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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Thumb sucking - 3 yo needs to stop

24 replies

beegee · 20/03/2007 16:59

Hello all

My 3 yo ds went to the dentists today - the 1st thing he said was ' oh, he thumb sucks then?' which he does and has done all his life....(particularly when tired or at night-time)

The dentist advised me to try persuading him to stop as his teeth are being pushed out. Asking him to stop was met by 'but, I like it mummy'.

I don't particularly want to put any nasty unlickable stuff on it.

Any other suggestions or experiences out there?

Thanks

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

mamalocco · 20/03/2007 17:47

My ds sucked two fingers from 4 months. I put a plaster round his fingers when he was about three and a half (just about to start nursery) and he stopped without any trauma. Took plaster off after about 6 days and habit broken.

brimfull · 20/03/2007 17:51

god ,my 4.5 yr old sucks his thumb,think I might need to chuck out his muslin cloth he sucks his thumb with.

Celery · 20/03/2007 17:58

ALL dentists say this, and quite honestly, does it really matter if his teeth are slightly misaligned?

Sorry if I sound terse, lol. I'm a 32 yr old thumb sucker you see. All through my childhood, people told me I had to stop - my parents, teacher, grandparents and yes - the Dentist.

Now, I'm 32, and my teeth are okay. Not perfect, but certainly not freakish. They look like most other people's teeth.

Thumbsucking feels lovely, that's why people do it - its' a great way to self sooth and make yourself feel better, and there is no way I would try to stop a 3 year old from doing it. So personally, I say Pah! to your dentist.

Original poster

beegee · 20/03/2007 19:29

thanks for responses and advice so far.

He does love sucking his thumb sooooooooooo much.

mmmmmmmmmmmm - have to think about what to do really...

OP posts:

NoNickname · 20/03/2007 19:41

Ooh - get a ThumbGuard

Ds (now 3.4) wore one for a few weeks and it was brilliant. I think the habit had gone within less than a week even, but we kept him wearing it for 2-3 weeks just to be sure. He hasn't sucked his thumb since. His teeth have straightened a little in the nine months or so since he used it (may even be longer ago than that), but I do think they will still need orthondontic treatment when he is older.

brimfull · 20/03/2007 19:50

thumbguard

link didn't work,nonickname.

excellent idea,may get one of those!

SenoraPostrophe · 20/03/2007 19:51

let him be. get him to stop when he's older (though pref before baby teeth fall out) and more bribeable.

terramum · 20/03/2007 20:03

As a 33 yr old thumb sucker Im with Celery on this!

alibag · 20/03/2007 20:05

hmm,DS1 is 4.5 and confirmed thumb sucker. But these thumbguards are £50 (cheaper than orthodontic treatement I suppose)

sandcastles · 21/03/2007 03:40

Don't assume that children will need ortho by looking at their baby teeth...common mistake.

Their mouths will grow so much between now & their early teens & they will lose all their baby teeth so they are not a guide to how they will look when they are older.

IME (15 years dental nursing) the best time to tell if a child needs ortho, is at the 'ugly duckling' stage around 7/8. They have a mixed dentition & only form here can guide be got as to whether ortho MAY be needed.

DD had a dummy til Dec 06 (she is 4 in Aug) and her teeth have already started to ease back. I'm with celery....

sandcastles · 21/03/2007 03:43

And be aware that you may need 2 thumbguards, as the habit can just swicth from 1 hand to another.

Miaou · 21/03/2007 07:31

I appreciate this won't work for everyone, but dd2 was a thumbsucker and when she got to about two we named her thumbs her "bedtime thumbs" - ie, she was only allowed to suck them at bedtime. (the reasoning for that was that we couldn't realistically stop her at night in bed!). So we didn't ban it outright, just cut down the times she was allowed to do it. She would still sneak it in when we were going on a long drive, or when she was watching telly, but she fairly quickly stopped doing it all the time which was what we wanted. She is 8 now and will still sneak it in when watching tv if she thinks no one is looking but doesn't really suck it much at all now. And though she still sucks it a bit when going to sleep once she is asleep it drops out. She has no problems with her teeth.

