Help with My Thumbsucking

My boys both sucked their thumbs and when they started pre-k, they both slowed down their thumbsucking and then quit.

Have you looked on the Onestepahead.com website? They have something that goes on their hand that helps thumbsucking or finger sucking. If you do try this let me know how it works. My 4 1/2 month old daughter just started sucking her thumb.

I sucked my thumb until I was 7 I didn't do it in public and I stopped on my own. My parents tried things like tobasco sauce but it only made me angry and only helped while it lasted. Thumb sucking is a security thing and also helps children self soothe just like a pacifier. My daughter is 2 and everyone is trying to take her "binky" away except me. I don't want her using it when she gets older but right now I think it is okay because otherwise she cries or throws a fit. If you've had any large changes recently this could have caused it. New babies, getting a job, starting school, things of this nature. If he just started I would try to identify the reason he may have begun to suck his thumb. If you find that this is the case I would try making him more comfortable. If this is not the case all I can tell you is that they do eventually grow out of it.

I have the same problem with my four-year-old son. I really think that it's his anxiety over going to school soon that makes him suck his thumb (he never suck when he was younger). It's just recently when he knew that he is going to school when he started it. My cousin who is a nurse said that it's regression. I asked her about it and she said that my boy is asking/needing more attention and TLC (tender loving care). I am a working mom of two kids (8 and 4 yr olds) and been having a lot of overtime in the office lately. I believe you are a great mom and i know that thumb-sucking will fade if we talk about it with our kids and if those who are in their adulthood and still do will have the determination to stop and find other things to feel comfortable to. God bless...

I have a 9 year old daughter that still sucked her thumb until a few months ago...there are a ton of things you can try. If he is only doing it while he is asleep, then try putting gloves (the kind with the fingers cut off) on before he goes to bed, the feeling in his mouth will be unnatural.
If that does not work, you can try what we did to get our child to stop. Put medical tape (the fabric kind so his thumb gets air) on before he goes to bed.
Remember, it takes 21 days (or nights) to break a habit.
Best of luck!

He will grow out of it. It sounds like he might be aware that he is a little old to do it when you say he doesn't do it at school, for fear his friends will laugh. Maybe you should ask him why he thinks they will laugh, or why they should laugh? Is he embarrassed about sucking his thumb? Does he want ideas on how to stop? Whenever he wants to suck his thumb, maybe you can suggest he play with a special toy or busy himself with another task? Or come to you and talk instead? ???

My stepdaughter sucked her two fingers (index and middle) until she was 10+ and it drove me nuts that her mom allowed it (she is with her mom a majority of the time). Starting at age 7, I refused to sit next to her when she did it and explained that she was ruining her teeth and was going to need braces. Since then, her mom has asked us to pay for braces but my hub refused.

I am a 28 year old mother of one! How do you do it with 3 at 23? I admire you. First I was a thumb sucker myself as a child and it was a very hard habbit for me to break. I ended up doing what your son is doing and only sucking when I was in the comfort zone. I had the nasty tasting stuff put on it and as I got older I learned to wash it off. Finally I just out grew my thumb. You could also try maybe a blanket with a silk edge to it. That way he could rub it or hold it for comfort. I loved my blanket that had the silk edge. I still to this day have one that I sleep with and will wake up with it in my hand.

Good luck... I am in the same boat myself... The odd thing is that in my daughter's case, she took a pacifier. At her second birthday, we got rid of all of them (tied to balloons that floated away). She was FINE! About 6 MONTHS later, she started sucking her thumb, and hasn't stopped yet. I have looked online (EBAY mostly) and found a couple of things. One is a splint that children can wear at night that serves as a "reminder" not to suck their thumb. The other is a "special shirt" that has thumbless gloves on the end. If these ideas don't scare your son or seem mean, you could probably tape socks to his pajama top and get the same result. Unfortunately, my daughter has not gotten to the point that she realizes she needs to quit. She will suck hers anytime,anywhere.
There is hope though... I sucked mine until I was 9....Went to the dentist one day and he "had a talk with me"... Neither of us ever told my parents what was said, and I never sucked my thumb again. Sure wish I new...
Signed,
Reformed thumb sucker
Laura

Hi K.-

My daughter sucked her thumb as far back as in the womb. (I have a picture of it) She did the same thing as your son, but at 6 yrs old. She quit sucking her thumb publicly, but when it came to sleeping she did it without even knowing. I think you should just let your son do it the way he is doing it. He seems to have weined himself from doing it during the day and there is no harm in doing it in your sleep. He will eventually quit on his own. Just my opinion and experience. Hope it helps!

T. C.

I don't have any advice, just a related story. My second daughter, which is now grown and a mother herself, was born with her thumb in her mouth. The doctor said that she had been sucking it all along because it was all wrinkled. She sucked her thumb untill she was about 14, the reason she stopped then was she broke it. She learned not to do it in school or around friends, but when she was home around her family she did. she never had any problems caused by it, and she was, the best natured child out of my 5 children.
J.

With children sometimes we haveto replace the undesired habit with a more "normal" or desired habit. My daughter lugged her juice cup every where until she was 4 years old and would evn sneak it to bed like a bottle. Wereplacedthis habit by havign her lug a bag of "stuff" or a book with her. It replaced her security of the juice cup.

I would love to know what comes of this. I am 26 years old and I still suck my thumb and my 5 year old daughter does too. My godson has seen my daughter doing it and has started sucking his thumb too. I don't know what to do about it either. My daughter actually sucks her thumb (she sounds like Maggie on the Simpsons sucking her pacifier) to where I think it's going to result in a nasty overbite. I don't actually suck on my thumb, but I hold it in my mouth, so it has not affected my teeth. I've been sucking my thumb since I was 3, but I don't do it in front of family members and I didn't do it in school either. I do suck it in front of my husband and daughter though. Please let me know what you find that helps, it would be a benefit to us all. I would also like to know creative activities I can do with my daughter because I find myself brushing her off a lot. Please help!!!! (I know, so sad, I was supposed to be responding to give you help and I'm worse off than you are!!) God bless you and your family.

