Thumb Sucking - Macungie,PA

I never personally had this problem with my children, but my mom always gave people the advise to put tobassco sauce on their thumb. It worked for my brother.

I would slather lotion on her hands to avoid her putting her thumbs in her mouth. Wrap her thumbs with gauze.Sorry i really dont have great suggestions

I was a thumb sucker and my parents tried a lot of things to get me to stop. They used to put Bag Balm, which is an antiseptic ointment farmers use on cows teats, on my thumbs. I would lay in bed and do my best to wipe it off until I could tolerate the taste enough to suck my thumb.
I never quit until I was around 11 and then it was of my own decision. As others have said it is a security issue and the bigger deal you make of it, the worse it gets.
You might see a change in the frequency of the thumb sucking once she starts school. She may only do it at night.
Honestly I wouldn't let it worry you to much.

My son sucked his thumb until he was five. I can't tell you what to do as much as I can tell you what not to do. Don't under any circumstances let anyone make your child feel bad about sucking her thumb. It will only make them feel more insecure and need it more. We told my son that he shouldn't put his hands in his mouth because he was getting to be a big boy and he was touching germs all the time. We told him to try to keep his hands out of his mouth so that he wouldn't get sick. Whatever we told him it was very calm and non-judgemental. He would do really well during the day but at night we would find him with his thumb in his mouth. If one person said one negative thing to him about being a baby or "stop sucking your thumb" it would set us back weeks. Eventually everyone stopped teasing him about it. We reminded him when we saw him doing it in a matter-of-fact way and eventually we reminded him less often. When we caught him we would just quietly whisper in his ear "Remember what we talked about"...or "Remember the germs." Sometimes I would carefully give a gentle tug and pull it out and give him a quick look so that we didn't draw attention to it. The idea was to not embarass him but to remind him. This may not work for everyone but it worked great for us. Once we got everyone to stop teasing him he stopped within a few weeks. I hope this helps. We never put anything on his fingers but I have heard that gloves can help at night. Good luck!

Hi K.,

When I was young, my mother got me to stop biting my nails by letting me wear nail polish if I let them grow. That completely broke me of the habit!! Maybe something like that would work for your daughter.

D.

Hi K.. My 2-year-old sucks her thumb, just like I did. I actually read somewhere that if the mom was a thumb-sucker there's a greater chance their children will suck their thumbs. Thought that was kinda weird. Hope she doesn't pick up ALL of my bad habits.

When I was little I actually sucked my thumb until around 3rd grade. I know it drove my parents crazy, but I don't think they ever tried to get me to stop. Or maybe they did and it just didn't work ;>)

What I plan on doing with my daughter is just letting her go with it. Sometimes I try to distract her...give her something else to do other than stick her cute little thumb in her mouth. But she mostly does it when she's tired and I think it helps her get to sleep.

I wouldn't worry too much about it. I never needed braces or anything after all my years of thumb sucking, and the dentist I went to said sucking my thumb didn't push my teeth out of place or anything.

Sorry I don't have any answers for you, but I certainly understand your concerns. Is there anything else (like a toy or a blankie) that your daughter really loves that you can try to substitute when she starts to suck her thumb? Sometimes distraction does work with my daughter...

give her some time.. there is obviously a security issue... either let her grow out of it.. encourage her when she does things that do not involve sucking the thumb.. but do not mention that she is not sucking her thumb.. maybe sit down and talk with her.. make it clear that this is not a big issue.. but try to open her up and talk about what fears she might have.. but dont push the issue of stopping thumb sucking.. encourage her to do other things that thumb sucking is hard to do while doing.. (like reading books with her.. or encouraging her to read.. coloring.. other activities that will make her a happy and confident little girl growing up to be a "big girl")

in whole.. love and time is all you need..

In respond to your 4 yr old girl that sucks her thumb...My daughter is 10 yrs old and still sucks her thumb. That is something you are not going to be able to break her from. My daughter never took a pacifer. From day one she was a Blankie and Thumb baby. And even until today she is the same way. When I said something to the Doctor's about it they said that it was a form of security for her that she will carry it with her for as long as she feels needed. She don't suck her thumb as much anymore now just when she grabs her blankie or is tired. I've tried all types of things to get her to stop and nothing worked. She would just wash her hands and say it was clean even though it still stunk or tasted nasty. I wish you the best of luck. I just let my daughter go and do her own thing.

I too have a 4 year old who loves sucking her thumb and also shows no signs of stopping. I talked to her pediatrician and he said dont fight a battle you cant win. He said they will grow out of it when they arte ready too. He did ask her to please only suck her thumb at night. She agreed to this and has really been trying to stick to that. I think the fact that he met her half way and the fact that he still allowed this action verses trying to take it away, she was more agreeable and willing to make the effort. She still sucks her thumb but I do notice that it is less frequent. When I do see her starting to do it I usually ask her to help me do whatever I am doing and without knowing I got her to stop.
But what a difference in the amount of time she spent with that thumb in her mouth! Good Luck

TRY A LITTLE HOT SAUCE THAT DOSE WORK.

I have a 12 year old step daughter who sucked/sucks her thumb constantly and it has led to dental problems with her. She actually had an indent in the middle of her two front baby teeth and her adult front teeth protude a bit and she most likely should have braces. My daughter, who is now six started sucking her thumb early and I did everything over and over to get her to stop. She eventually got to the point where she only does it in bed and I still go in while she is sleeping and pull it out. My advice would be to keep doing what your doing and try to make her stop. Don't make a big deal about it with her but keep reminding her that it's not something she should be doing.

I would just let her grow out of it herself. I sucked my thumb until I was 12, no lie 12. I usually did it when I went to sleep, I guess it was a comfort thing for me. It might be the same way for her. It's not a major issue right now and I wouldn't stress over it. At least she's not still wanting a bottle.