6 Yr Boy Still Sucking His Thumb

I was a thumb sucker and my parents put on this AWFUL stuff called Thumb (I have seen it at Walgreens and cringed...HA) It is like hot pepper sauce and doesn't wash off that well. Let me tell you....it did the trick.
Good Luck.

My younger brother sucked his thumb until the 5th grade. It slowly regressed to just sucking it when he was tired. In the end, he said he just put his thumb in his mouth one day and it didn't feel right anymore and he stopped. He didn't have problems with his teeth at all and we all (including him) laugh about it now as one of his querks when he was a kid. I think all will end well.

Ok I'm going to give you advice from a totally different point of view. I sucked my thumb wayyyy longer then most kids, though not really in public so much. My mother was crazy adamant that I stop and to this day I think it was really bad parenting. (she made me throw my "blankie" on the fire, guess what? I used my pillowcase)I resented the hell out of her for wanting to take away this simple comforting behavior. What's the big deal? I was an extremely introverted and emotional child and I think I felt isolated and sad alot both at school and at home. Now I'm not saying your child feels that way but he obviously needs comforting. Do not make a big deal about this. Everytime one of my relatives or anybody mentioned my thumb sucking it just made me a) ashamed and b) needing to suck my thumb more! And yes, peer pressure is probably your best bet. When he sees other kids aren't doing it and wants to fit in he will stop around others. Even if he gets teased some that is actually better then pressure from authority in this situation. I'm sorry but the thought of punishing your child or putting some contraption in his mouth to make him stop this natural comforting behavior makes me sick to my stomach. Do not shame him about this.
from one who's been there.

there is a dr in crystal lake they refer to the thunb sucking dr. i cant remember her name. my one friend liked her but thought she was to expensive and another friend thought she was great and worth the money- its either that or a lot of money to the dentist. if interested let me know and i will get the name and number for you.

Candy is never a good reward, it make for bad eating habits at an early age and money does not really mean alot to 6 year old boys. There life is sports and more sports.
A bandage on the finger can work but also a little garlic oil rubbed on the skin can work. My mother put a glove on my sisters hand and told her not to take it off.

Big reward would be don't suck your thumb and earn points toward joining a football league like the Crystal Lake Raiders. They start around preschool age with flag football. If you are not by Crystal Lake there are of teams check at http://www.illiniyouthfootball.com/teams.htm for team locations. I think bantam weight starts at age 7-8. My son played for the Raiders and he loved it.

Just an idea,
S.

L.

Go to the dentist. My girlfriends daughter would not quite either. The dentist fitted her with a wire ball that would not allow her to put her thumb in her mouth. The devise is removed to eat. She had to wear it day and night. When you suck your thumb for a long time it can hurt your teeth and mouth positions. I am fine with children using it for comfort.

Good luck

L.,
Your son may need to be in charge of something like sucking his thumb. Give him something else to be in charge of like a pet.. money is not worth much to some kids.Use marbles or small rocks then mark the jar at certain point and when he gets to it something special can happen. Date with mom or dad, stroll, bike ride ,trip to the library anything just for him. Good Luck.
J. O

you are not along my daughter is 6 yrs. old going on 7 in march the doctor told me to leave her alone she will stop when she is ready cause the more you tell them to stop they do it more i gave up....she is not really teased the kids just ask her why do you do that and she say the samething i dont know or i like it. thank god it hasnt affect her teeth cause she puts it on the roof of her mouth since she has lost her front teeth and sucks her thumb she has a sore and i told her its cause you are growing up and you cant suck your thumb anymore lets see if that works...i tried everything. what can we do. the teacher told her that she is not aloud to do it in class so she doesnt.

We put bandaids on our daughter's thumb. She did not like how it felt or the taste. Also you could tell him he can only suck his thumb if he is in bed with no toys. A friend of mine cut the fingers out of a glove so there was only a thumb hole and had her wear the glove 24/7. It took about a week or so but it was enough to get her to stop. Have a couple gloves ready. They will need to be washed!!!

I am in the same boat. I sucked my finger well into elementary school and my parents put boxing gloves on me. I am ready to go that route.

Thumb sucking is a habit and it is hard for a child to stop. Especially because it's a comfort thing to them. My daughter sucked her thumb until she was almost 5 and the only thing that would work is an appliance our pediatric dentist used in her mouth. I know it sounds harsh, but it really didn't hurt her in any way, she just had to learn how to talk with it in. It was on the roof of her mouth and it was a wire that went from one side to the other with a little ball on the wire. The ball is there so the children will play with that with their tongue, instead of the thumb. It took about 6-8 months for her to stop, but once she did, she was completely done. I would suggest looking for a dentist that specializes in children to see if they can get you something like this.

