I have a nine year daughter who didn't start sucking her thumb until she was like two. I can not seem to get her to stop. She also has a blanket she holds while doing it. She must have the blanket to sleep with including a certain pillow. I am not sure what to do. Should i take the blanket away and save it. I thought maybe without the blanket it would curb the thumb issue. But i also don't want her up all night and crying. We have been trying since age five but nothing seems to work. She is in school during the day but when she gets home it starts. If she has a friend playing with her she doesn't do it until they watch tv. Then she also does it at bedtime with or without a friend.
Still working on it!
The blanket I have N clue... I know that my mom did this for my little sister ( who was ELEVEN) to stop her thumb sucking...
She made her wear one of those thumb cast things for a few weeks. Makes it IMPOSSIBLE for thumb sucking.
My sister hasn't sucked her thumb in a LONG time
I have a 9 yr old and although she doesn't suck her thumb she does syuck her 2 fingers and she has a "blankie" as well. She stopped sucking her fingers recently because she ends up with canker sores from putting her dirty hands in her mouth. As for the "blankie", she claims she needs it, however if we happen to forget it when she stays at my folks house or a friends house she does fine with out it. Out of sight, out of mind. My point is, a 9 yr old is old enough to understand that hands are dirty and can cause colds and mouth sores and blankets are only needed at night, while in bed, not in front of the TV or with friends.
I know this is gonna sound harsh but when my son was biting...and I know that is a lot different...I put a drop of hot sauce on whatever he bit...He never did it again. You can try lemon juice also....Let me know
Well ladies those are good responses. Let me say I was a thumb sucker. I stopped when I was 13 because I had to get braces due to the overbite from sucking my thumb. So take her to the dentist check to see if she has an overbite, if she does show her pictures of what her mouth would look like if she continues to suck her thumb. Let her know she's a prepreteen like my 10 year old daughter would say. And that she getting older becoming more mature and she should leave her baby stage behind. Ask her to suck her thumb in from a cute boy and see what her response would be
