Thumbsucking at 8 weeks?

[Laurney]

My dd, who's almost 9 weeks, sucks her thumb all the time--I'm worried it keeps her from crying when she needs something. Doesn't it seem a little early for an addiction of this sort? I keep trying to coax her with the dummy, b/c I'm having visions of her at 20 with her thumb in her mouth but I feel mean pulling her thumb out...

If she wants something, she will ask. Thumb sucking is fab, you have a self soothing baby who won't complain in the middle of the night because she wants her dummy!

She will grow out of it.

DD used to be a real finger sucker but stopped doing it at about 5 months when she got a cold. It was great as she would self sooth really easily. She isn't bad now, but it was much easier before. I don't think thumb sucking at 8 weeks is a problem at all.

Take it from someone who is on Rapid Response Dummy Patrol several times a night when DD misses her dummy this is not a bad thing.
I was also a thumb-sucker as a child and don't think it is a bad thing at all. Infact at stressful times in my life I still suck my thumb in my sleep! (My teeth are ok by the way and I have no urge to suck thumb when i am awake).

sooooooo cute

mine is in now (will be 40 YEARS in october)

My dd2 could be seen sucking her fingers on a scan at 32 weeks pg.
Both my girls have done itbut not my son, funnily rnough.
Its cute now, but when adult teeth are coming in and you're trying to get them to stop its not so much fun. But enjoy it while she is small!

my DS sucked his thumb from about 7 weeks until 12 weeks, then just stopped, so I wouldn't worry about it too much just yet!

Love thumb sucking.

Its a comforter you never have to feel the need to take away. They will take it out to play/talk unlike a dummy.

Plus it looks cute

I would not replace a thumb with a dummy. I had 3 thumb suckers and the beauty is they can soothe themselves when they need. Dummies they can't find on their own. Just leave her. My DD was 9 weeks when she found her thumd. She is 13 years old now and has np problems with teeth etc.

DD (4) is another who was sucking her thumb on the scan, and she continues to do so when she's tired. When she was a baby, if she needed something she'd cry, the thumb didn't stop her.

The only time I'm going to do something about it is if she starts sucking it at inappropriate times when she's older, as I can remember a girl on the first day of senior school sucking her thumb in class and getting teased for it. Other than that she can suck away.

One of my best friends at college would suck his thumb in the way in on the train because it was early and he was tired

Luckily he was already "cool" and could get away with it!

According to my midwife DD was born sucking her thumb! I mean she literally had it stuck there in her mouth as she appeared (which is why I needed so many stitches.....)

She's now 17 & still sucks it (even having her lip pierced only stopped her briefly) afaik she has never been teased for it, though she does it openly in front of her friends - her current boyfriend thinks it's 'sweet'

Ha, I am a secondary school teacher, and loads of kids suck their thumbs even 6th form

Some of them rub at labels as well at the same time.

This is completely true. One girl age 16 openly admitted that she couldn't get through a day at school without her thumb and coat label....

DD2 is now 8 months and has always been a thumb sucker. I was initially worried - looking to the future being teased for sucking her thumb, but you know what I'm so pleased she does, she can easily settle herself during sleep as she always knows where her thumb is, unlike her big sister who adored her dummy who woke me several times a night to find it for her.

Really don;t worry.