Giving up comfort blanket

[Bristolianmum]

Dear mums,
My 5 year old sucks a comfort blanket at night, and has done since he was really little. The dentist says this is pushing out his top teeth - he also has a slight discolouration of his bottom teeth which I think is to do with this habit.
Any tips on how to help him give it up?
Bristolianmum

[MrsSpoon]

I was really cruel and just took DS1's blanket off him when he was about 4, he used to thumb suck and twiddle the blanket at the same time and both just stopped. I notice that he sometimes turns his duvet round so that he can get a hold of the label inside and twiddles that but the sucking seems to have gone completely (been replaced by rather anoying nail biting ).

[needarest]

too cold to give up any blanket!!!

[needarest]

has everyone gone to bed?

[melissasmummy]

I wouldn't expect a child of any age to give up something that comforts them. Perhaps try encoraging (sp) him not to suck it? Or if you do take it then give him something as an alternative, so he still gets the comfort.

I don't see why it would be causing his bottom teeth to discolour tho, although it would be causing the upper to protrude.

I would say that by the time his permanent front teeth are reading to come thru he will have grown out of the sucking habit.

[LIZS]

dd is 4 and has a comforter teddy(teddy head attached to 2 suqares if soft fabric). Over the past year she has sucked and chewed it along with sucking her thumb and basically destroyed it. I redid the fabric parts before she started school and she hasn't sucked it since, jsut strokes and cuddles him. Last month she gave up her thumb after a similar warning from the denstist and seeing the Wallace and Gromit film - I asked if she wanted Wererabbit teeth ! Apart from these suggestions it was ultimately her decision so think you need to find a similar motivator for your ds. He doesn't have to give the blanket up entirely, just the sucking. Perhaps a reward chart or the MN pasta jar would work, working towards a special Christmas treat ?