Other people telling my child to stop sucking her thumb.

[MynameisMarmite]

Hi.
My 3 year old has sucked her thumb since she was born. Recently I've noticed other people tell her not to do this: one a lady who works in our local shop, and the other is a new member of staff at her nursery. I don't have any problems with thumb sucking at her age as I've read most kids grow out of it age 4-5, and I really don't see what business it is of anyone else. The only reason I can think that they've started to do this is that she is tall and looks (and acts) much older than she is.
I'm curious to know what other people's think of this?

[lotsoffunandgames]

I can't believe anyone else has the gall to tell her to stop it.it is none of their business.I would tell them you don't have a problem with it. I have Dd who sucks her fingers and am starting to tell her to stop at certain times.but no one else has said a word to her.

[madamginger]

I hate this, its rude. My dd sucks her thumb and has since she was born, she's 7 now and half the time I don't think she even knows she's doing it.

[chattychattyboomba]

Totally out of order. It would rile me too. But I wouldn't know what to say.

[Dinosaursareextinct]

I'm fed up with my DCs sucking their thumbs. Would be glad for the back-up of other adults telling them not to.

[LokiTheCynicalCat]

I am 31 and suck my thumb - I don't even know when I'm doing it. I hate that I do it without noticing when I'm concentrating at work. How unprofessional that looks. But I can't stop, because I don't see it myself.

I wish someone had bothered to get me to stop when I was little instead of believing I'd grow out of it. I didn't. Ever. And by the time my parents realised, I was old enough to know you could just scrub the horrible tasting varnish off and get to sleep easily again.

[ZuleikaD]

Some people never grow out of it, and that's perfectly fine. I agree it doesn't look professional at work (and I'm sure you could come up with some way of 'noticing' when you're doing it so you could stop - DH sucks and used to put an elastic band on his thumb so it felt wrong in his mouth and he would notice) but I see no reason Taler's DD shouldn't carry on. I would make a loud comment about people minding their own business. No idea why people object to it - sucking your thumb is no more 'babyish' than eating, pooing or breathing.

[Goldmandra]

I hate that I do it without noticing when I'm concentrating at work.

Surely you could break the habit now by using something that tastes nasty or feels unpleasant to suck.

It really isn't the same as a three year old using an age-appropriate comfort behaviour.