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

HELP...THUMB SUCKER

28 replies

amyandjess2811 · 14/03/2007 12:10

Please help I am at my wits end now. My DD 3yrs is a big thumb sucker and I have tried EVERYTHING! Plasters, Salt, Vinegar, The nail biting stuff and even putting Mustard on her tounge and nothing is working and I dont know what to do!
The dentist had told me that she has pushed her top teeth forward and I dont want her ending up with buck teeth please any ideas are more than welcome!!

OP posts:

Report

alcyone · 14/03/2007 19:55

Sending you my sympathies!
MY dd2 has always sucked her thumb, her teeth are also pushed forward.
Wish i could tell otherwise, but she is now nearly 7, and still sucks her thumb, not as much though,mainly when tired.
I m sorry to say i have given up trying to get her to stop, her teeth are realy okay.

Report

SoupDragon · 14/03/2007 19:57

DS1 is 8 and still sucks his sodding thumb. Nothing has worked. On the plus side, his adult teeth are far less pushed forward than the baby ones were. He woud have needed braces anyway though.

Report

harpsichordcarrier · 14/03/2007 19:59

at some of your tactics tbh
I would just back right off, tbh. dd1 is nearly and sucks her thumb, it's just a habit and it's not the worst! I think you need to just let her grow out of it and stop making such a great big thing of it, because that is only adding to the anxiety imho

Report

ambercat · 14/03/2007 20:02

My dd is 5 and seems to be sucking her thumb more than ever, it used to be just when she was tired but now i have to keep telling her to take her thumb out of her mouth when she is speaking to me, drives me mad!

On a positive note i sucked my thumb well into my teens and have no problems with my teeth at all.

Putting mustard on her tongue seems alittle harsh

Report

harpsichordcarrier · 14/03/2007 20:05

my friend is 33 and still sucks her thumb but only after dinner in the right company her teeth are fine

Report

ambercat · 14/03/2007 20:07

well i was'nt going to admit it but i have been known to still sick my thumb now if i can't get to sleep

Report

ambercat · 14/03/2007 20:07

suck my thumb!!

Report

amyandjess2811 · 14/03/2007 21:02

Thank you every1 I appreciate the comments and just to clarify the mustard was Doctor, HV and dentists idea so Im not a cruel cold hearted mother I am actually following medical advice given to me, just to clear that up!
Thanks again every1

OP posts:

Report

pointydog · 14/03/2007 21:08

It can be pretty much impossible to force children to break habits like these - often they need to want to do it for themselves. Probably when peers start ripping the piss out of them.

Report

nooka · 14/03/2007 21:19

I don't think there really is anything much you can do at that age, and in any case it doesn't really matter if her baby teeth are a bit sticky outy. My ds is coming up 8 and still sucks his thumb when he is feeling tired or stressed. He has one crooked tooth, but the dentist doesn't seem to think it's that big a deal, and to be honest if he has to wear braces at some point in the future it's not that big a deal (also why do we all have to have such perfect teeth anyway?). I sucked my thumb too, and it is a great comfort (still get the urge every now and then!). I think you just have to wait it out, and use distraction in the meantime to cut down day time sucking by keeping her hands busy doing something else.

Report

fishie · 14/03/2007 21:28

i sucked my thumb till i was 13. then i took up smoking instead.

do neither now but feel oddly empty. teeth are lovely and straight.

Report

pointydog · 14/03/2007 21:30

are they yellow, though?

Report

fishie · 14/03/2007 21:32

alas yes. damn you well-named pointydog, my achilles heel.

Report

NotanOtter · 14/03/2007 21:33

i suck mine - bottom teeth are pushed in but top perfect

Report

NotanOtter · 14/03/2007 21:34

oh //i am 39

Report

indiajane · 14/03/2007 21:36

My DD2 sucked her thumb - much to her dentist's concern and I posted about this not too long ago asking for advice.

She's 6 and I've finally cracked it - using bribery. She really really really wanted me to sign her up as a paid member of some penguin club thing on the internet. I told her that if she could stop sucking her thumb for a week I'd do it. She really bought into the whole giving-up-thumb-sucking idea then and it's worked a treat.

I've told her that her membership is dependent upon her staying thumb-free. Perhaps you can find something similar?