This worked for my son: When he was 4-1/2 yrs we told him he couldn't suck his thumb anymore when he turned 5. We had both his pediatrician & dentist tell him the same thing. We talked about this for maybe 6 months before the "due date." On his own, he decided to sleep w/ a stuffed animal intead of sucking his thumb at night. He's 8-1/2 yrs and still sleeps w/ his platypus!

We had the same issue with my daughter, mostly at night or during the day when she was tired or upset. We thought about bandaids, but I was worried she would choke on them in her sleep.

We stumbled across a solution by accident this past winter when her hands were so dried out - "night mits". I put vaseline or Eucerin on her hands and then covered them with socks for a week. She wasn't able to suck her thumb. At first, she had trouble falling asleep, but we just spent a little more time with her at bedtime & she did sleep. After a week of mits - no thumb sucking, even at night!

One other thing, our pediatric dentist suggested that we get rid of all the things associated with her thumb sucking at night (lovies - blanket, stuffed animal, discourage hair twirling) as it's a pattern of behavior that the child has one and feels he/she needs to suck her thumb (kind of like cup of coffee, must have a pastry to go with it). We did notice this and took away the biggest culprit, leaving her with just her treasured "snuggy" stuffed animal. It seemed she would never quit & just like that, she did. I hope the same for you. Good luck.

All three of my children are thumb suckers! So I did alot of research and found this product

MAVALA Stop for Nail Biting and Thumb Sucking
copy & paste the link:
http://www.folica.com/MAVALA_Stop_for_d442.html?s_cid=fgl...

I started on a Friday and by Monday my 5 year old and 3 year old stop sucking their thumb. I'm waiting until my 1 year old turns two.
Its a bitter tasting nail polish and it works! I've read reviews on several products and everyone that used this product stop biting their nails or sucking their thumb. Try it!

Hi L.- Although I haven't had this problem with my children I did have a 4th grade boy in my class when I was teaching that sucked his thumb quite often. I felt a "natural consequence" was what made the most sense. When I or any other adult saw him sucking his thumb he would need to stop what he was doing and wash his hands with soap. Germs are everywhere and if you are constantly putting them in your mouth you and others can get sick. there was no negative reaction just -Go wash your hands in a nuetral tone. It took about a month or 2 but the behavior did stop. I thought it was one of the easiest things to implement and it makes sense to the child and everyone else.
Good Luck
Beth

Hi L.,

I was a thumb sucker until five, until my big brother put black pepper on my thumb. Cruel, yes, but it did the trick. I still needed braces later on for an overbite due to the thumb sucking. So if you don't have it in the budget for braces, I hope some of the advice works. Otherwise, the humiliation from other children will probably get to him quite soon. Anyway, good luck.

My neighbor said she sucked her thumb as a child and her mom couldn't get her to stop. Her mom finally made some mittens that she couldn't take off without assistance. And after a week or two in those she stopped sucking her thumb.

Now considering that he's in school and probably needs to write or color from time to time...you may need to get the teacher on board with this one to help out.

You could use the mittens at home and then tell him that if he doesn't keep his hands in his pockets so he won't suck his thumb, he will need to wear the mittens at school too??????

Or if you or the teacher see him sucking his thumb he will have to wear the mittens for 1 hour. Put some bitters on his thumb to help him remember that he's not to suck it...he will taste the nasty bitters and remember to keep it out of his mouth.

Then if he can go the whole day without the mittens, then you can stop an icecream shop after school and get him a small cup of his favorite?????

Not sure if the teacher or the aide will agree to this new added responsibility but you could run it by them.

And they don't necessarily outgrow it. I taught middle school and one year I had a seventh grade girl that still sucked her thumb and/or fingers and had the worst set of buck teeth I've ever seen.

my mom painted my thumb with this yucky tasting stuff she got at the pharmacy. It worked.

Thumb sucking is a self soothing technique. Maybe you can find another way for him to self sooth........a smooth stone in his pocket to reach in and rub, sugarless gum, etc. Also, help him express his anger verbally or by drawing pictures so you understand more about his temper. Since his dad is such a hard worker, does your son get enough dad time?

Dear L.,

I practice general dentistry in Franklin Park. A appliance can be made to break your child of his habit. We treat children and adults. If you do not live in our area, I would be happy to refer you to an office near you. Please call ###-###-#### if I can be of assistance.

Sincerely,

Dr. D. R. Pietrini

I teach kindergarten and have had parents ask me to help them in their quest to get their kids to stop sucking their thumbs. In my opinion, you can do whatever you want at home but if he spends half the day somewhere else and your rules aren't re-enforced there, gonna make your life harder. Have you talked to his teacher about it? S/he may be able to help you out.

Every time one of my students sucks their thumb I make them go wash their hands so they don't get everyone sick when they touch them afterwards (particularly during cold season). They're not thrilled with that idea because leaving a game to wash their hands makes them miss part of the game. But it isn't a punishment either-- it's reasonable and I don't address it like I'm punishing-- I just address it like I care about them and don't want them to share germs and get sick, so nobody feels bad-- they just remember not to do it so much.

