Thumbsucking - Powell, OH

The best advice I can give you is to let them stop on their own. If you are constantly telling them to stop, they will need the confort it provides even more. One of my daughters sucked her fingers until she was 5 or 6, then one day she just stopped. The bigger deal you make of it, the more they need it. If you ignore it, they will most likely stop. I sucked my thumb WAY too long. My parents were constantly telling me to stop and it just humiliated me and made me need it more so I got better at hiding it.

Hello,
Luckily, my children didn't get into the binki's or thumb sucking. However, a friend of mine just called this week and told me she is also trying to break her two girls of sucking their thumbs her oldest is 5 and her youngest is 4.
In the day she has them wear socks or mittens over their hands if they start to suck their thumbs. At night, she puts them in their pj's and then puts one of their fathers long sleeve button down tops on them or a long sleeve t-shirt and then she ties each arm of the long shirt closed with a rubberband so they can't suck their thumbs at night while they are sleeping. She said it has worked and her youngest has stopped sucking her thumb after 5 days and the older one took a little longer but is now doing better. She would somehow take her arm out of the shirt at night and suck her thumb. They also told them that they would take them to a movie when they stopped sucking their thumbs.
I hope this helps.
Good luck!

I was a thumbsucker, and nothing worked on me. Finally, in 4th grade, I got an implant on the roof of my mouth that prevented the "unconscious" sucking I did in my sleep. It looked like a retainer, just behind my teeth instead of in front. The thumb simply couldn't fit. The only (mild) ill effect was a slight and temporary speech impediment for the 9 mos I had it. Talk to an orthodontist about the implant, which probably has a creative name I can't recall.

As for daytime sucking, my parents said I couldn't go to kindergarten unless I could control myself while awake.

Hi -

Nothing is foolproof where the living body is concerned! My response is from my perspective as a CranioSacral Therapist. I work with many children and babies - some of whom are thumbsuckers. Sometimes the child is sucking his/her thumb because it relieves pressure in the bones of the head and the mouth - all of which must move in very specific ways in order to allow for the brain and nervous system to work smoothly. The bones of the mouth are often affected during the journey through the birth canal - and when the bone of the mouth are out of alignment, they will cause restrictions in the "joints" of the other bones in the head. All of this can create discomfort as well as impair sensory processing.
So, my suggestion is that you look for a CST on
www.upledger.com - click on Find a Practitioner and list your city and state. Be sure to ask the person if they have been trained to work with babies and children, and ask for examples of their work with situations similar to yours.
Good luck!
P. Y

Hi E.

One of my children sucked their thumb. I was concern because of his teeth. The denist said that he will stop when they are ready and not to make such a big deal over it. It is better to have a well adjusted child then one with psychological problems. Also he said it is alot easier to fix a few crooked teeth than the mind. Remember this is their security and their comforting. My son did give it up along with his blanket before he turned 6. D.

I am also working on my 5 year old's thumbsucking. Because I was a thumbsucker, I'm trying to be as gentle as possible. I know that there are times she needs it for comfort, but there are times it is just habit.
For now, we are working on only sucking when comfort is needed, such as hurt, sad, or going to sleep. I just remind her each time she has it at the inappropriate time and she pops it right out. I feel like if the habit of having it and not noticing it goes away, it will eventually get easier.
Maybe with twins you can get them to remind each other. Good luck!

I sucked my thumb until third grade. My teacher gave me "super sticks" (which were just coffee straws) for everyday that I could keep my thumb out. When the sticks added up, I picked a prize. I stopped sucking my thumb within the year. A reward system that is similar might work if you can involve your teachers. Most I think would be willing to help like this. Being that the kids are with them most of the day, they need to be involved. I'm thirty two years old, I remember Mrs. Guyette the most!!!

put cayenne pepper on thier thumbs that s what my mom did to me and it worked

A little about me: I am a sahm of 4. Girls 5 1/2yrs,4 yrs, 2 1/2 mo. and a son 22 months.

My son was a thumb sucker and we use a product called stop bite. I found it at Walmart in the nail polish section. I put it on his thumb and he stopped by the end of the 2nd day. You put the liquid on the nail, I think it was twice a day. He did not even fuss. Hopefully this was helpful.

try thumbguard. u can buy it online. www.thumbguard.com (i think). worked for my son. within 2 weeks he stopped.

E. I had a boy who would suck his thumb frequently when he was young. Once he had a very unpleasant sore on his thumb from the constant wetness and sucking. I told him it would get much worse if he kept it up and he needed to switch hands for awhile. he could accept that but it wasn't quite as comforting. So he didn't seem to do it as much. As the other thinmb healed he had already started to suck much less frequently anyway. I also told him that while i understood his difficulty in letting it go, he had to begin to not do it outside our home. I told him i would not hassle him about it at home but he was getting too old to do it beyond the walls of his house. that too he could reason with and again it became less of a crutch because he would be away from home for longer periods. Plus anytime he came home I reminded him he had to wash his hands with soap and water before he was allowed to start thumbs sucking again. I was hesistant to make him stop cold turkey because i could think of worse habits, but I tried to make it less conveinient for him to do it. Hope this helps. Ruby73 in Euclid Ohio

I was a thumbsucker as a child, in face I sucked my thumb until I was 13, yes I know that is very old. My parents tried everything and nothing would work. I only did it at night and when I was sleepy. I know both dentists and drs told my parents I would have problems with my teeth, but that was never the case. I dont' have buck teeth, they are perfectly straight, my dentist as an adult thought I had braces because my teeth are so straight, so sucking my thumb didn't effect that at all.
I think it's more important to find out why your twins suck their thumbs. We moved around a great deal, my dad was in the military, and I believe sucking my thumb was a security blanket for me.
I think making a big deal about wanting your kids to stop will make it a power struggle instead of just letting them stop when they are ready.
Hope that helps.

I know I will probaly be having a problem, because my 7 month old sucks her thumb all the time.

As soon as kids at school start teasing them- they will stop. Sounds mean- and it is but peer pressure is the best way to change behavior.

try gloves when they sleep or try the gel you get for your nails to stop biting them its called "stop the bite" you can get it at walmart in the polishes :)