My 15 month old sucks his thumb only when he's putting himself to sleep in his bed at night. After he falls asleep he pulls it out. (all of that to say he doesn't suck his thumb all day) This morning his thumb was twice the size of the other one and was red and chapped looking. Is that an infection? Any advice on what to do? Do I need to get one of those thumb guards already?
I wouldn't worry until he gets older, say 5-7 years old,when it will start to affect his new teeth. Two of my little daughters,3 and 5, suck their thumbs, much to our dismay. Our 5 year old does it much less now. And yes, their thumbs are larger and more callous than the others. Good Luck!
You might try giving him a pacifyer ( at bedtime only) and see if that will help him . If it wasn't for making his thumb sore, I wouldn't worry about it, but under the circumstances, a pacifyer may help for now.
My daughter's gets like that too, don't worry. It's just chapped. Vaseline will help, but I usually don't put any on because of the mess. It doesn't seem to bother her at all, so I don't worry about it.
It's normal for a child that sucks his/her thumb. As for the paci thing if it works fine. Remember some kids won't take one (I had one that wouldn't for any reason). They do grow out of it in time. In the future you may notice a slight difference in the shape of the thumbs but that is all. The other S.
I sucked my thumb until I was 5, and it was always bigger... but obviously there were no permanent problems. I am a firm believer in letting kids have their comfort-- thumb or paci. I think it is cruel to take that away from a child. Most kids won't go to Kindergarten with a paci or thumb in their mouth-- and if they do, then THAT would be the time to start some heavy negotiating! :)
My brother in law is a third year dental student...it's not a concern until after 4 or 5 years of age. And apparently the majority of kids will stop on their own without any coxing. My son sucks his thumb when he is sleepy or upset and throughout the night too. There are days when he wakes up with a chapped thumb and swelling...usually nights when he was a little more aggressive about it. If he complains that his thumb hurts (from being chapped) I put a little Vaseline or chap stick on it periodically through the day and that seems to help it heal.
I overheard our pedi dentist talking to another mom at our dental appt a few weeks ago. A mom was having this issue with an older child. She suggested putting socks on the childs hands. That sounds better than a thumb guard. Also, you may want to offer a pacifier while the socks are on so he has some comfort. You can always limit the pacifier to sleep times then remove the pacifier at a later date. If you don't want to transition him twice, then give him a blanket or something for comfort while socks are on. If the socks don't work, then maybe go to a thumb guard. However, it seems a bit drastic for a child at this age. I would try the socks first.