In terms of rewarding with sweets... well I hear ya there. At school we use stickers, generally. But if you're desperate, try just spacing out the sweets and giving tiny ones like one mini marshmellow every 2 hours, or an m&m, or something like that. A few sweets won't ruin his appetite or make him fat and you can just make his dessert on those days be a healthy one like low-sugar apple crisp. But I tend to agree with you only to use that method if you're desperate. My reasoning is... when do you stop giving the sweets? if you keep doing it now he'll expect it. That's why I prefer hand-washing because no matter how often you wash your hands it's good for them and it's not a reward they're gonna keep expecting even once they stop sucking! Good luck!

Did you sit down and talk to that little guy? You must ask him, "do you like it when the other childred tease you? How do they make you feel?". Questions like that might lead to the answer. Kids suck for different reasons. Maybe he's missing you or daddy or something else. In a case like that, you can give him something to keep in his pocket of yours so that when he's feeling that way, he can reach in the pocket and know that mommy is there with him....an so on for whomever he's missing. It could be a hankerchief, a key, coin, whatver he knows belongs to that person. Tell him the children won't tease him anymore and he'll make more friends. Good luck mommy

My son sucked his thumb until he was 7. We had to get an appliance put in his mouth, kind of like a cemented in retainer to be a physical barrier againts putting his thumb in. I felt like the worlds worst mother because he cried after it was in since he couldnt talk right or eat. He got used to it later that day and stopped sucking his thumb that night! Hes never went back. We had to leave it in for about 2 mos just to make sure, but the damamage from sucking his thumb that long is still being treated now 2 years later. When your child sucks his/her thumb, the upper palate forms around the thumb and your child ends up with a narrow arch that doesnt have enough room for the adult teeth to come in. My son has had to wear a retainer to expand his palate. Once that was achieved, he now has to continue wearing a retainer to pull the front teeth back that got pushed forward due to the thumbsucking. Hopefully all this will be corrected before he needs braces! I would get this checked out by an orthodontist as soon as possible. I let it go too long because I didnt want to take his comfort away, but he adapted by hugging his stuffed animals. Trish

I am not sure what you have tried but they do sell a product at walmart called i think nail biter. it tastes nasty when you have it on. maybe this will help. I have a sister whom sucked her thumb constantly up into her 20's We tried everything from putting socks on her hands to hot sauce. but she was one of the few i guess that just had to grow out of it. As far as the teasing making her stop that did absolutly nothing. But i know that this nail biter product tasted really bitter & nasty. So maybe that will help

Hi L.,

All three of my kids are/were thumb suckers. My oldest son quit sucking his thumb all on his own, just after his 7th birthday. My middle child is 6 and is still sucking his thumb, but he actually is trying to stop. I have seen him numerous times put his thumb in his mouth, think for a minute, and then take it out! My third child stopped sucking her thumb just before her third birthday.

I just told my kids that you eventually have to stop sucking your thumb because it is not good for your teeth. And our family dentist would reinforce that message at our checkups. I would remind them once in awhile, but not so often that I felt like I was nagging at them.

No one ever teased my kids about thumb sucking - but I don't think they actually sucked their thumbs in school. I think they saw that other kids didn't suck their thumbs there, and so they stopped at school first. It took them a little longer to stop sucking their thumbs at home, and especially at bedtime, when they are the most comfortable.

It's hard to believe that they will ever stop, but eventually they do, all on their own! Good luck, and be patient!

Warmly,
J.

My son does the same thing. I always tell him if he does not suck his thumb all day then he will get a reward. The reward could be anything you want it to be. It also might be a security thing to him also

Does he suck his thumb in school? If not, you could have some of his friends over on a regular basis to see if that gets him out of the habit.

Otherwise, I vote for scare tactics. Call up a local orthodontist and ask if you can bring him in to see some the scarier orthodontist devices. My mom and my dentist conspired against me when I was 5 or 6 years old, can't remember which. At one of my appointments, there just happen to be a young girl who was wearing a head gear. The dentist and my mom told me that if I didn't stop sucking my thumb, my teeth would be crooked and I would have to wear one of those every day. Even to school. They also had the girl tell me how much she hated it, and how I don't want to wear one of those things. Then, the dentist took a picture of me with this girl to take home with me. Isn't that sweet? I immediately stopped sucking my thumb. Of course, I still ended up having to wear a head gear later, but that is not the point here.

Good luck!!

P.S. I was not scarred for life, but it is one of those vivid memories for me, kind of like the day I got home from school to find that my mom had gotten me a Cabbage Patch Kid. (In the days of the waiting lists.) My sister does make fun of me for ending up with the head gear anyway. She saw that thing coming out of my mouth, quite sucking her thumb on her own, and got to pick out her very own cabbage patch kid!!!! I got the short end of the stick on this one... But my teeth are beautiful. :-)