9 week old sucking thumb

[fatbottomgirl]

My 4th DC has started sucking his thumb (he is 9 weeks today). None of my dc did this, they all have had dummies till they were 6 months. I'm worried that I won't be able to stop him sucking his thumb. Should I just ignore this or try to discourage it?

I don't know how you can stop it? My dd (now 10 months) changed from dummy to thumb.

I have noticed that as she has got older it has been used less and less frequently. Now only at the beginning of naps.

my 4th did this as well, he sucked his thumb in the womb and by 9wks was a pro! he is 3 now and still sucks his thumb, dentist says its not a problem till their big teeth start to come through.

fwiw he now only sucks him thumb when tired or sleeping or in the car, he used to suck it loads but the more mobile he got and the more he was busy playing the less he did it.

AND it meant that he could self sooth and go to sleep on his own, something non of my others have ever done, so i just left him to it!

My ds1 sucked 2 fingers and twiddled his hair as he was going off to sleep or when he was tired or when he was anxious. I didn't try to stop him and it stopped gradually over time. My instinct is that it's a brilliant way of self-soothing and easier to manage than a dummy. Ds1 is 9 now and hasn't sucked his fingers for 3 years with no damage to his teeth.

Hurray for thumb sucking! I reckon it is fantastic - all the benefits of a dummy without the 'oh yuk, it has fallen on the pub floor' dilemma.

I might be saying something different when I'm forking out for dentistry in 13 years time. But at the moment, I'm celebrating anything that brings my baby comfort without me having to lift a finger.

my ds is 2.7 and he has sucked his fingers since birth. He only does it now when he is tired or relaxing and when we have tried to stop him he just does it more. It doesn't seem to be a problem and it keeps him happy so we are not worried! And in my opinion it is much better than a dummy, he has never had one.

I was very worried when DD started sucking her thumb at around 12weeks, especially because I read lots of horror stories about never getting her to stop, it ruining her teeth, etc.

She was completely obsessed with it, it was without doubt her favourite thing in the whole world. She would try to suck both thumbs at the same time, or try to breastfeed and suck her thumb at the same time .

She stopped herself, almost overnight, at 7mo.

You can't stop it... I tried! All but sellotaped dummy into DD mouth but she used to spit it out and stick her thumb in ! She's 13 now and has just been told by dentist that she has lovely teeth and doesn't need a brace..unlike her non thumb sucking friends who are all sporting train tracks on their teeth!

Just enjoy the fact that she can't lose it. I'd be thrilled if I was you!

Excellent result! Be grateful - self-soothing is one of the top things they can learn. I WISH DS would suck his thumb!

DD (18 weeks) has discovered thumbsucking in a big way in the past week, and has slept through - more than 8 hours - for four nights in a row now. Last night I heard her make a little squawk, then through the wall could make out enthusiastic sucking sounds, then silence - sounds like a 'self-soothing' result to me! Hope you get the same in due course.

Mine started at birth and stopped at 2. fwiw