Baby Thumb Sucking All Day Long

My daughter was a big thumb sucker and my son sucked his two middle fingers on one hand and would switch off and then suck two other fingers on the other hand. I was concerned too, however learned that it is ok and they would out grow it. It is just like a pacifier and really better as they can't loose their fingers when the need arises. Anyway I am please to let you know their teeth and gums are fine and now they are 16 and 18 and gave up the sucking fingers and thumb when they were preschoolers. It all will work out.

Let him suck away as he sounds like a happy baby.

Regards,

C.

You might also like to know that there was a very comprehensive study that showed that children who suck their thumbs have fewer ear infections than those who use pacifiers. The authors of the study thought that this may be for two reasons: 1) children tend to suck harder on a pacifier, creating a vacuum in their ears and 2) pacifiers may be more constantly dirty as children drop them and put them in their mouth without washing.
Bottom line, don't worry about it.

Hi,
My first child never used anything at all. My second daughter was VERY fussy for the first three months so I reluctantly offered a pacifier, but only at bedtimes until around twelve months when she had to have a surgery and needed it for comfort. My third loves his pacifier and unfortunately uses it ALL of the time. Babies suck for comfort it's one of their first reflexes, so most likely he's not hungry just self comforting which is a good thing. My pediatrician said not to worry about problems with their teeth until around 1.5.

Amazing story, like I said my second was OBSESSED with her baba after a year old and her teeth were a mess at age two, pointing many different directions (I was very upset about the whole thing, as I swore that none of my children would ever have one of those things hanging out of their mouths all of the time) ha! Famous last words. When she was two she and her older sis were running around and kind of crashed into each other. Needless to say, my two year old ended up getting stitches in her lower lip, due to upper teeth biting through the lower lip. The ER doc put three extra stitches in her lip begrudgingly due to pacifier use. Well, we just never offered it again and fortunately she asked for it only a couple of times, but the miraculous thing was within two months of this incident her teeth began to straighten out and now two and a half years later it's not even an issue, she's got nice (mostly straight) teeth. One bit of advice if you can get your baby to take a pacifier it's MUCH easier to take that away then get him to stop sucking thumb. My sis sucked her two fingers until she was NINE!!!! My husband says we're going to stop letting our little boy use the binky around one, but I don't think we're going to be able to do that, he's SO attached to it, it's almost like a blanky. Whatever you do, good luck.

My two younger sisters and I all sucked our thumbs when we were children, it's definitely a comfort thing for most kids, much like a pacifier. The difference is, clearly, you can't take a thumb away from a child. I would say not to worry too much about it at this point, as you noted there isn't much you can do about it anyway. He'll grow out of it eventually, although it might take some encouragement from you when it's time. I know it did with my sister.

At 5 months it's perfectly normal and not a problem. Don't discourage it because he is too young to understand anyway. It won't do anything to his teeth unless he continues after he starts to get permanent teeth. So if he still does it around 4 or 5, then you can work on weaning him from the habit. Many kids stop on their own.

Hi Lisa,

Be thankful he found his thumb!

My older daughter found her thumb at six weeks, She was such a joy... hardly cried, and when she did I knew something was wrong. She was breastfed and also refused a pacifier. Yes, her right thumb seemd "deformed" from the sucking, but that look went away. it is not a permenent deformity.

She did suck her thumb at night, and when feeling ill or distressed, until she was about 8 or 9. She gave up the daytime habit before preschool.. I guess around age 3 when her vocabulary expanded enough that she could express her emotions.

She is going to be 18 in two weeks, has perfect teeth, and is a well-adjusted young woman, who remembers her thumb-sucking fondly.. Saying that it really helped her to fall asleep. I just hope she doesn't do it at college .. LOLOL..

Val

I actually just read about this yesterday at my dentists office. It stated most kids will get out of it before school, some it takes going to school to get out of the habit. As long as he doesn't do it while his adult teeth come in, he will be fine. If he does continue when adult teeth start to come in (around ages 5-7) then there are ways to get him to stop.

