My 11 year old Sucks his Thumb and Still has his Baby blanket that he sniffs

[Andrea1292]

I have a son that is turning 12 years old. He has a white blanket that he rubs and smells every night while sucking his thumb. His breath smells bad because of his thumb sucking. His blanket smells like saliva. He has Anxiety and ADHD which he struggles to cope with. He always carries his blanket around and sucks his thumb every minute he gets. He cannot fall asleep without sniffing his blanket. He says he does not do it in school but when I was walking in I saw him doing it in front of the class while watching a film. I make sure he does not bring his blanket, which he is okay with. He seems to be really stressed because of school. He feels safe with his blanket over his nose and sniffing it while sucking his thumb. He drags his blanket all over the house, but he is not allowed to bring it out of the house. The blanket is surprisingly not that beat up besides some rips. He calls it “blankey”. What should I do t9 help him stop?

It's an interesting first post anyway..

What do teachers say re the thumb sucking? Perhaps he could have something else to fidget with in school that would distract him. I think him using the blanket in the house is far enough. You could say it was only for bedtime if you really want to reduce use.

Forget about thumb sucking and the blanket, he’s literally a child. And help your child with his anxiety, speak to school, see what help is available.

My very nearly 17 year old cannot sleep without their blanket. It’s in several pieces and gross. 😱

Don’t do anything OP. I sucked my thumb from being a baby (refused a dummy). I do suspect I’m autistic. I was an incredibly anxious child and it gave me such comfort. I sucked my thumb until I was about 24. I just randomly stopped. My mum was great. Always so supportive and had a go at my grandmother who used to berate me for it. I didn’t do it in public-at school/around my flat mates at uni but I would at home where I felt safe. I also play with my hair and would hide that a bit too, but as I’ve got older I’ve got a more I don’t give a damn what people think attitude -it helps me feel less anxious when out.
I think if it gives your son comfort, why stop him? I think you’ve made a good compromise with the blanket. 🥰

Is he in mainstream?

My 12 has a blanket that she can't sleep without - so long as it neber leaves the house (unless we are on holiday), l don't mind

My son is 19 and still has his baby blanket. Was diagnosed with autism last year. He only uses it at bedtime and never when he goes on holiday or stays over with friends. I think its a great comfort for him x

My entirely NT sister was still doing this at 11. She's now a mother of two with a good job and an MBA, I wouldn't worry just yet.

Eidy (short for eiderdown) did pong though, and the thumb sucking was just at home. I think it was gone by 13.

I sucked my thumb til I was about 13 and physically couldn’t anymore as I had braces fit.
At the grand age of 41 I still have parts of my blankie, comes everywhere with me, rub it on my face, sniff it etc. Yes I am aware it’s weird and I don’t do it in public!
I am in a professional job with children and married and otherwise live as a normal functioning adult so I say don’t worry too much!

I think OP that your first port of call to get help with how best to support your son, might be the SENCO at his school? Could you make an appointment to meet him or her? You can raise the thumb sucking and the blanket, and any other issues of concern for you. If the SENCO can't advise you, they should be able to signpost you to someone who can, or to some good sources of information.

Not all of the responses you get on here will necessarily take into account the situation you are in with regards to your son's particular needs. Some people definitely will have useful experience to share, but I would strongly recommend you seek expert advice also. Good luck!

I'd forget about the blanket and the thumb sucking, and work on your ds' anxiety instead. Why is he stressed? Doesn't he feel safe at home? Is he being bullied at school? Why is he not happy? What is the family set-up? Is some-one making him miserable? What is his friendship group like?

I'd work at boosting his confidence and finding a hobby that he loves and helps him to relax.

Take a close look at his food. Dump UPFs and increase basic home cooked stuff. Check his tv/internet viewing. Does he get enough fresh air and exercise?

Me too and I'm about to turn 50. It brings me comfort and makes me feel relaxed. No one has ever mocked me (although I don't bring my blanket anywhere but my bedroom). Actually I travel a lot at the moment due to family circumstances and having my blanket makes the constant new hotel/air bnb rooms a lot easier to get used to.

Suspect I'm on the spectrum as my clone of a child has been diagnosed with ASD/ADHD if that makes any difference.

I sucked my thumb when I concentrated - I remember doing it while taking my A levels! I’m sure he’ll stop when he no longer needs it

Work on the anxiety eg weighted blanket.

The thumb sucking mine did until 8 - he only stopped when the lovely dentist explained his teeth were all being pulled out of form and huge gaps and stuff. He then bit his watch for a year while he stopped. What about a fiddle ring, fiddle cube or even blue tac - can you teach him knitting or something to occupy both hands

Would the nail polish that is bitter help?

i think that problem isn’t the thumb sucking or the blanket. These are symptoms of his anxiety which is the real problem. Is he getting some help for that in school or elsewhere?

What should I do t9 help him stop? Work on helping him cope with his anxiety and ADHD

My DS1 was a thumb sucker - dumped the dummy as soon as he could find his thumb. I think he stopped about 11 - made himself stop before the school PGL trip. I think I stopped at a similar age. Is there any way you could divide up his blanket so you can wash one section while he uses the other?

I stopped thumb sucking at 11 when my parents painted my fingers with that awful tasting nail paint. I thank them now though.

however at 43 years old, my blankie is my soothing relaxing favourite thing that apart from my children I would save in a fire. It’s weird, perhaps yes but the more I learn about people, we all have our quirks!

I was a thumb sucker until I was 24 years old. Giving up was extremely hard and took an awful lot of will power but I did it because I wanted to. I would not have been able to stop as an anxious child/teenager and carrying on into adulthood did me no damage in any way.

If you feel it’s really necessary you could start slowly limiting access to his blanket ie only when watching tv or in bed and then reduce to only in bed but there’s not much to be done about stopping the thumb sucking. If it brings comfort and reduces stress then I wouldn’t be worrying about the thumb, instead focus on other ways of alleviating the anxiety.

My 50 yo cousin still sucks her thumb. She always did as a kid but learnt not to do it in public spaces. I’d never heard of blankies until I was an adult they weren’t something done in my family, so not sure if she had one I doubt it, but I do know she pulls a blanket or item of clothing to her mouth when she dose it. I also know of lots of people who still kept and loved their blankies or favourite toys till well into adulthood. And lots of kids who sucked thumbs or had secret dummies until teenagers.

Thanks for the feedback! His school has been supporting him. He has dyslexia which makes it harder. His blanket is really smelly from all the thumb sucking and hides it from me when I want to wash it. He holds his blanket over his nose. I don’t think he is doing it at school however he is always carrying his blanket at the house. He does it to fall asleep or watching tv most times. I am concerned about his teeth however he did get braces when he was younger and recently got them removed.

I’m 25 and I still sleep with my baby blanket. I also still suck my tongue occasionally which I’ve been doing since I was a baby and is the same sort of thing as thumb sucking. It’s not really affected my life at all. I’m married and have a child of my own. Most people don’t know I still do these things. My husband does but it doesn’t bother him. My son sucks his thumb as well. He’s only 10 months old at the moment but when the health visitor saw him doing it, she said that she still sucks her thumb. She was at least 50 years old. It’s not as unusual as you might think, it just seems that way because most people don’t go around openly admitting that they still do it. I wouldn’t worry about getting him to stop sucking his thumb and using his blanket. He will stop when/if he is ready.

If he has been seen by an orthodontist and is being treated then I'd take their advice re the thumb sucking.

It did impact my DD's teeth and she had to have braces as a result so we worked to stop it.

If it's not impacting his teeth then I don't really see the problem.