Need Help with 3Yo's Bad Habit!

Stressing about it will only make her stress about it. I used to do something similar when I was a kid, and the more people pointed it out, the more nervous I got and did it without realizing it. lol Replace her "bad" habit with a "good" one. Maybe you both could work on singing a fun or comforting song when she starts doing that, without telling her to stop. That way, she's using her mouth but not sucking or biting her clothes. Plus, it's hard to sing with clothes in your mouth! :)

There may be something she's stressed about; so, maybe you could just talk with her about it, too. I would start out by acknowledging her liking for it (without passing judgement, no matter how much you don't like it), then, saying you don't want her to feel embarrassed or ashamed and that you love her no matter what. We all need a place of comfort, and our homes should be that place. So, hopefully, by you telling and showing her that she is safe at home, she will open up to you. And, LISTEN to her; no advice, unless she asks for it. I KNOW it's difficult, but sometimes, we just want to be listened to, not preached to or made to feel embarrassed by our feelings/actions, as we've already stressed ourselves out enough by ourselves. So, listen...and your instincts will tell you the right way to comfort.

I hope you can help her and your relationship with her stronger through this. These are small steps to handling bigger problems, but we must work together on them. That's what family is for, and you are a great mom for trying to help her. Take care!

Ask her if she would like to wear lipstick, but tell her that she can't suck her thumb then because it will mess up her lipstick. You will need to remind her...perfection is not the important thing, but the willingness to change is : )

You can also encourage her by commenting on how pretty her smile is and you can't see her smile when she has her thumb in her mouth.

I agree 100% with Stephanie H. She's most likely doing it for comfort so just observe her and the situations whenever she does it. That way, you will eventually be able to catch her cues and step in before she begins chewing her shirt by calming her or giving her something appropriate to chew on (though I love the singing idea -- I'll have to try that one myself).

The best way to change an inappropriate behavior is to replace it with an appropriate one.

Good luck!!

This might sound a bit funny but have you tried putting garlic or a liquid spice on her thumbs? When she sucks on the shirt it will penetrate through and the taste will be strange.
This worked for my sister when we were young and she sucked her thumb all the time.
Only problem is the smell but there are some bitter liquid spices out there in health food shops that don't smell so bad.
Good luck! :o)

Well, my suggestion may differ from others. Instead of making her stop all together, try creating a better way of doing it for her. All of my kids carry a blankie and have used a binky. When they are using both, they some may rub their noses with their blankie, others have rubbed the blankie in between their fingers. SO I actually suggest finding something she is allowed to have that will satisfy her need to have the cloth. Maybe one of her old shirts cut into a square, or a blankie, even a cloth diaper/ burp cloth. Hopefully you will find a good middle ground and that she will outgrow it soon enough:) ~A.~