Hello all,
My 3 month old just started finding her thumb and has been sneaking it in her mouth the last few days. I have a pacifier (which I initially hesitated to use) but as I'm sure you all are aware does not stay in her mouth very long before she finds her thumb again.....any advice on how to stop this habit before it starts???? Thanks once again for the insight! Sheri
Keep after it with the pacifier. Its a whole lot easier to get rid of than the thumb when the time comes. Just keep putting the pacifier in her mouth whenever she goes for the thumb.
On the bright side: you won't be getting up in the night putting her pacifier back in her mouth! I understand your worry, but I wouldn't worry too much at this point, but rather appreciate the fact she can soothe herself.
I was a thumb sucker. In fact it was not until I had my first kid that I stopped, because I realized how silly it looked to have a kid and still be sucking your thumb. My parents tried several things to keep myself and two younger siblings from sucking our thumbs. I was once even told that poison had been placed on my thumb and I would die if I sucked it. This worked until my brother told me that it was not true. Wrapping my thumb in gauze and tape helped. Good luck.
I think its great when babies are able to calm themselves. My daughter sucked her thumb for 8 months and then decided she wanted the passie. With the thumb, when she would wake up in them middle of the night she could just start sucking her thumb and then go back to sleep. But when she switched to the passie, all of then sudden we were up several times a night having to stick that thing back in. Most kids stop by them selves. I wouldn't worry about it yet.
The more you try to stop it, the more frustrated YOU will become. Babies go thru many fazes of trying to pacify themselves. Some stick, but most don't. If she can find her thumb and make herself relax what harm is there?
Just my humble opinion, but one of my favorite things is to see a baby sucking their thumb. So........take it easy, I say, and wait and see if it will even be an issue.
My oldest sucked his thumb in public until kinder, then in private until 10, then only in his sleep until 12. My middle had a pacifier until 3. My baby did both but neither stuck and quit both on her own within a week of starting each one.
Good Luck and God Bless
My second baby started sucking her thumb around that time and I tried to substitute the pacifier but she always went back to the thumb. I worried a little bit about it and then did a bunch of research and decided to just let it be. She is two and a half now and it started tapering off quite a while ago, now she only sucks it to fall asleep. So don't worry about it. I would like to guess that if a child's emotional needs are met and they are happy and busy and get lots of interaction and positive reinforcement the thumb will naturally disappear in good time and they won't feel a need to cling to it forever. It's happened so effortlessly with my little one that I almost didn't notice she'd quit sucking it during the day. I must say I loved the whole self soothing thing, she could just take care of it while my friends would be frantically searching for a pacifier for their baby or endlessly picking up and licking (ewww gross) dropped or chucked pacifiers. Don't worry, just enjoy!
Ok, it is way too early to start thinking about stopping this she is only 3 months. Babies need to learn how to self soothe and if this is comforting by all means let her do it. My daughter is now 17 months was always and still is when she is tired a two finger sucker and I am still not trying to stop this because she is comforted by it. Chances are she needs it now and will grow out of it later.
All my kids sucked their thumbs. I found that, since thumbs don't fall on the floor in the middle of the night, and they get washed frequently, thumbsucking was a means of self-soothing that mom could live with. Aslo, when a baby is active & playing, the thumb won't be in the mouth!
Good luck & happy mothers day!
I had one child that must have sucked her thumb from before birth. She is now going on her 4th year of braces (severe open bite.) The others we were successful just removing the thumb and putting the paci in (they did not sleep or walk around using it all day) or we just took the thumb out consistently as much as we could. Eventually they grew out of the need to suck. If she didn't start until 3 months she probably just needs to suck more. Keep nursing if you are and don't cut back just yet and see if it decreases.
