Read *dropping the dummy*, now how do I drop the thumb??

[clary]

OK I have read the heated dropping the dummy debate ... who has any ideas on how to drop the thumb?? All my 3 are thumb-suckers, very sweet when you see them all doing it. But oldest is now 5 and it's time to stop. What do I do? Anyone had any success?
(He does it most when tired/upset, but that can be several times a day and i think he's gettign teased at school, NOT what he needs).
BTW on the thumb/dummy debate, they all found their thumbs at a few weeks old so I had not much option (and was happy about it TBH)

can't help I'm afraid- but will watch thread with interest- my ds is an avid ts (thumb sucker) to the extent of making it red raw and infected on some occasions. Have tried bandaging (takes off) and that awful nail tasting stuff... (gets used to it!) so am living in hope that one day he will find another crutch! he is 2 and a half (he also has a blanket... (very anxious/sensitive child methinks.)so I feel it's a bit cruel to deprive him of his little security things... hopefully he will ahem grow out of it

My 4 1/2 year old sucks her thumb and it drives me mad! I am going to try the horrible tasting nail stuff when she's 5.

Yeh that Nail biting lotion sound a good idea. My dd used to bite her nails and it worked.

My 4 year old dd sucks her finger all the time. The dentist gently hinted that I should stop her soon - her top teeth do already stick out a little bit. I am hoping she'll grow out of it a bit when she gets to school.

My brother and I both sucked our thumbs til we were quite old and both decided to stop for ourselves. I used a bandage thing that went over the thumb and he used the stuff to stop you biting your nails and we both managed to stop when we were 8 or 9 and neither of us have sticky-out teeth!

glad mine opted for the dummy..an ex-boyfriend "gave up" his thumb at 15..when his mum suggested to an A&E doctor that they plaster over his thumb when he broke his wrist...

Ds1 gave up sucking his fingers on his 5th birthday, as he'd promised to do. Dd2 has proved to be a harder nut to crack, with her thumb, but with the aid of the nail lotion, we're almost there. I found that I had to apply the lotion thickly otherwise she could suck it off. I confess to having sometimes sneaked into her room at night and painted it on her nails while she was asleep, when she wasn't being cooperative!

my brother stopped at 15yrs
I stopped at 11yrs
Our dentist said that if your child only sucks when very tired and does not hook their thumb around their nose then dental damage is limited, my brother hooked his thumb around his nose and ended up with a mishaped jaw.
Dentist said other than that there were little negaitve implications dentally speaking, otherwise he recommended anti nail biting solution...

this is probably not what you want to hear but.....

I still suck my fingers and I'm 32

Thanks for your responses ladies...some less than encouraging! Batters guess we will have to try persuading him not to. TBH I think he does it out of habit and barely knows he's doing it. Went to dentist last night and got him to tell DS1 and DD (3) that they must stop or their teeth would stick out. DD says yes, I'm going to be a bunny and I'll go hop! (not quite the effect I wanted lol)

Hi. Just stumbled on this thread by accident, but thought I'd add my own experiences/thoughts. I sucked my thumb til I was about 11, and despite 'well meaning' relatives etc warnings about protruding teeth, mine are all still perfectly straight and I have never had anything done to them. My son sucks his thumb when tired/ill etc, and he's 7 and a half. I never try to stop him, except if he speaks with his thumb in his mouth as a) I can't understand him and b) I am worried it may affect his speech. I DO try and discourage him from doing it at school, as I know how cruel kids can be and I would hate for him to be teased, but at home I'm fine with it. If you really wantyour child to give it up, then try whatever method is best, but don't do it just because other people think it's wrong. Not sure if that helps.

another one who did it until she was 11!!

My teeth do not stick out, but my upper jaw is not aligned with the bottom one, not that it really gives me any problems tbh.

I was teased justa bout anything else at scholl but this!! (even non-existing things)

My parents tried everything, but i only stopped when I started having sleepovers as I was too embarassed to do it in front of others!!

DS1 (5) has sucked his thumb since he was about 4 weeks old. He has now pushed his bottom teeth backward, pulled his front ones forward and reshaped the roof of his mouth. This is clearly visible even to an ordinary person.

I currently spend all day reminding him to take his thumb out but it's such a habit he simply doesn't know that he's doing it. He tells me that he doesn't suck it at school because another boy called him a baby so hopefully he'll stop sucking it at home etc too.