Thumbsucker

I was all set to say, "oh, he'll outgrow it. My 3 year old till sucks his thumb" then I read that your son is eight. But even so, I don't think that would bother me too much.

Is it affecting his teeth? Because, if not, I don't really see a problem with it. He obviously knows it isn't really the done thing, to suck your thumb in public but if he does it in the privacy of his own home, does it matter? I know several adult thumbsuckers. You would never know unless they told you. And thumbsucking is probably preferable to some other habits anyway. That said, most children grow out of it at some point and I am sure he won't be sucking his thumb during job interviews.

Also, I think drawing attention to it won't help. My parents nagged and nagged me about nail-biting and thumb-sucking and all it did was make me feel annoyed and I ended up doing it more. If you can ignore it, perhaps he;ll stop when he is ready?

Sorry I don't have a magic solution. Good luck.

Hi K.,

Thankfully my little guy never sucked his thumb or a paci or anything.. But I was a thumbsucker as a kids and I hate to admit it but I didn't stop until I was about 21!! I don't think it kept me from sleeping over at friends houses as I would only do it with my special pillow so if I left the pillow at home, then no thumbsucking. I just had to grow out of it no matter what my mom tried to make me stop.

Not sure if that's comforting or not?? :)

I have tried just about everything for my 5 year old daughter and this is where we are now. I tried the really expensive plastic bracelets (don't waste your money) she broke both of them pulling them off her thumb in the middle of the night. When she was 2 i tried the Mavala bitter stuff and it worked for about a week but then she just didn't care anymore and sucked it anyway. I tried hot sauce, but she actually likes it, so that didn't work.

Right now she really wants to stop(i think someone at school said something to her) so we are trying the Mavala stuff again. She can't stand the taste right now and she did try in her sleep so we came up with the idea of putting a sock on her hand so she doesn't accidentally put her thumb in her mouth and get the nasty taste.

It has only been 3 days but we have gone 3 days without her sucking her thumb which is huge and she is so proud of herself. A couple of things, i think this is working because she wants to do it and is on board with it, the other thing is be prepared to get up in the middle of the night. I have been getting up 3 or 4 times because either the sock comes off or she accidentally puts it in her mouth and she needs milk to get rid of the taste. It really does taste bad, i tried it.

I think i may sew the sock onto her jammies so i don't have to worry about it anymore. She is really proud of herself and the first thing she says is i went all night without sucking my thumb. Good luck.

Have you tried Mavala?? It's for nail biters and thumb suckers....I guess something you put on the nail?. I haven't tried it as I'm far from being there yet, but was doing some reading on things you can do to help them to stop. Not sure it can be purchased at the store, but I know I saw it on Amazon. Good luck.

Talk to your dentist, they have a device, like a retainer, that they put at the roof of the mouth to stop thumb sucking.

Hi K.,

I think the best approach is to wait until he is ready to give it up for himself. Try not to fuss over him about it or tell him he shouldn't be doing it. Instead, when he complains how it affects him, address it only when he brings it up. For example, if he says it affects his ability to go to a friend's house overnight, you could say "try to not suck your thumb just when you're at your friend's house"(and keep your approach "matter of fact"). Then if he does it, ask him how it was to not do it for a night. Over time he'll get the idea that he can live without it. Be patient - peer pressure is more effective for this one.
He is using it for security, and as a transition object. I would lavish on the attention when you are with him. He will let go of it sooner if he does this on his own.
Best of luck!
A.

Unfortunately, you probably are just going to have to wait it out. I sucked my thumb well into my teens...unconciously though. I would wake up sucking on it and pull it out. My 3 year old son now sucks his thumb and it really doesn't bother me. I am prepared for a long time of this happening! if his teeth are looking good, you are probably going to have to ignore it. None of the "tricks" ever worked on me.