satisfaction of sucking. I looked online and these things look uncomfortable to me. I didn't want to do that. The other suggestion is an ace bandage. You wrap it around the elbow, tightly, but not constricting. It helps to put it under long sleeves with the clasps out of reach so he can't take it off. Supposedly it makes it uncomfortable for him to bend his elbow. It helps with night time thumb sucking and make shim more conscious of it during the day.

I want to stop my son's nighttime habit, but I think he will not cooperate with the ace bandage, I think he'll rip it off. (my son is 4). I found this thumb guard online. Apparently you can chose the fabrics. I think I may try this for our little guy.http://www.parenthacks.com/2009/03/handmade-thumb-guard-h...

Let us know if you find anything great that works!

As a former avid thumb sucker, I can tell you nothing is likely to work until he is ready to stop. My mother tried everything she could think of: green "poisionous" dye, hot pepper, threats, rewards, cajolling etc. and I continued until I was seven. It was miserable for both of us. I remember suddenly noticing one week to my intense astonishment that I hadn't sucked my thumb in a few days, and that was that, I was done.

The kids might tease him a bit, which might get him to the point where he stops himself a little faster or at least only sucks his thumb at night. If they do, just let him know that you know he is strong enough to stand up to teasing and that he will get through it just fine. Let him decide how to respond and leave your own worries about his thumb-sucking out of the equation.

I imagine he is excited and scared about kindergarten, so now is very unlikely to be the moment he is ready to stop doing something he finds so comforting. And start saving for the orthidontist now, unfortunately.

My daughter is turning six next months and sucks her two first fingers. I have weaned her off the daytime sucking (she still sucks them at night) with positive reinforcement (a behavior chart worked well for me) and also explaining what it will do to her teeth when she gets older (e.g. need braces - I explained in great detail what the process would be if she needed them). I had to continually remind her when I started the chart to keep her fingers out of her mouth, but in time it worked. I make sure I tell her how proud I am each day and what a big girl she is. I also spoke to her teachers about it and they have been on board too.

As far as the kids have been concerned, they didn't treat her differently and her "blankie" was a sock. If they did, she probably would have stopped a lot sooner.

Hope this helps.

Find things for him to do that requires TWO hands. Video games are perfect because he would have to hold the controller with one hand and work the controls with the other. Riding a 2 wheeler also requires 2 hands at first. A pogo stick, batting a ball, playing catch with a glove on, they make velcro gloves. I wouldnt bother him about it, the more pressure you put on him the more he will need his thumb. Ignore it altogether, but try to keep him active using both hands. Im sure there are a 100 things that you can find for him to keep occupied.
Dont worry about the other kids, at their age they are pretty tolerant of strange habits.

Yep! My daughter sucked off the hot sauce - her older sister even felt sorry for her and sucked the hot sauce off her little sister's thumb. Now that is love!

Take him to the dentist and have the dentist give him a talking to with pictures of what is happening to his teeth.

My handmade thumb sucking covers can help him stop. I sucked my thumb until I was 11. My girls stopped when I made them these thumb sucking covers when they were 6 1/2 and almost 5!!! It took them 3 months - but they were hard core and didn't want to stop!!! I've already heard back from many of my buyers, that their child quit in 2 weeks!

You can check them out in my shop: http://kidgiddy.etsy.com and you can view and download a "two thumbs up for me" chart to help in the habit breaking process!

http://kidgiddy.blogspot.com/2010/02/kid-giddy-helps-to-e...

Good Luck! - K. (Kid Giddy)

Just wanted to let you know that you are not alone.
We are in the same exact club, except my child is a girl! We've discussed her having to stop, but she says she's not ready. I'm taking her to the dentist on Wednesday next week and I told her that they will decide if she needs to stop or not, and that we will have to listen to the dentist!
The rules for thumb sucking are that she may only do it in bed. If during the day she wants to suck it she has to go to her room. Otherwise, if I see her doing it, I gently remind her that she's not allowed.
I'm not too worried about her doing it in school, because her pre-school teacher says she doesn't ever do it in her class.
I'll be interested in finding out what other moms recommend!