My 5 Year Old Is Sucking Her Thumb More than Ever with No Interest in Stopping.

I was a tumb sucker until I was about 10. That is when the dentist finally recommended the device that Sherry mentioned in her post. The device is very simple and is placed in the top of the mouth by an orthodontist. I wore this for about 6 months and once it was removed I never sucked my tumb again. This is a very hard habit to break. I wanted to stop and I couldn't. Even when I would fall asleep without sucking my tumb I would start sucking my tumb in the middle of the night. Since this is such a difficult habit to break I would highly recommend talking to an orthodontist about this device. For serious tumb suckers this is the only thing I have ever heard of really working.

Good Luck!

Hi G., I worked for an orthodontist for 5 years ans we had several very small children in the practice that were thumb suckers, the device everyone is speaking of does work and is fairly inexpensive. I'll be honest though....it is not very attractive and the kids have a very hard time adjusting to it in the beginning. If you could show her a picture of what the appliance looked like it might scare her enough to stop. without even using it. Does she have a security blanket??? or a pillow she likes?? I still sleep with a baby pillow, every night. and I am an adult, however that was used to help me stop sucking my thumb when I was 10. It is used as a comfort thing. It works great on long car trips and is small enough to take on an airplane. Hope this helps!
JL

You have to convince her that she's a "Big girl" with "Big girl" privelages, but in order to obtain "Big girl" privelages, she has to not do "Little girl" things such as sucking her thumb. Good luck!

Here's one activity you can do: Invite some of her girlfriends from school over for a "Salon Day" where they get their hair fixed and nails done. Then, you can talk about how pretty their hands (and thumbs) are and emphasize how careful they have to be to not mess up their freshly done manicures. NOTHING can touch their nails. Hopefully, peer pressure can keep her from putting that pretty manicured nail into her mouth. You can also emphasize that they are "Big girls" because only "Big girls" can get their nails done". If she wants another "Salon Day", she'll have to prove that she is a "Big girl" by not sucking her thumb.

G.,
Your little one might be sucking more because she is stressed out about stopping. Try turning it into a positive thing and using a reward system for stopping. Maybe start small with giving her a sticker if she doesn't suck her thumb for a certain time in the morning and then work towards not sucking during the whole day and then lastly work towards not sucking at night. Figure out a reward that she would really like to work towards, maybe getting her nails painted. A friend of mine, used this with her four year old and it worked!

Hi G.,
Congratulations on your homeschooling - what a big and terrific job! Have you looked into oral stimulation issues? Sometimes you can give her alternatives like chewing on something or using OT techniques to alter the need. If the thumb sucking is an oral stim problem (like my little one was), mineral difficiencies are often the root. Since you are already familiar somewhat with the health piece, this could be an avenue for you to explore. There is a great mineral supplement at www.nbnus.com called Chelate Mate which is a broad mineral supplement. I am sure there are others. If it helps, you will know within a couple days. Usually, my kids would lick things as well, but I know many kids demonstrate differently, so hopefully this will just give you a different angle.

Maybe I will see you next year as I begin homeschooling my 5 year old.

J.

G., my oldest was a thumb sucker and ended up with braces later, but the orthodontist told us then that it is not the thumb sucking that causes teeth to protrude, but rather tongue thrusting which is pushing with the tongue on the back of the front teeth whenever they swallow. Not all thumb suckers do that. That can be corrected by a fixture put behind the two top teeth which will prevent her from pushing on her teeth with the tongue when she swallows and probably will cure the thumb sucking, as well. Have your dentist or an orthodontist check her to see if she is a tongue thruster now. If you wait until she is much older to correct that, it will cost years of braces. This little appliance is not that much compared to braces.

This one was tough for us, too! Ours was 8 and in 2nd grade but she has been thumb-free for over a year. What we learned is SHE HAS TO BUY IN or your efforts will fail. This method takes some time BUT IT WORKS! Here's our approach:

1. Step One/week one: we helped her see how often she sucked her thumb to show HER there was a problem by GENTLY and lovingly asking if she knoew she was sucking her thumb. Being negative and critical WON'T WORK! We showed her this was her problem and that she was comforting herself & something was bothering her: (sadness, fear, boredom, etc.) We'd take time with her to find out WHY she was sucking her thumb and re-direct her problem time. BEFORE THIS SHE didn't really realize she was doing it so often.

2. Step two. Education. Don't laugh! We showed her pics of little girls/adults who had sucked their fingers/thumbs with pics from the internet, asking her AGIN LOVINGLY if that was what she wanted to happen to her. We took her to the Dentist where they explained the dental side. She got to buy new toothbrushes, pastes, colorless or shimmery lip gloss to bring attention to her pretty mouth. SHE began to care & it stopped being just OUR problem, SHE wanted to change!

3. Step Three. Buy In! After about two whole weeks of preparation, we bought the horrible tasting nail polish and SHE PAINTED IT ON HERSELF. FOR THE 1ST TIME it helped her. For the 1st few days we used the polish only at night and weaned her off her thumb. IF SHE WAS REALLY HURT OR SAD we gave her a minute or so to suck her thumb, then sat with her, comforting her and would tell her it was time to stop. THEN we painted her thumb. It took some extra comforting and time but was soo worth the outcome!

At first she argued but within a few days, with reminders of how lovely her new teeth would be when they came in straight and how much healthier she'd be (reduced colds, etc) she began having fewer times when she needed her thumb during the day.

Bedtimes were tough. Let's be real! She initally cried and it took a little longer to find a new sleep routine but we found one that worked for her. We just learned that meant a little more attention at bedtime and comforting!And when she felt she had to suck her thumb she hugged us or a stuffed animal. At times she really was angry, cried but this slowly went away with alot of caring and patience on our part.(REMEMBERE, IN HER CASE SHE'D BEEN DOING THIS FOR 8 YEARS! IT WAS HARD FOR HER)

At first we let her suck her thumb for a few minutes before we painted on the yucky stuff! That time diminished and after a week, she told us she didn't need her "thumb-sucking time!"

Step Four. Finally there had been enough prep work done and we were able to really hit it hard! We did the old reward thing! She chose something BIG to work toward and created a "reward calendar" and we kept it in her room. Each day she didn't suck her thumb she got a sticker. She earned a small gift every week. Then after 2 months of NOT sucking her thumb at all, she earned her GRAND PRIZE! SHE LOVED putting the stickers on the poster! Occasionally she failed and didn't get her sticker but was sooooo ready to try harder the next day!

It was worth the $$ and time spent! She chose to work for something she really wanted and now 6 months later, her thumb-sucking is just a memory!

She constantly tells us how proud she is of herself for achieving SUCH a big goal! Her Dentist is even getting involved and we are going there this week for THEM too give her a special reward for being thumb-free for 6 months!

The bottom line is this is like smoking or losing weight for us. IT IS TOUGH for them. Yelling, nagging and negativism will only make this a tough process for everyone!(Sadly, we tried "forcing" her and got NO WHERE! Give the positive way a try! Be prepared for lots of cuddling and some tears but it will get better. It's ALOT of work but WELL worth it!Promise! L.