Hi, I always seem to be needing advice/help, and writing questions. But there has been some awesome answers given to me on Mamasource!!!
I have a 2-1/2 yr old that sucks her finger... She has never been to daycare or away from me for long, I do not yell at her or treat her like an animal, we have a happy home. She started this one month before her new baby brother was to be born. I bought the Thum stuff, but finally decided THAT is too mean (the crazy stuff must have hot peppers in it!!) She cried like she hurt when I used it. We tried some tape, but she took it right off. It is her pointer finger that she sucks, now in the winter it is looking so shriveled up and water logged (and ugly :( ) Not to mention her front teeth are bucking out bad. She does it at odd times, not JUST when she is tired, but she might be playing or watching a dvd...My husband sucked his thumb when he was a pretty big kid and his teeth are still weird from it. Is finger/thumbsucking hereditary?
This is the best self regulator she has. Do not try to interfere with that or you will see her start to get tics and other anxieties.
you have been given good advice.
As an orofacial myologist I do address non nutritive habits such as idgit sucking--as a dental hygienist I can also say that it is rare to see much damage done until after the age of 5.
Digit sucking releases endorphins, and is self soothing. Often children are also mouthbreathers, or do not have optimal swallows, and other growth/developmental glitches and the digit sucking relieves the temporary stress.
Unless your childs finger becomes raw then prone to infection, I would wait until age 4-5 to address. If you are in the Daytona area, I assist stopping these behaviors in 1-3 visits. If you are not nearby, I'll refer you to a capable therapist when your child is older.
Good Luck,
B.
I really agree with what the other mom have said, if it seems to calm your child and they have found a way to self soothe, let it go. You child WILL grow out of it! Promise!
Be realistic. Is the fact that her finger is "ugly" a real issue? Probably not. Are there any health threatening reasons she shouldn't suck her finger? Doubtful. Do you think your daughter will need braced anyway? Many kids do! I have been told that nursing my son (he is 2) will cause him to have "buck" teeth. My response is always the same... I had braces and my husband did too! We have dental insurance, and I am not so vain to be upset about my child having "buck" teeth, especially not at age 2 or even 7. When the time comes to get braces for your daughter (if you do) she will probably be old enough for you to tell her, that she cannot suck on her finger unless she wants to wear braces forever. She may still suck on her finger for a while, but once she sees friends of hers getting their braces off, she will quickly do whatever she has to do to get rid of them. Look on the bright side, if this is your biggest worry, you have a good life. There are homeless families who would love to worry about a finger sucker as opposed to where their next meal will come from. Good luck!
I don't think there is any heredity to finger/thumb sucking.
Our 3.5 year old has been a thumb sucker since birth. He's really weaned himself from it a lot over the past few months. Used to be an all the time thing, now he only does it when he's tired.
It's a coping mechanism and comforts them. Perhaps, there's some stress your daughter can't verbally express, and she's dealing with it by sucking her finger. That's my best guess.
To help with it being chapped, our pediatrician recommended using Aquaphor on it as it's safe if it gets in their mouths. My husband has also been known to put chap stick on our son's in the winter when it chaps.
My son sucks his thumb and he's 3. He does it when he's getting tired or while he's sleeping.. He's done it since birth.. He sucks so hard that he has a calis on his right thumb... To be honest I'm not worried about it right now. It's a comfort mechanism to him for the time being....
I sucked my thumb until about 4 and I have no issues with my teeth..
Good luck!
my son is now 11 an sucked his thumb until 3rd grade. when he was younger, we did try things like mittens on his hand at night, and rewards, etc... nothing worked. the pediatrician said he would stop when the other kids laughed at him, he really didnt suck at school, and one kid did laugh when he saw him suck his thumb in the car, and my son just laughed along with him! anyway we did bring him to the orthodontist to see when he would need braces, and the orthodontist said he would need to stop before his adult teeth came in. We really didnt bug him too much about it, but did talk about it every now and then. After a few more visits to the orthodontist for reviews, the orthodontist did give us the yucky stuff you put on your fingers. We never used it, but my son did stop all of a sudden - he says he stopped because the knew there were germs on his hands, and he didnt want to get sick.
This is a long response, I H. it helps. I wouldnt worry too much now and dont bug her too much about it.
Sucking fingers or thumb helps to move cranial bones along the suture joints of the skull. Under stress people whose cranial bones are misaligned automatically try to correct that by sucking. Cranial adjustments are sometimes done with the patient sucking to aid in the adjustment.
You are so correct to not do that horrible stuff to try to stop it. Imagine trying to correct something and having someone put that terrible stuff on your finger or thumb.
Check with the International Chiropractic Pediatric Assn for someone to correct the misalignment, and find a chiro for your husband too.
best. k
