Thumb Sucking Rash

I think that the one lady is talking about lanolin. Its made to help nipples when they are sore from being sucked. Lanolin should work good and it is ok for children to ingest.

Hi B.,

A high grade non-caustic tea tree oil would do the trick. The only one I know that fits all those parameters is from a company called Melaleuca but you can ask at a health store if theirs is non-caustic. It may serve more than one purpose as it is very pungent and most kids don't like the taste....she may not want to suck her thumb. BTW, I wouldn't use a hand sanitizer at all if she is still sucking her thumb. The alcohol is not to be ingested and there is enough to injure her, even as little as you say she uses.

If you can't find the oil you need, let me know.

Regards,

M.
www.squidoo.com/ifyourbabycouldtalk

My son got a rash on his thumb when he was about 2. He would only suck it to go to sleep, so it didn't bother me much. I took him to the pedi and then to the dermatologist because we couldn't get it to go away. They said that because he had teeth, when he would suck his thumb, they would make little micro tears in the skin and the bacteria naturally found in saliva would get in there. He had an infection and then a yeast infection from the moisture. We had antibiotic and antifungal creams to put on twice a day. Because of the medications, we had to put a tube suck over his hand and taped it around his upper arm with medical tape for 10 days. He found a different way to sooth himself to sleep and hasn't sucked his thumb since!

My daughter, also 3 1/2 is getting the same thing! Kind of like a sucking blister. I want to wean her from thumb-sucking in a very non-chalant way, so I am using this to show her that she is getting too big to suck her thumb, and that when big girls suck their thumbs they get boo-boos. I don't really have any solution for the skin...but I would only put something all natural, as obviously it will be going right in her mouth. Good Luck!!

Hi B.,

I agree with the previous poster that hand sanitizer is not OK to ingest. Also it's very drying to skin.

Lanolin is heavy duty moisturizer and OK to ingest. I'd recommend that too. You can get it in the form of Lansinoh nipple cream (at a grocery store or Walgreens type store). Or Bag Balm is the same thing but harder to find.

Aquaphor's only petroleum jelly, and I don't like to use it because it's petroleum based.

My daughter never sucked her thumb - but when she was a baby - I remember being so sore and chapped while breastfeeding - there is a product to but on mommy - that is supposed to be ok for baby when they nurse. I can't remember the name of the product but it worked like a charm. Maybe if you can put that on her thumb you won't have to worry about her ingesting it and it will make her skin feel better. I think the brand started with an "M" and I bought it @ Walmart - I hope this helps! About the dry skin - I know this from experience - get those chapped hands healed quickly - my daughter had MRSA 3 X's in 2 months a few years ago - she picked it up @ a mom's morning out daycare that she was attending 2 days a week for social playing. The Dr. told me that it is very opportunistic and it's everywhere - and it will get in a little pin prick, or dry crack, paper cut or anything - and then go crazy! Good luck!

look up thumbguard and buy one-it is a device that fits over her thumb at night and will keep her from sucking-let me know if it helps.

Ditch the hand sanitizer, that's made mostly of ethyl alcohol which you don't want her ingesting. Get some 100% pure aloe vera to use on the thumb.

Hi,

I work with patients of all ages to stop thumbsucking and other non nutritive oral habits--for a 3.5 year old, it takes about 3-4 weeks and 2-3 appointments. Older children usually take no more than one appointment.
At your child's age, this habit is usually not too concerning unless the skin does become raw and prone to infections.
Ask your pediatrician about treating the wound she is creating.
Good Luck, let me know if I can help.

B. Thompson ###-###-####-8956
Florida Institute of Orofacial Myology
Port Orange, FL 32127

My daughter is 4 1/2 and still sucks her thumb too (I have tried so many things to get her to stop but haven't found a solution yet). I spoke to the PA at her pediatrician's office and she says it's not much to worry about. But when it gets irritated I worry because I don't want it getting infected or anything. Sometimes it just gets irritated or chapped because she sucks it pretty much the entire time she's falling asleep and a good part of the night too. I'm guessing that's probably why your daughter's is irritated too (chapped both from the sucking and from the cold, dry air). What I like to do is put lip balm on it. Sounds stupid but it works! I swear by Burts Bees regular lip balm (not the hot pink/red cap, just the all yellow tube). It's like $2.99 at Target or Walmart but it is THE BEST lip balm I have ever used and the only thing that heals my chapped lips, nose and my daughter's chapped thumb.

My son also sucks his thumb...but he gets the rash or irritated skin on the sides of his mouth and once he's asleep I sneak in and put a tiny bit of aquaphor on it and by the morning he's good as new...but it usually only happens when we drop in humidity and it gets cold out....

Our pediatrician recommended Aquaphor for our son last year. He's 3.5 and still sucks his thumb when he's tired, too. It soothes him and comforts him. Aquaphor is mild and will protect it. My husband is a fan of using chap stick, but I don't think it works as well.

I could care less that he sucks his thumb. If he's 10 and doing it, we'll have a conversation, but both our pediatrician and pediatric dentist agree that they'll progress out of it by their 5th birthday on average.