Thumb Sucking - Flower Mound,TX

I saw a brace like thing for the hand in a one step ahead catalog, seemed strange- but if it saves you thousands in ortho bills- might be worth it.

I sucked my thumb until I was 7 years old. My mom did everything on the planet to get me to quit. The only reason I ended up being able to quit was because it was self-motivated. My daughter sucked her thumb until she was 8 years old. I thought she'd never quit, but again, the self-motivation was the only thing that worked! I never had braces and my teeth are great. My daughter has braces but only for a year and it was her back teeth that were the problem. My son never sucked his thumb and his teeth are a train wreck!! Good luck to you. I know it's frustrating, but eventually, he will outgrow it.

The more attention you give his thumb sucking the more determined he will be to continue to suck it. Don't worry about it. He is so young. I sucked my thumb until K and my mom never said a word about it. Once I began school, I never sucked it again. Same for my younger brother. Just ignore it.

I too sucked my thumb and now have a 5 year old with the same habit. My mother used a liquid on my thumb and it worked within a week. I have tried the same on my daughter and within a week or so she stopped sucking her thumb. (She didnt' like it. She screamed and had a fit when I put it on because she wanted to suck it not because it hurt.) The stuff is called Kick the Habit Stop the Bite by Hoof Hands and another brand is called Thum, thumb sucking and nail biting. They will suck it off over a few days but you just reapply every night. It just taste bad ....it doesn't burn the mouth.

I don't know if this is the right advice but my pediatric dentist told us that we should totally ignore the thumb sucking. We have a two-year-old that sucks her thumb literally all the time. The doctor said that the more we focus on it the more intense she'll do it but if we never say a word she'll more than likely stop doing this over time and naturally. She said that the focus on it will more likely create a thumbsucker that goes on until grade school but ignoring it will result in a gradual decline. Who knows. I've only got the one thumbsucker so I"ll wait and see. I have noticed that the things I freak out over seem to only get worse but the things I give time to and wait on take care of themselves.

I was a thumb sucker until the age of 23. Yes, 23 and did it through college. I think I'm a rare case. My family tried everything to get me to stop, which of course didn't work. It was a comfort thing.

One thing that came out of it was that I didn't need braces. My teeth are perfect. When I was growing up I always had a space between my two front teeth, just like my Dad, so when I finally stopped sucking my thumb and my teeth went back into place he was convinced I had caps put on my teeth. Anytime I would see a new dentist they would ask if I ever had braces and when I say no, they were shocked at how perfect and aligned my teeth are.

So, here I am today, 36 yo and expecting our first. On the 12 week ultrasound, the baby was sucking its thumb, it's even on the picture. I'm not worried a bit. In fact, I was excited that baby is taking after Mom.

Also, I grew normal, with normal relationships, normal life. Sucking my thumb that long did not interfere with anything in my world. Your baby is still young. Let him have his time.

At his age, just ignore it. My daughter sucked her thumb and I honestly don't remember when she quit. I was a thumb sucker and I know I did it while I was watching t.v., etc. in addition to bedtime.

Most children just stop on their own and like your first response said, you can buythings to put on your thumb that make it so distasteful they stop.

My DD (who is 4) sucks on two of her fingers. We honestly tried a lot of things. We did not do the bitter stuff, because we figured that she is such an avid sucker, that she would just suck it right off. What has worked for us is tape. We tape 2 of her fingers together all the time and that reminds her to not suck. We have to do it, she created a sore on one of her fingers, made her teeth move out of alignment, and deformed her finger on the opposite side. We have been constantly taping for a long time, but I figure when she starts Kindergarten in the fall that it will cease. Good luck

My 10 yr old granddaughter has been biting her nails and I found out through friends that there is a product and you can get it at CVS. Called Thumb. We could not find it but got Bite It and it workes. She is now not biting her nails. You just paint it on like nail polish and it tastes nasty. It is on until it wears off. I recommended it to one of my moms at the day care and she said she sucked her thumb and he will just have braces. Well braces hurt and are thousands of dollars and her son is getting a deformed mouth. To me licking that nasty habit would be a no brainer. I would do it in a heart beat. Good Luck G. W

Try pressing on the palm of his hand right in the middle of the palm. Do both hands at the same time. Press gently, only 20% of your strength. Hold the press for 7 seconds. Repeat this 5 times back-to-back. Do this once a day. This is the stimulation point for the Babkin Palmomental reflex and often times really helps prolonged thumb suckers.

Cranial sacral therapy can also help relieve the tension that may be causing the need for sucking.

there's a device that the orthodentist can insert in a thumb sucker's mouth. the thing is though a lot of times the thumb sucker will figure a way around that too. you might consult an orthodentist for their opinion. insurance might cover this... never know till you try. good luck.

A.,
A good friend of mine gave me great advice on something else, but I think it applies here too. Do you see any adults at the mall sucking their thumb? No, because your little man will grow out of it in his own time. When I was in kindergarden my parent and dentist cemented metal spikes in the roof of my mouth to get me to stop sucking my thumb. Needless to say it was terrible and tramatic! I rememeber the security I felt, and the one time I really needed that comfort, I would poke my thumb on those spikes!!! As soon as they took it out, I started again. I don't remember when I stopped, but I did. My teeth are perfect. I have no problems at all, and people comment on my smile all the time! (I never had braces or anything!) Relax, let kids be kids! There are many more important things you need to worry about! Oh and my parents tried the bad tasting stuff, I just cried until they couldn't stand the sound anymore and they came in and washed it off.