Report

burstingbug · 14/03/2007 21:43

I sucked my thumb till I was 13. Mum used to put gloves on my hands. DH sucked his thumb till about 16.
DS1 is 2 and sucks his thumb, DS2 7mths, doesn't suck his thumb, but has a dummy.

Report

amyandjess2811 · 14/03/2007 22:29

Indiajane that must be the only thing I haven't tried thank you so much
And again thank you every1 else I can understand people saying leave it but when you've got some one (the dentist) telling you not to let her do it etc its hard ignoring them sometimes but its also hard as every1 else has sed making her give up the habbit!

OP posts:

Report

amyandjess2811 · 14/03/2007 22:34

Oh and nooka I understand where you are coming from about having to have such perfect teeth and why do we need to but I think its nicer to have nice teeth and to beam and smile with them than having teeth like mine for example, I never sucked my thumb but I used to smoke and as another post said I now have slightly yellow teeth and as for braces fair enough they are more common now but if I can avoid it I personally would rather have my daughter not wearing them! I had them and the mean children you get at school made my life hell so (and I know things are getting better, slowly at least) I would rather avoid that as well for DD just from personal experience!

OP posts:

Report

overthehill · 14/03/2007 22:44

My ds is nearly 8 & always sucked his thumb, with his baby teeth being concave at the bottom instead of straight across (if you see what I mean) as they'd not had the chance to grow properly. One of his front adult teeth is shorter than the other & I was worried that it would stay that way, so I thought the time had come to do something. He came back from Beavers the other week saying he had to complete a personal challenge to get his Bronze Award before he went up to cubs (in April), & suddenly I had a blinding flash of inspiration about what this should be.... He's very determined & has managed to stop - and been presented with his Bronze Award because of it. I myself sucked my thumb until the summer before I went to secondary school - as I decided then that I'd have to stop before I went - & I do still feel mean at times about having forced the issue as he did look really sweet (to my mind) & said his thumb was his best friend. I just live in hopes that his other front tooth will now grow so they're not always different lengths, otherwise it'll seem it was a bit of a waste of effort at this stage. 3 does seem too young to be worried, in my opinion, & I think it only really starts being an issue when adult teeth are forming.

Report

Catbabymummy · 15/03/2007 11:41

I would definitely discourage it, I'm an adult thumbsucker and I have tried to stop but it is really hard, I tend to have to do it to sleep or when I'm stressed. The result is that one of my upper 2 teeth has been puched up so my teeth look crooked. The tooth is healthy enough but it just doesn't look very nice.
Good luck xx

Report

mamma2kids · 15/03/2007 12:32

DD also a thumb sucker. I can't see how you can possibly do anything about it.

Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Email address

You've subscribed!

talcyone · 15/03/2007 13:18

DD2 loves sucking her thumb.
Given up worrying about the teeth.
DD1 never sucked thumb,
Had beautiful,straight adult teeth....
Until she smashed them on roundabout at park!

Report

Nixz · 15/03/2007 13:37

DD is 6 and ALWAYS sucks her thumb!
Its like a little shrivelled prawn and gets all chapped in the winter!
Her teeth seem to be ok, a little pushed forward but not a lot, just enough to give her a little lisp! Its quite cute really
She also has a little face cloth which is falling to pieces as she has had it since she was a baby and she snuggles with this and sucks!
My Hv told me that its giving her "nice secure, safe and happy feelings so why take it away?!"
So i havent, ive just let her get on with it!
Your DD will stop sucking as much when she starts school.

Report

salisshe · 16/03/2007 11:01

I had a chronic thumb sucker and tried EVERYTHING. It used to drive me crazy cos I could see his teeth were starting to stick out. The problem was he did manage to stop in the day time but night time was a different story. I did the yukky tasting stuff, and socks, and sticker charts, and bribes (I mean incentives :P). I even went online and showed him what would happen to his teeth if he continued. Mean I know but I was desperate. Anyway, in my search online I found this ... www.thumbguard.com.au. It seemed kinda pricey but when I thought about how much I had already spent on stuff to try to stop it, not to mention the emotions both he and I had spent, and I was desperate. I figured it seemed the least traumatic and I could buy it from Australia so I just went ahead and bought it and OMG it worked! He only wore it at night cos day wasn?t a problem, and within a month he didn?t need or want to suck his thumb anymore. Even better I can see a difference in his teeth structure.

Now if only there was something I could buy to get rid of his other annoying habits :P

Good luck!