Hi Lisa,
I totally understand where you are coming from with this and I felt the same way at first. My son was seen on the ultrasound sucking his thumb and as soon as he was born he put his thumb back in his mouth; he continued this until kindergarten and then only at night. You are right they do it for security, as my pediatrician told me. Jeffrey,who is 21 years old today, would suck his all day long and out of all 5 of my children he has the straightest teeth. He also had a blankie that he took with him EVERYWHERE and would scream when I had to wash it; he would sit by the washing machine and dryer until it was done and that thumb would be in his mouth the whole time. When he was about 6 months old he was sucking his thumb outside and pulled it out of his mouth, it was so cold outside that it froze, turning all blue. My older son went to nursery school across the street from us and that winter was extremely cold. I would bundle the boys up, but Jeffrey would take his mitten off to suck his thumb. Lucky for me my pediatrician's daughter went there as well, I took one look at her and was like "Jeffrey's thumb is blue, can you help me?" He was fine once it thawed out, we both laughed about it afterward and will never let him forget this and the many other things he did. Trust me he was a challenge from day one and is now the most wonderful adult you can imagine. He will be graduating with his bachelors in Business Administration this coming May from the University of Hartford, Barney School of Business and I will be there crying my eyes out, remembering that little boy with his thumb in his mouth and getting into all sorts of trouble along the way. So as you can see thumb sucking is not all that bad, he will outgrow it.
Hugs,
T.

At five months, there is really nothing you can do about it. babies need to suck on something to help sooth themselves. My son was a thumb sucker, and he finally gave it up at five. He never liked the pacifier. Yes there is a little change in his pallet from it, but it is not bad. I think that more changes occur when you let them have the bottle past 1.5 to 2.

He finally gave it up at school when the teacher told him that sucking his thumb was against the rules, and gave it up at home when I told him that if kept his thumb out of his mouth for a month, he would get a slip and slide. Now he is thumb free, even at night, and I did not have to torture him with the bitter stuff or spend all my time scolding him.

I've been really lucky - my 22 month old doesn't suck her thumb (but puts anything she can get her hads on in her mouth - she chews on her lovey, instead of just lugging him around!) It's not that I DESERVE it...I sucked my thumb until I was 5! It was a comforting thing, and something I eventually did WANT to stop, but I don't recall my parents ever pushing it. Imagine the peer pressure in Kindergarten to stop the thumb sucking habit!

I think what you're doing is fine, but...if he really won't stop, I've never met a 10 year old that sucked their thumb. My thumbs, by the way, are fine...and I never needed braces.

Some of my friends turned to "home remedies" to kick their own thumb sucking habits, making "balms" out of whatever they could find under the bathroom sink. They tasted nasty, and it worked for some of them. (I'm pretty sure their mothers didn't know they were smearing Tabasco and bubble bath on their thumbs in the morning, though!)

Hey Lisa,

I have the same thing with my baby! She never had a paci and she just started sucking her thumb a month ago. She normally doesn't do it all day! Just when her gums are bothering her and when she wakes up when she is sleeping. My husband and I have kept a notebook since our daughter was born. We write what time she eats. So for us, we notice that she eats every 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours. So if she hasn't cried to let us know she is hungry, I try feeding her, if she isn't hungry then I put her down and she plays. I also notice that when she is hungry she'll suck on my shoulder when I hold her. Look for clues that your son is hungry all babies are different. Our daughter will be 5 months in about a week. The thumb sucking I read doesn't become a problem with the teeth and until they are much older. So unless it's affecting his eating , I would let him suck his thumb. But it's really up to you , what ever you and your husband decide. Good Luck! and if you have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask!

Thumbs do not get lost. Thumbs are self soothing! Be
thankful. He will not get married sucking his thumb.
I had a thumbsucker and never did I have to get up during
the night to "find it", nor did I have to carry around
lots of pacis just in case they got lost.

Do not worry about it. Be grateful he can quiet himself.

My 4 year old twins both suck their thumbs. They found them about 4 months old and slept so much better from that point on. I myself was a thumbsucker for a LONG time. The thumb consoles them when they are sad and is also a sign of sleepiness / hunger as you mention. Our doctor and dentist just caution that they will probably need braces if they continue to suck until they are about 5 years old. Younger than that it's really not a problem. Only issue is they do get blisters on their thumbs from sucking so much. At this point peer pressure is kicking in a bit and they really only suck when home with us.

