Finger Sucking - Wellington,FL

Try dipping/washing her finger in something that does not taste good such as vinegar (won't harm her) or cayenne pepper water.

My 3yo is also an index finger sucker (it runs in the family) who never took a pacifier or his thumb. I brought it up to our pediatrician at his 3yo checkup and the pedi advised that there is really not a whole lot you can do about it and that they will grow out of it in their own time. I do know of a close family member that sucked the index finger well into the teenage years and never had any problems with teeth or needing braces, so I am not too worried, just hoping he grows out of it before high school, lol. He has his first dentist appointment coming up in May, so we'll see if the dentist says anything different. Idk, but to me it is not the worst thing in the world, so I let it go.

Our son is a thumb sucker - he's really started to limit when he does it (he'll be 4 in June) to when he's tired.

Our pediatrician basically told us that attempts to stop him will be, in essence, futile because it's a coping mechanism. He said the best way for a kid to stop is to go to school and have the pressure of other kids make them realize that they're the only ones doing it.

As I write this message, it sounds a lot worse than it did from him. But, you get the point. Basically, the peer pressure of being in kindergarten will likely rectify the behavior.

Here's what the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends on their parenting website:
http://www.healthychildren.org/english/search/pages/resul...

What would she do if you put gauze on her index fingers? Or something else, does she still want to suck them?
I agree to pull her finger out of her mouth, but what might be even better, I know she is young, but it might work. Take her to Toys R Us and tell her if she stops sucking on her fingers, she will get a card, explain that to her if you need to, and let her "get some ideas" about what she might like to spend it on. That way, you can write it down, and she can visualize what she might be able to get. When you get home, find pictures of the said items, and put them on a poster board.......so she can see them EVERYDAY.........
This might help her a bit to see what she wants and know she has the power to get it.
Good Luck.

I have learned that children who are older and still sucking have facial and infant/postural reflexes that are still active and not integrated. There are exercises to do on her face, head and body to integrate them. Another idea is to take her to a cranial sacral therapist to find out what is going on and help her by releasing certain things in her body. Check out masgutovamethod.com to learn about unintegrated reflexes regarding all children not just those with huge developmental issues.

Two of my children were thumb suckers. For my oldest boy, I just constantly reminded him that he was too big. One day I just realized that it had been awhile since I saw him do it. He was around 5. My daughter still sucks her thumb occasionally (6) but it is definitely becoming less frequent. I ask her nicely to take her thumb out of her mouth every time I see it. I also said that whenever she went several days without sucking her thumb, she could have her nails painted. She's had them painted on a couple occasions. Then I removed it when I saw her thumb in her mouth. I always make her (and any of the kids) wash their hands when I see fingers in the mouth. It gets tiresome to them after awhile. I don't think there is much you can do but give her a little incentive and keep reminding her. It is an unconscious habit that they can't really help. I've never seen any child over 6 sucking their thumb, although I suppose someone out there may. And as much as the dentists say it affects teeth, I have yet to see a case where it actually does. My experience has been (and my dentists as well) that barring accidents or literally constantly having a hand or object in the mouth, the only thing that affects tooth position is genetics. Mostly it's just gross because of the spit. Personally, I wouldn't spend that much on her for breaking a bad habit. It could set up a bad precedent for the future. One toy would be sufficient. I guess my perspective is affected by having 4 kids.

Generous offer your dentist made. I'm impressed.
When I saw my sons sucking on their finders (it's the youngest, actually) I'd ask: "Is that chocolate or Vanilla? Can I taste it?"
He'd be grossed out. and stop..Eventually, they grow out of it.

It is a physical problem. Sucking is done to correct cranial faults. If she has a cranial fault-physically she has to suck- the sucking decreases the discomfort of the cranial bone misplacement. Just look at all the force methods of trying to get kids to stop-and you will see how much it is necessary for them to do it. Contact the International Chiropractic
Pediatric Assn for someone to correct the cranial fault, and then she CAN stop.
best, k

My daughter started biting her nails just like Daddy. I bought a product at Walmart in the nail car section to paint on her nails that tasted horrible - and it lasts through a couple of hand washings! I started painting her nails with it a couple of times a day - and wham! just like that she stopped. Maybe if you try that stuff she will not like the taste of her fingers and stop. You can tell her that it's nail polish and give her a "manicure". I don't remember the name - maybe "Stop the bite" but it has a white label with black print. Good luck!

Have you tried the stuff you paint on their fingers for nail biting, my mom did that to me when I was six and eventually it worked. Good Luck!

I was a thumb sucker till i was about three, which was when my parents tried EVERYTHING under the sun to get me to stop including that awful tasting "nail polish" - it didn't phase me lol - what did work was the promise of my first bicycle - i stopped immediately :oP when all else fails - try bribery with something specific that she really, really wants (bike, playhouse, pet...etc.) :oD

Try redirection.. finger sucking is a habit just like smoking.. you have to do something else when you would normally be smoking. When you see her sucking her finger.. walk up in one swift motion remove her hand and place something else in it... a toy, a crayon and paper, a snack, a hug, a cup, a lovey, blanket.. whatever the situation calls for.. do anything for 28 days and it becomes habit. It will take a little dedication on your part but you can with kindness help her break this habit. I feel like pointing it out to her is a negative.. like most kids, it just makes her do it more.. whatever you are doing dont stop just remove her finger, giver her something else and dont mention it. Dont make a big deal about it, if you dont, she wont! God bless!