My brother was a thumb-sucker. When he was about your son's age, my mother (who had tried everything) bought him a little Hot Wheels Batmobile car. Bro was really into that at the time. Mom hung it at his eye level, and gave him a quarter every day until he could buy it. He worked SOOOO hard at quitting. He would even cross his arms over his chest and sleep on his tummy at night to keep from sucking his thumb. By the time he "bought his car" he didn't suck his thumb anymore.

My daughter is 5 and still sucks her thumb. Her teeth are messing up, but i did it for a long time as a child and i just stopped sucking my thumb one day. With her we have tried hot sauce, onion, everything for her to stop and she will not. In our presence we have gotten her to stop we tell her to take her thumb out of her mouth but when she sleeps she still sucks her thumb. I think it is just a security blanket for them. I hope you find something that helps.

I sucked my thumb until I was 7 or 8 years old. I only sucked it while I was sleeping. (I may have sucked during the day when I was younger??) My parents tried many things to get me to stop because it was affecting my teeth and I had a "hole" in my thumb from where it rested on a tooth. The dentist put in an appliance that had prongs - I just worked around it. I think I may have tried hot sauce and possibly gloves. I don't remember exactly the day that I stopped, but it eventually happened. Children eventually become self conscious and quit. I would suggest reminding him or having a signal that you come up with to help him remember not to suck it during the day. Maybe the signal could be a double snap or funny click -kids love that kind of thing "secret code". Also,try taking it out of his mouth once he is asleep - he might put it right back in, but it is worth the try. If you consciously work on the day time, he will eventually stop at night. I had a similar problem w/my three year old biting her nails. I told her that I would only paint her nails if they grew out enough to have white on the top (Huge deal to her b/c she has two big sisters). After several weeks (approx 4 - 6 weeks) of me constantly reminding her not to chew them, she came running into the kitchen so proud that she finally had white on her nails. It was a habit that formed in infancy and with constant reminders, she was able to break it. Good luck!

I can't offer any advice here really. I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone in this problem. My daughter too is almost 4...she will be next month...and she has sucked her thumb her thumb since before she was born, literally, she was sucking it during one of my ultrasounds! I have tried putting stuff on her thumb that tastes bad but she just goes in her bathroom and washes it off so she can suck her thumb. Furthermore, she thinks it's cute and funny when people laugh at her for it. At least your son has some remorse so maybe he'll stop on his own. If you get some good ideas, I would love to hear them. Good luck!

My daughter sucked her thumb until she was 8! Our solution was simple once we figured it out.

Put a good dose fingernail polish remover on both thumbs, then wash their hands. Even though the remover comes off so it can't hurt them, it still leaves a TERRIBLE taste on their thumb.

This broke the habit in a few days. Good luck!

Hi K. :)

We had the SAME problem with our son... he was 4 when we finally found the solution (after trying LOTS of other things like the nasty thumb liquid, putting a piece of tape around his thumb, having him wear a sock on his hand at night... ha ha) If you go to www.onestepahead.com there is a thumb device that was invented by a mom (I think) which is a clear lastic and it fits over the thumb and secures around the wrist.... so it is very un-noticeable to other kids, and if they did ask, my son would say "it's my bracelet" and they never picked on him about it. I hope this helps! Let me know how it goes :)

L. :)

Hi K.
My son who is now 16 and 6'3" sucked his thumb too... and just like your son he only suck it when he knew he was in safe thumb sucking area's ... he quit on his own when he was about 6 except sometimes when he was alseep but he didn't know he was sucking his thumb in his sleep... I would suggest to let your son quit on his own don't encourge or discourge it... From what I have learned boy's quit on their own for fear of being picked on... By the time he is in first grade he will quit... B.
PS My son said to leave his thumb alone...lol

Good Morning K., my youngest sucked his finger the same way....and he will grow out of it on his own....he's already quit during the day so the rest will come. remind his that you would like for him not to do it but ultimately you can't remove the thumb like you could a pacifir so be patient, he'll do it on his own....R.

I really don't know what to tell you. I have a 5yr old almost 6 and still sucks his thumb. We have tried everything the latest which I think has helped the most is telling him that he is a big boy now and it will be his decision to stop. I try to keep his hands busy when watching movies, at bedtime I will check on him to remove his thumb. I have noticed that in the morning it does not look as wrinkled from sucking on it.

Some children cannot be broken from thumb sucking. I know, I was one. My parents tried every thing possible to make me stop; painting my nail with polish and sprinkling red pepper on it, putting anything that tasted bad or smelled bad and numerous other things. I was 13 and still wanted to suck my thumb but embarrassment finally worked. I would still wake up in the night sometimes with my thumb in my mouth. If it's not causing problems with his teeth, he'll stop himself when it bothers him enough. I have 3 children and 8 grandchildren and only one granddaughter that sucked her first 2 fingers. She broke her self at age 5, just before starting school. Don't fret too much about it, it's a security blanket for him.

I would love to hear any advice you get. My stepdaughter is 7 1/2 and still sucks her thumb. She is getting her adult teeth now and DH keeps saying he doens't wanna pay for braces. Well, the only way to avoid that is to make her stop sucking her thumb! I have no advice though. I tried the paint on stuff that tastes bad and she just licks it off til it's gone, then sucks away. I'm at a loss too.