Original poster

beegee · 21/03/2007 07:42

Thanks all.

Miaou - seems like you got to her early enough in some ways - bedtime thumbs is a great idea.

Trouble is my ds does it a lot - he happenned to be sleeping in my bed last night and observing him in the night, I'd say he has his thumb in his mouth 90% of the time!

His teeth are already looking 'goofy' too

The thumb guards look good but so expensive. Nonickname - you don't happen to still have yours knocking around you would be willing to sell me, do you? I think my DS would probably take to the idea of wearing one quite well because I think he does want to stop sucking his thumb so much - just keeps forgetting. When I reminded him yesterday he kept taking it out of his mouth - unlike him to be so obedient!

Anyone else used these?

OP posts:

Miaou · 21/03/2007 07:52

Beegee, the thumbsucking at night time decreased over a period of time - at first it used to be in all the time, but as she gradually got used to relying on it less during the day, the nighttime sucking also reduced. It would drop out once she was in a deep sleep, then she would put it back in if she turned over etc, but now she doesn't even do that.

Again - we were lucky that she was agreeable to stopping sucking her thumb - it wouldn't have worked otherwise I don't think! She did need a lot of reminding at first though - I guess I must have said it hundreds of times a day to start with! I made a point of never getting cross though - just used to say "bedtime thumb!" and she would take it out

Original poster

beegee · 21/03/2007 07:55

I'm going to start bedtime thumb today! Worth a go.

OP posts:

sandcastles · 21/03/2007 09:30

Have you tried gloves?
Sticking selotape to his thumb?

ledodgy · 21/03/2007 09:35

My 3 year old didn't suck her thumb but she did insist on a bottle before bed she'd bit the top of the teat off so it wasn't as if she was sucking it or anything but still annoying. I had the bright idea of showing her a google image of rotting teeth and told her that the person in the pic had had a bottle until he was four and that's what her teeth would be like if she didn't stop having a bottle she said "Urgh" and has had a cup of milk every night since.

Original poster

beegee · 21/03/2007 12:40

Sandcastles - have tried plasters. He once sucked so much his thumb got really sore so we had to put lots of plasters on it (this was when he was about 2 yo) . He would still suck the tip. I thought that might get him out of the habit but when I didn't need to put plasters on after about a week he just went back to sucking happily away!

Gloves might be an idea - but I imagine he'll probably take them off in bed when he's had enough...could suggest it to him though.

ledogdy - going to google now to find a toothy version - sounds horrific!

OP posts:

NoNickname · 21/03/2007 15:58

beegee - the ThumbGuards were pretty yucky by the end (they discolour with use and were both a bit yellowed and they didn't smell too nice either, despite being washed daily!) and I was also glad to see the back of them, so I chucked them when I was certain ds had quit the habit. Sorry .

I agree that they aren't cheap (you actually get two in the pack, one for each hand), but I have to say that I think they were really worthwhile and I was so pleased with how well they worked. Apaprently the trick is that they cut out all the suction/vacuum, so there's no pleasure in the sucking, and gradually the habit is completely lost.

Original poster

beegee · 21/03/2007 16:34

Great - sounds worth it really! Thanks NoNickname.

MN rules

OP posts:

salisshe · 21/04/2007 14:10

I have used a ThumbGuard too. I got mine from www.thumbguard.com.au and it took about a month to stop the night time sucking. Yes it's expensive, but it works and is over and done with.

serenity · 21/04/2007 14:16

LOl, I'm sitting reading this with my thumb in my mouth (I'm tired, I had a ^very6 late night)

babyblue2 · 23/04/2007 14:39

DD has sucked hers until 3 weeks ago and she's 4.2. Her front teeth have started to stick out slightly but the dentist has said that the next teeth won't grow through like this. She stopped purely by accident because she cut her thumb and had to wear a plaster. I wanted her to stop but wouldn't have avidly persuaded her to stop. IMO the more you persuade them you want them to stop the more you may be making them suck their thumb.

anniemac · 23/04/2007 15:28

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