How Do I Stop My 3.5 Year Old from Sucking His Thumb? He's Always Sick!

I sucked my thumb until I was 10. My mom tried the stuff you brush onto the thumb also, and I just sucked it off. I think they have a plastic molded thing that you can strap to your son's thumb that fits around the wrist, which is supposed to help. I never had that though. Your pediatrician might know what it's called or where you can get it, or he might have another suggestion altogether. I also had a "blankie" that I used while I sucked my thumb. My cousin moved in with us when I was 10 and told me that only babies suck their thumbs and have blankies, and then she threw my blanket away in the garbage. As soon as my blanket was gone, I didn't want to suck my thumb anymore. Does your son have a "lovey" that he uses while he sucks his thumb? If you got rid of that, he might stop on his own. Or is there another kid that is older that he looks up to? They could try telling him that what he is doing is for babies, and then he might stop. Thumb sucking is a really hard habit to break. I wish I had some more advice for you. Good luck!

It may not make you feel better, but your son was probably going to be sick anyway because he's in daycare. Hard to believe, but it's actually good for him to get sick now, because he'll be much less likely to get sick (or allergies) later on his life! You're doing great by washing his hands, and maybe you can also carry around wet wipes when you go places. But in the meantime... kids get sick. It happens.

I don't have any advice about the thumb sucking. My son is one and he is the same way. I worry that I'll be in the same boat someday, so I"ll be interested to see the responses you get.
I did want to share, however, that there are ways to boost his immune system in the meantime.
Vitamins are one. Shaklee has a great powder that you can mix in kids food, as well as a chewable for kids.
They also have a product called nutriferon that helps to naturally boost the body's production of interferon, which is the substance in the body that controls your immune system.
They use synthetic interferon for things like cancer and MS.
The man who discovered it spent 40 years trying to find a natural way to boost the body's production because the synthetic form has so many side effects. The result of his work is Shaklee's Nutriferon. I break it in half and grind it up to put in my sons bottle or juice. It works great.
You can find it at www.shaklee.net/rkklemm

I am anxious to see read some of the advice you get! My 4yr.old grandson is a thumbsucker also, Since birth. His Mommy and Daddy are trying to have him stop. They also used that liquid that tastes terrible!! but didn't help! I have seen those thumb guards in magazines like One Step (?). Have you thought of purchasing that. I have run that by my daughter in law, but so far she hasn't gotten it. They thought when their son started pre-school it would have stopped. Good Luck and will be watching for your responses to see if I can pick up on some help for grandson!
A.

Can't help you with the thumb sucking, but my 3 year old takes probiotics everyday and he is rarely sick. You can get them at health food stores. There are probiotics in yogurt, but not much. My 3 year old put EVERYTHING in his mouth up until he was nearly 3. We finally took the paci away from him and a couple months later, he stopped. I hope someone else has good advice about the thumb. Good luck! :)