A Nine Year Old That Still Sucks Her Thumb

I don't have any advice but I did some googling for you:

1.from http://www.drgreene.com/21_10.html
"When investigators looked at this group of late thumb-suckers for common traits, they found that they had one thing in common that distinguished them from other children -- a prolonged history of a strong battle with thumb sucking at an earlier age. It is striking that many well-meaning parents have actually encouraged this behavior by trying to forcibly take the thumb out of their children's mouths."

2.here they suggest dental appliances
http://www.drugs.com/enc/thumbsucking.html

3.but basically most sites suggest the following
(this is from http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/t/thumb_sucking/intro.htm)

Watchful waiting - most cases require no treatment.
Psychological treatment - if the habit is used excessively or the cause is an underlying psychological problem.
Dental treatments - if dental complications occur.

Finally, you might want to watch the movie Thumbsucker. I don't think it's completely appropriate for a 9yo, but if you think it is, she can watch it, too. Yes, it's fiction, but I was impressed with how they handled the issue. I had friends in college who still sucked their thumbs, and although they got teased for it, they all turned out ok.

I know this dont sound real good. But, maybe if you put something bitter on her thumb, she may not see it as being so appealing any more... Good luck hun.....

Hi N.,

I was 9 when I stopped sucking my thumb and I recall exactly how and when I stopped. What finally made me stop was when my 12 year old brother told everyone at the school bus stop that I still sucked my thumb! I remember being very embarassed so I stopped. I know you definitely don't want to humiliate you sweet daughter like that but I thought I would tell you my story of what got me to stop. I remember also, my parents buying the hot syrup to put on my thumb so I wouldn't suck it. It didn't work because they left me in charge of the application and didn't inforce it and my brother actually liked the stuff and ate some of it...

So, don't worry too much. She will probably stop soon by some means and I would just suggest having a dialogue with her to mention that she is really beautiful when you can see her face without her thumb and hand in the way and that she is getting to be a big girl which means she doesn't need her thumb, etc...

Good luck!

your daughter isn't going to stop sucking her thumb till she is ready. i sucked my thumb till i was 12 and one night i just stopped. my parents had tried everything, tabasco sauce, nail polish, band-aids, mittens. i even had dental appliances that would make it difficult to suck my thumb so i would take them out at night and put them under my pillow till morning.....i just kept sucking away. i even know a girl who is 19 or 20 and still sucks her thumb. best of luck but maybe it isn't such a horrible thing!!

I sucked my thumb until I was 14!!! The only reason I stopped was because I got braces and it hurt my lips. Nothing my parents did could get me to stop. Maybe take her to the dentist and have him tell her the importance of stopping.

I hope you have not been nagging her about it. Nagging makes the problem worse. Don't let anyone else nag her about it either, while she with you.
Everyone needs to leave her alone, and she will let you know when she is ready. She will ask you, "how can I stop, mommy?"
I have a feeling that she has been nagged, so that will cause her a set-back.

I do not know what you have tried already, but by now I am sure you have heard all kinds of strange advice and some good. Thumb sucking can impair speech development, so if your son or daughter is hard to understand, you should consult a speech therapist (I am one.). Since he or she has been doing this for nine years, you will need to get his/her agreement that the thumb sucking has to stop and work together to plan how to do it (reward system). (I have read that some adults still secretly suck their thumbs!) Make a list of the pros and cons of thumb sucking - it comforts me....it makes me look like a baby in front of my friends....I could get sick more often from touching surfaces and putting my thumb in my mouth. Make sure you come up with alot more cons. Put it on the fridge or somewhere that your child frequents. Put next to it your goal and reward system. "I will not suck my thumb from 8:00-12:00 in the morning." Then progress to longer periods until he/she can get through all day and night. I would suggest providing a jar of sugarless lollipops/gum to put in the mouth to help with the urge to thumb suck. Keep some in a bag in the car too. When he/she can make it without thumb sucking for a week, take them out to a movie or dinner or something like that. Of course give them lots of praise and encouragement throughout the process. If they mess up, take them back to the chart, remind them what they are working for (looking grown up) and start over.

If your child really fights you on this, there could be underlying emotional issues and you should talk to your doctor.
Good luck!

My niece just turned 18 and still sucks her thumb. She only does it when she's upset or tired. It's her comfort I guess. When she was little my sister tried everything. She even put tabasco sauce on her thumb. Nothing helped. I guess this really doesn't help you, but at least you know it's common.

Is there something in her world that is stressing her out? I only ask because I was a late thumb sucker and I had some serioiusly traumatic stuff going on that my parents were unaware of. They tried EVERYTHING to get me to stop. I have no idea when it was that I finally made the decision to stop sucking my thumb but I can tell you for sure that I've never had to have any type of orthodontia, as much as they warned I would.