A.,
I don't have this problem however, my grandmother always tells me a story about my dad. He use to suck his thumb and he got a cut on his finger and had to wear a band-aid. Well, he asked his mom what to do, since he couldn't suck on it, she said use the other one. He tried it and then said it doesn't fit right. So he stop sucking it. Maybe try putting a band-aid even though he didn't cut it. But I think when he's ready he'll stop, like all things in life, until we are ready to give it up, we won't, no matter what people tell us what to do...
Good luck,

Here is a link to a site that I was given for my daughter. I have not purchased these yet but I need to. My daughter only sucks her thumb at night but a habit that is going to affect her teeth and has a little already. Good luck, it is a battle. I have tried that Thumb stuff that you can buy and it doed not work. You paint it on their thumb. http://stopthumbsucking.net/?gclid=COP0oLbDi5gCFRk_awodJA...

Our daughter is almost 4 and still sucks her thumb. We have never really made it into a big deal, and the frequency has really diminished over the years. Now she only sucks her thumb at bedtime when she is really sleepy, or when she needs comfort. She even says she doesn't like to do it cause only babies suck their thumbs, so I do believe she will stop on her own very soon. I also sucked my thumb until about age 5 or 6 when I stopped on my own -- my parents never made a big deal about it either.

I have two boys that suck their thumb and one that is addicted to the binky. I can tell you that the thumb sucking will gradually decline as they mature. But even my 7 y/o in a quiet moment when no one is looking will stick his thumb in his mouth. I actually prefer the thumb sucking to the pacifier. I don't worry about any of it too much because I figure that maturity and peer pressure will solve the problem eventually. Here is a silly story I wrote about my binky and thumb sucking woes:

http://www.junecleavernirvana.com/2008/10/at-least-it-was...

Mine still sucks too. She is also 2 1/2 I am hoping that she out grows it!

L.

I know this sounds ridiculous but there is this liquid that you can paint on his thumbs that makes this thumb taste horrible and bitter and it is safe. They use it to stop nail biting habits as well. Here is a link to one of them, but I am sure there are many others. Try to google it. http://www.health-store.com/MAVALA_Stop_for__270.html

A.,
I wouldn't worry about your son's thum sucking. To him, it's just a security thin, like having a favorite stuffed animal or a fave blankie. It brings him comfort.
Be thankful it's not a pacifier that you have to worry about dropping on the floor at WalMart or carrying a spare in case that one gets lost!
I know some parents worry about misaligned teeth but I sucked my thumb until I was 8! (Yes, I said 8.) I had two front teeth like a bunny that went right back to normal soon after giving up the thumb (without braces).
Your son will grow out of it eventually, but only when he's ready. Also, feel assured that once he's in preschool and around his peers and teachers, he'll probably become too preoccupied with his hands to suck his thumb.
Be patient and good luck!

Thumb Sucking is natural... it is a comfort for children. While it has become "taboo" in our society, it is not harmful. One of my daughters liked her thumb, the other the paci. They both gave those up around age 4-- when THEY were ready. Most kids don't go to Kindergarten with a paci or sucking a thumb-- only start to worry when that time gets closer.

Hi A.,

I have wonderful insight in this area, for I was a thumb sucker when I was little. For me it was all about the security and comfort of the thumb, and the harder my family tried to make me stop the greater my desire was for my thumb. My Great Grand mother was the one who got me to stop. She told me that it was alright to comfort myself but I must be careful not to cause harm to myself in the process and that's when she explained to me about all the different germs and parasites that I could have been introducing to my little healthy body. Our conversation took place during one of our "cuddle" sessions and was so sweetly and gently explained, that it made such a lasting impact on me. And with that (and no additional family pressure for me to stop) I cut back my thumb sucking to only at bedtime with in a month of us having that conversation, and was completely done before the end of grade school never to return.

I have perfectly aligned teeth, no speech problems and never needed an Orthodontist.

So have a little patience with your little one, it will work out for the best.

~M.
Frisco, TX

You've gotten a lot of good advice about ignoring it for now, which I agree with. Two of my three children sucked their thumbs. My oldest did stop when she turned 4, but reverted back when her sister was born a few months later. She was probably 7ish by the time we got her to stop again, although nightimes were harder (we taped her thumb and that worked!). My second child was much better at doing it herself, when she was in Kindergarten.

Making an issue of it only makes them cling to the habit more, because it is a comfort.

Coming from a mom of 2 thumb suckers- (my 7 year old still does it) there is nothing you can do to stop it. Especially at such a young age. Our dentist says you really cant stop it until the child wants to. There are things you can buy that restrict them from doing it, but I dont think your little one is old enough for something like that. As for the stuff that tastes bad- my daughter just washed her hands and sucked until the nasty taste was gone. She did not care. It is a comfort thing- and yes it drives me crazy somedays! My oldest will have to have braces to correct the damage done, but we will deal with it. My 3 year old still does it, and they say that most children outgrow the habit by the age 4. So for now, I say let him have it- it means alot to him! Trust me- I have tried it all. ONe more thing- the bigger deal you make of it, the more they want to do it.

I had a thumb-sucker also. What finally worked is his pediatric dentist told him to create a chart with mom, and mark each day that he didn't suck his thumb. When he had 10 straight days of no thumb-sucking, bring in his chart and she would give him 10 dollars. That was the cure! I think it was the combination of the charting, coming from a source of authority (and not mom!), and of course, the money. Your child may be too young for this to work, but keep it in mind if he continues. My boy was about 5 when he finally stopped! Some people say they will stop once they get in school. However, he wouldn't suck during school, but would resume once he got home. Good luck!