Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Saved Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Flip

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

1 2

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

Behaviour/development

When did your baby find their thumb to suck?

35 replies

JollySleepyGiant · 27/09/2013 19:09

DD is very sucky. I keep thinking she'd be happier if shelearned to suck her thumb.

OP posts:

Report

PinkPepper · 27/09/2013 19:09

About 3 months I think maybe 4

Report

SuperiorCat · 27/09/2013 19:11

DS was sucking his thumb in his 20 week scan picture

Report

ShowOfHands · 27/09/2013 19:13

Never. Two DC, neither sucked their thumbs.

Report

froken · 27/09/2013 20:39

Ds sucked his thumb as soon as he was born, he still had his cord attracted and was all wet and slippery on my chest.

We gave him a dummy as I really didn't want him to suck his thumb.

Report

JollySleepyGiant · 27/09/2013 21:26

See, I really don't want to give her a dummy. But she's just not coordinated enough to keep her hand in her mouth. She's quite happy sucking my finger though.

OP posts:

Report

MiconiumHappens · 27/09/2013 21:28

Ha another for the womb

Report

rattlemehearties · 27/09/2013 21:28

10 weeks I think. Right at the time we were thinking of introducing a dummy out of desperation!

Report

Minty82 · 27/09/2013 21:30

A couple of minutes after being born, but she hardly ever did it again! Sucking my or DH's finger was an essential trick for a couple of months (I'd totally forgotten that!), but she never really got addicted to her own thumb, and we didn't want to use dummies (tried once or twice but were quite relieved when she didn't take to them).

Report

PurpleFairy3 · 27/09/2013 21:30

DS started doing it last month, so just under 3 months. He doesn't have a dummy and he likes to suck his thumb to go to sleep! I hope he doesn't keep the habit up into the toddler years...

Report

irishmum · 27/09/2013 21:32

I would introduce a dummy....sooo much easier to get rid of!

Report

Suddengeekgirl · 27/09/2013 21:33

Dd started before 12weeks - in the womb!
She was sucking her thumb in her 12 week scan picture!

Report

bigTillyMint · 27/09/2013 21:34

Yup, DD was sucking her thumb on the scans.
She is still sucking it over 14 years on!

I tried to give her a dummy but she just spat it out and stuck her thumb back in!

Report

LoopThePoop · 27/09/2013 21:37

In the womb!
I have the pictures to prove it.
She stopped when she was born though and found boob. Never took a dodi or bottle.... EVER.

Yawn.

Report

JollySleepyGiant · 27/09/2013 21:40

I do have issues with dummies. But I never even considered it with DS. DD is just so much more sucky and would be much more content.

She's in only 5 weeks old.

OP posts:

Report

PeggyCarter · 27/09/2013 21:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

froken · 27/09/2013 21:48

I was also anti dummies but it worked out really well forus, he has the dummy when he is in his car seat and occasionally in the pushchair but never when he plays or sleeps.

He chews it like a teething toy now rather than sucking it.

Report

JollySleepyGiant · 27/09/2013 21:52

The problem is that with DS, DH wanted to give him a dummy but I said no and produced some wonderful arguments against it. Now DH thinks dummies are the devil's work and I've changed my mind. This is my own fault!

OP posts:

Report

woodlandwanderwoman · 27/09/2013 21:52

About 8 weeks, he's now 16mo and only ever sucks it when he is really tired or a bit stressed... It's a great cue, he never cries

Report

NancyOsbourne · 27/09/2013 21:55

Go fort he dummy - I have a 3.5 year old who sucked her thumb and still does as it's impossible to break the habit!! I gave my second DD a dummy and it's been a breeze to drop.

Report

StuckOnARollercoaster · 27/09/2013 22:00

This week! She's 14 weeks.
We've been using a dummy and I if I see it I try to replace with dummy as I want to avoid the teeth/jaw problems I had as a teenager.

Report

Hawkmoth · 27/09/2013 22:05

My 13wo has just managed to get three fingers in to suck. I'm sure my first two were thumbsuckers from birth. They still are, it's a massive pleasure to break the suction on my 7yo DD last thing at night!

Report

JollySleepyGiant · 27/09/2013 22:06

I have a brother and two sisters. My teeth were the most squint out of the four of us. The other three sucked their thumbs. I never did. So I figure teeth/jaw problems will happen regardless of whether baby sucks their thumb or not.

OP posts:

Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Email address

You've subscribed!

abigboydidit · 27/09/2013 22:58

DS never did. DD was about 13/14 weeks and thankfully a friend suggested I move her to a dummy. I doubted her logic and posted on here and was stunned by the posts highlighting the damage done by thumb sucking. DD had a dummy for falling asleep only (pulled it out of her mouth once sleeping) till 6 months old and then we got rid of it. So glad Mumsnet talked me out of the thumb

Report

Sunnysummer · 27/09/2013 23:17

DS was a very sucky baby generally (boob, toys, my leg, the midwife's neck... ;-)) but refused a dummy and only found fingers after 3 months, thumb after 4. Until nearly 5 months he would also get all flaily when stressed, so they were not great self-soothers! We found wrapping him loosely in a muslin helped, as he really liked getting the fabric up to his face.

Report

brightonbythesea · 28/09/2013 09:36

my DD took 12 weeks of fist sucking and finger sucking before she sucked her thumb. She then did so very professionally until 20 weeks when she abruptly stopped and never did it again. She's 11 months now. I was glad for her to find it as she refused a dummy (not that we were very keen on one anyway) and it really helped her settle herself during that period.