Hey Lisa
I have 3 kids 14,11 and 6.My first 2 loved their pacificer but my youngest went right to his thumb and wouldn't take a pacificer,no matter how hard we tried.He does still suck his thumb but his teeth are fine,he actually doesn't suck hard,more just puts in in his mouth when sleeping.You can't make him not suck,it is a comfort thing,be thankful for it actually,your baby is likely happier because of it.Best advice,relax and enjoy your baby,there will be plenty of time to help him get over doing this,if it comes to that in a few years.

I have 13 month old twin boys. One of my boys was sucking his thumb in the womb and he still sucks his thumb along with carrying his "blanket". the other twin does not suck his thumb, never took a pacifer nor does he have a special "blanket". Don't worry so much, it's comforting to him, so let him suck his thumb. Yes, it will be just another thing you'll have to break him of, just like taking a pacifer would be and just like potty training. Just be sure that when he eats, he's eating enough and of course drinking enough. You ask what I've done to manage this situation. I have done nothing, I let him suck his thumb. You will make yourself nuts and you will not break him of this at this time. So relax, and let him be. and the more he grows and becomes interested in toys, he'll suck less because he'll be too busy playing.

Hi Lisa,

All I can tell you is our son was a die-hard thumb sucker...I was convinced he's be laughed at in school because he'd still be sucking...

He quit - on his own, at 3. Cold turkey. We never mentioned a thing to him...it AMAZED us...so hopefully your little buddy will too...at night, if I go in his room, I sometimes hear him sucking, but his thumb isn't in his mouth...it's just the sucking movement in his mouth.

Our daughter never sucked her thumb or a paci, either...

Best wishes to you...He's too young to start worrying about anything now, but hopefully he'll grow right out of it...

J.

Hi Lisa,
I was a thumb sucker until around age 7. It was a very soothing thing for me. I have never had a problem with teeth either. My parents didn't push me to stop, they knew I would when I was ready. Your little boy is only 5 months old. I would let him self soothe any way he chooses at this point. best of luck!

The "natural mothering" perspective on this is to offer the breast whenever your child sucks his thumb, because babies don't just breastfeed for physical nourishment, but also for comfort and emotional nourishment. A mother I know said the children she schedule fed all sucked their thumbs and her 2nd two she nursed on demands and they did not. Of course, that is not everyone's style of parenting so take it or leave it.

I also have a thumb-sucker, she's now 8 months old. After my son having a pacifier until he was 3 (he's now 3.5) and his general inability to soothe himself, I find it a blessing! Just be thankful that your boy has found a way to soothe himself, and don't worry about the long term. He'll eventually stop, my siblings and I all sucked our fingers and only 1 out of 5 of us needed braces because of it..and that's only because she was the exception and did it for years and years(way beyond normal).

Okay, this will scare you. I sucked my thumb until I was 12 years old!! yup. I started out like any baby/toddler. I actually used a pacifier. Around 2, my mom took it away from me and I started on my thumb. Unfortunately, it was a soothing technique I didn't reliquish due to some fairly major bad childhood/home life stuff. I ended up a pretty anxiety-ridden child, so I couldn't stop. My mom figured if I needed it that bad, I'd give it up when I was ready. Around 12 (7th grade) I just got tired of hiding it all the time. I was embarrassed and started to like boys. I remember thinking what they'd think of me if they knew, and it was enough to stop me on my own. I NEVER had a day of braces in my life. My teeth are perfectly straight. Absolutely no issues at all. So, morale of my story is that even in an extreme case like mine, it might all just be fine anyhow! If you give your baby a paci, you'll just have to take that away too. I'd say let him keep sucking his thumb, and continue to help him mature and find ways to soothe himself. Does he have a favorite blanky or stuffed animal? Maybe that would help. Good luck!

Hi Lisa, I believe some children are thumb suckers and some are not. I have 5 children and only my daughter sucks her thumb. She now has 2 children and they are both thumb suckers. It is a comfort thing. It can mess up their teeth. I don't think you can do anything until the child understands. Maybe when he is in school you can say "You don't want to do this in front of your friends." If the child finds comfort it is very frustrating to be told NO. I would not try to do anything now. Just let him be his sweet, lovely self. Best wishes, Grandma Mary