thumb sucking

[biscies]

my dd3 is 2.10 and i took her dummy away at around 2.2 without any complications she never really missed and never asked for it after the first day.
She has now started sucking her thumb after never previously,just wondered if anyone elses children have started thumb sucking at a later age and whether i should be trying to stop her.

DD2 started at 8 months when I stopped bf. She never had a dummy, and at almost 7 still does it. No idea how to stop her.

Ds still does at 7 (when he goes to sleep or is sleepy/comfy) I could put horrid tasting stuff on his thumb but i am not going to. It gives him pleasure and comfot, his teeth and jawline is fine and I think it is a natural way to self sooth.

DD stopped at 8 bcause the orthodontist told gher to.
She started again at 12 & is still doing it at 17...

I asked her today why she was sucking her thumb she told me it tasted like milkshake lol!

Don't worry about it - my ds twiddles his belly button and has phases of doing it and not doing it. I sucked my thumb until I was 11 and stopped when the orthodontist told me I had to! I am very chilled about it with my own children. Ds used to suck his thumb and the twiddling has replaced it, dd still sucks hers. There isn't much you can do to stop it. I had the horrible tasting stuff put on my thumb and just sucked it off (like most people do) She will stop of her own accord at some point but is unlikely to be forced into it.

I did it on and off until I was 16 {blush) - nothing anyone could say or do would stop me. My mother tried all the foul tasting stuff too. If you make too much fuss about it (and your DD is an awkward little sod like I was!) you may make her worse by nagging. Btw my teeth are fine!

Hello,

I don't have and dc's yet (am ttc) please don't laugh but I still suck my thumb as an adult woman in her twenties. I started after my dummy was taken away apprently. I can't say its done me any harm.

Please don't think too bad of me

My advice is to try and persaude your daughter not to suck her thumb but if you can't get her to stop is it really such a big deal? My mum tried putting tabassco sauce on my thumbs! I'll tell ya it certainly didn't work. Obviously I did realise sucking your thumb in public isn't socially acceptable once your past ten years old.

My dh is a dentist and our 4 yr old ds sucks him thumb. Dh is not concerned. The lip is a strong muscle and counteracts the teeth being pushed forward. We would rather have a happy child with his one true comfort in life then spend all day asking him to stop.

We do have dentist friends who have tried to stop their kids but with not much success and a lot of nagging.

It's not worth it!

According to a recent thread, there are quite a lot of MNers still sucking their thumbs.

I properly sucked my thumb till teenage, my sister still does (37) !

The only problem I have is my right thumb is the teeniest bit smaller and wrinklier from all the sucking.

Ds does it. Cool.

i'm with loonychick...has definately altered the shape of dd2's mouth/teeth......but it's comfort for her.....and really something we all just accept...wouldnt have her any other way!

Don't think thumb sucking is a problem. She'll learn not to do it in public, if it causes a problem.

thanks everyone i think i will just leave her to it for now ,i dont think i could stop her anyway from what a lot of you are saying!