Sucking Thumb

I was going to recommend olive oil and coconut oil as well. You probably already have olive oil on hand, but coconut oil is worth it too. It's great for cooking. :)

Don't use vaseline! I agree it is a petroleum based product! You could try pure lanolin. It is used for breastfeeding mamas on dry or sore nipples. I used it for that, and found out my son was allergic to lots of lotions and diaper creams. So I used the lanolin on everything from diaper rash to nipples. You can find it in in the baby isles at store with the bottles and breast pumps.
E
mom to 3 and 2 year old boys and 6 mth old girl

I hate to demean anyones advice but please don't put vaseline on your baby's thumb. It's a petroleum product and very dangerous to babies. Especially if ingested.
I would recommend putting olive oil on it or if you can get it, coconut oil. Both are perfectly safe if he were to get it in his mouth. I hope he heals soon!

Maybe Lansinoh? That is already "food grade" since it is used for sore/red nipples when breastfeeding. It should soothe/protect and be safe.

Vaseline is probably the safest, but most lotions aren't going to hurt him if you put them on his thumb during the day when he is up and give it a little while to soak, once soaked in to the skin he is fine. Plus if they taste bad he is less likely to suck. Good luck...my skin is super dry and my hands are cracked from so much water contact, I put aquaphor on 3-5 times a day with no avail!

J.; yes thumb sucking can be a very bad habit, however this is why they made pacifiers, when he needs to suck , which is a natural thing, take out the thumb and put in a pacifier, i know you dont want him hooked on this either, but it will save his little thumb, and pacifiers are easier to take away than a thumb, but give the pacifier when he needs it, when he is sucking his thumb just gently remove it, and insert pacifier, let him satisify his sucking needs, when the need is done, take it out, any way , enjoy life and have a good day, D. s

My now 3 year old had this same problem when he was 6 months. I called the dr. and they said not to put anything on it and to try to get him to suck on his other thumb for a few days. They also had me watch it for signs of infection - if that happened they would put something on it (I forget what) and wrap it up in a mini cast.

The thought of that was enough to motivate to work with him - whenever he put his thumb in his mouth I would gentely remove it and put his other thumb in his mouth. After a few days his thumb looked much better and he started alternating which thumb he would suck on his own - never had the problem again!

Best of luck to you - I remember being really anxious and worried when this happened!

K.

I would put the sock on his hand. My son is now 4 and still sucks his thumb. When he was little I thought it was so cute and it help him sleep at night. Then when he got older he started to suck him thumb all the time. He sucked his thumb so much his thumb nail has actually fallen off. My husband and I have tried everything! We are now going to resort to an expensive devise that the dentist will put in his mouth. It is getting to the point where his teeth are crooked from him thumb always being in his mouth and he will be starting school next year so I don’t want the other kids to laugh at him. So my advise would be to stop it before it goes to far.

How about the cream for breatfeeding moms. It has been awhile, I forgot the name. It is for cracked nipples. Obviously safe for a child sucking a thumb too.

lansinoh makes a wonderful nipple cream for sore nipples..it is made of lanolin and 100% baby safe...it is about $7 for a tube...works wonders!! give it shot.

Try lanolin. When I was breastfeeding my son, my nipples cracked and were dry, and I was advised to use lanolin. If it's ok for babies to suck on lanolin on the breast, I don't see why it wouldn't be ok on your son't thumb. It's a natural moisturizer, babies do not mind the neutral taste, and it is obviously safe to "consume".

The brand I use was put out by the breast pump manufacturer Medela, and it was called PureLan 100. If you go to Target, it will be by the breast pumps. A little goes a LONG way. For your little guy's thumb, I would put like half of a pea-sized drop.

Good luck!

I don't know if you're familiar with Arbonne products but the baby line is great and safe! My husband and I even use the baby oil and lotion on our dry hands in the winter. It's not petroleum based and there is no mineral oil. Let me know if you'd like to try a sample.

And I agree that trying to get him to switch back and forth is a great idea. Best of luck!

N.

My son spit out the paci at about 4 months and wants nothing to do with it and has since been sucking his thumb. Around his 18 month appointment the joint at his palm cracked open and the main knuckle cracked too. I asked his Ped. and she said to do nothing. Since then, the knuckle has formed a callus and the other area goes in cycles. We have been working with him for several weeks to stop sucking when he is awake and that seems to have helped too. I know you can get thumb guards to help them learn not to suck but our Ped. said not to worry about it yet. So we just keep an eye on it and try to keep it as dry as we can.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do!
R.