Ideas for Breaking the Thumb Sucking

they have this nail polish that is non toxic made for kids that you could try, I sucked my thumb till i was 16 but only to sleep it was a bad habbit that i wish i could have broke but it deffinetly was a comfort thing.My teeth are fine . my thumb is double jointed from bending it back to suck on lol but i think if you really want her to stop try that nail stuff.If that dont work just stay on her about it. It will be hard.(I personaly dont believe a child can grow out of doing some thing that comforts them with out help i didnt and i dont kno if i would have if my rents pushed it maybe maybe not. hope you find the right answer.

I would want the thumb sucking to stop as well...the finger nail polish may work on a child that age (I never wanted to stop using the bottle, but I got a hold of my little brother's formula one day and that stopped me of ever wanting my bottle again!). As she gets older, she may grow out of it, but as one poster said, she did it till she was 16, so I wouldn't count on that - plus it's a bad habit that could have side-effects and could be germy. PLUS, it's harder to stop the older you get - I used to bite my nails and tried that horrible polish, but I would just pick it or bite it off and keep biting my nails and didn't stop biting them till I started smoking to replace one bad habit for another one. I FINALLY quit smoking as well, but it was HARD. Some people just have oral fixations...try the polish, see if it works - then maybe try to give her a sugar-free lollipop or something to distract her from that habit during the day...or have her wear mittens at night...? After a while, hopefully she will lose interest in that habit and it won't be an issue later on....good luck!!

My son finished with his thumb at about 6. At pre school, they told him his thumb was ok at nap time and at home we got him down to using it at bed time only. I've heard stories of kids who didn't give up till they were much older. It's not like you can take their thumb away from them, and some won't quit till they are ready no matter what you try. Once, when my son was about 1 1/2, while we were playing on the floor I gently pulled his favorite thumb from his mouth and held it for a bit. It was not too long before the other thumb sprang into action. So I let go his first and pulled out the other thumb. Sure enough his favorite thumb went back to work. Next I tried holding both his thumbs, and he got a little frustrated, so I offered him my thumb. He liked that idea and was sucking my thumb and then offered me his thumb for me to use. It was so silly! We ended up with a great tickle game. Babies are so cute!

I can feel for you. We have ultrasound pics from all 3 of mine sucking their thumbs. The first 2 don't any more, but 3 is a baby so we'll be dealing with it for a while.
I know a lot of people who don't care if their child sucked their thumb, but they mostly only sucked at night. My oldest sucked his thumb around the clock. If I wasn't interacting with him, or he wasn't eating it was in his mouth. We tried a few things starting around age 3. We told him if he'd no suck for a month he could have a dog... well that was awful. He wasn't ready to stop, but he wanted a dog so badly. so he'd suck, and then remember and then cry that he wouldn't be able to get a dog. After 3 days of him barely sleeping (because he needed his thumb), and crying we stopped for a bit. We tried a bunch more things, but finally when he was 4 1/2 we did it.
I think it was a combination of him being ready and the incentive we did. We started with telling him that he would get a nickel for every time of day that he didn't suck his thumb (bfast-snack, snack to lunch, lunch to snack, snack to dinner, dinner to bed). Initially that was hard enough that he'd usually get 3 nickels a day. I'd give him the nickel as soon as he earned it so it was an immediate reward. And as soon as he had 1 dollar I took him to the dollar store to cash in on the reward. (After a while that meant a dollar store trip every other day, but I was willing to do it)

After about a month he was going the whole day without sucking his thumb, so we just switched to if he didn't suck it all day he got a quarter. And we told him that if he didn't suck it at night he'd get 1 quarter. After another 2 months he was pretty consistent about not sucking at night too. We spent a bit of money, but it was so worth it to break the habit.

One key thing was that we never got after him if he did suck his thumb, his consequence was not getting the money.. and after just a few visits to the dollar store toy section he realized how much he wanted to earn that money.

I don't know if it helps, but it was our only successful attempt. Good luck!

Hello, this should help.

http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId...

Just wanted to put it out there that I sucked my thumb until I was 6 or 7 years old. Never needed braces or any type of dental work. My thumbs & my teeth are fine. :) I know a LOT of adults that have had the same experience as I have. (Thumb) sucking is a self-coping/self-soothing mechanism. This is how your daughter soothes herself b/c she (understandably due to age) lacks the skills to do so otherwise. If you do still insist that she stop, instead of punishing your daughter for self-soothing by making soothing herself in the way she knows how a miserable or shameful experience perhaps try to replace her thumb w/ something else. Give her a blanket/toy/doll/stuffed animal,etc. that she can substitute & teach her how to use it to comfort herself. Maybe teach her to sing a little song or to breath slowly or any combination of these things.

Remember that doctors are just people, too. Each one has their own opinion & it's up to you to listen you your own inner mommy voice, too! Good luck, everything will work out just fine.
S.

Why do you want to stop the thumb sucking?

Our 3 year old is also a thumb sucker, and our pediatrician has repeatedly said that he will outgrow it by the time he's 4-5 years old. It's a soothing mechanism, and he's really cut down on how frequently he does it (usually just as he's falling asleep now).

The problem with thumb sucking is that you can't throw away a thumb - it is always there, and they can always find it. Some people recommend putting tabasco or foul-tasting things on their thumbs. If your child is smart, they will wash it off and sneak their comfort when you're not paying attention.

We're trying to wean our 20 month-old daughter from a pacifier, but our pediatrician's advice for our son was to let him outgrow the thumb sucking on their own.

Our son is 2.5 years old and sucked his thumb constantly, even before birth like your daughter. His thumbnail got misshapen and his speech therapist said it was hindering his speech. So she suggested we try a drop of tabasco sauce on his thumb and tell him what it was. He did not like it. After just a couple days, all we had to do was say the word tabasco and he's pull that thumb away from him mouth. It's been about 4 months now, and he only sucks his thumb at night, which is ok with us. If you don't want her to do it at night, the only other thing I can suggest is try the little plastic thumb cover I've seen online.

Partially in response to other responders.. Thumb/finger sucking to the extent that her daughter is doing it an deform the mouth and teeth placement. It is very important to her child's dental development that she stop sucking her thumb.

Suggestions: A finger brace similar to what is used for a broken finger. Foul tasting spray made for nail biters. A glove or mitten similar to what is used to keep babies from scratching their faces.

You are not wrong in asking for help on this. It IS important that she stop sucking her thumb. The sore could become seriously infected, our mouths are NOT clean places. And there is the potential of needing braces later in life as well.

I have EXACTLY the same problem. Does anyone have any advice?

My niece sucked her thumb until she was age 6. Her thumb grew caluses. My daughter sucked thumb until age three. Then by her own will power she decided to quit and she did. I was amazed! I did not know a three year old could make a resolution and stick to it. I still think it was a miracle. I was told you can put something on the thumb to make it taste bitter and thiswill discourage sucking. Basically the child must grow out of it. AF

Do you want her to stop because her thumb is mis shaped now? Does she actually suck it or just hold it in her mouth? You could try putting something that doesn't taste very nice on her thumb. Although be aware that once she is 5 or 6 when she becomes more socially aware she may stop on her own , no kid likes to be different and noticed for being different.