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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

Thumbsucking - I have an idea - some opinions please....

73 replies

Mistiek · 21/09/2007 21:47

My DS is now 2.8 and is still sucking his thumb. He has been sucking it from the word go. It only happens at night now and when he needs the comfort or is feeling sad or unwell. His teeth are getting damaged and being pushed forward and his thumbe seems to be slightly larger than his other...

My DD is now 6 months old and from the start a let her have a dummy to prevent from having another thumb sucker (Dummies are easier to stop apparently).

So I have a theory.... Here goes....

Although I hate the dummy and he looks rediculous with one in I was wandering if it would be a good idea to let him have a dummy and get him used to it to forget his thumb. When I think the thumb is forgotten then I can aske him to put it in a little bag in the tree for the Dummy Fairy's to come and collect (saw this on Supernanny).

Does anyone think this would work? All opinions welcome... I am open to all suggestions... PLEASE!

OP posts:

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NappiesGalore · 21/09/2007 23:35

sk, thats waht ds2 is like with a 'milky drink' - a bottle of milk. will cure anyhting instantly. is like crack for him!

sweetkitty · 21/09/2007 23:36

no I didn't neither did DP

NappiesGalore · 21/09/2007 23:37

hah. only serves to back up my argument about leaving the thumbsuckers be.

i thang you

nooka · 21/09/2007 23:37

Well my ds (eldest) is not cuddly but is a thumbsucker (he did like to be swaddled when he was tiny) whilst my dd is cuddly and not a thumbsucker. Neither of them had dummies which I think are revolting (although at the height of their respective screaming stages I did try - only for them to be very forcibly spat out).

ThumbSuckerr · 21/09/2007 23:38

I still suck my thumb.

NappiesGalore · 21/09/2007 23:40

i dont really like the look of dummies... but im not anti them. i tried giving them to my second and third to shut the feckers up while i changed nappies in the night to no avail

blardy got my hopes up of a bit of peace an quiet, smeggin dummies!

NappiesGalore · 21/09/2007 23:41

good for you TS

(loser)

sorry! couldnt resist!

hunkermunker · 21/09/2007 23:48

LOL, NG, at smeggin dummies - I tried one with DS2 at the height of his sleeplessness and he thought it was an interesting toy - fecking thing kept him awake playing with it!

SK, yes, DS2 actually "clingier" in some ways - DS1 never did the "run up and grab you round the legs so you can't walk" thing, but DS2 does all the time. He says "nooooo!" a lot atm (and "hello!" in a very little voice to everybody and everything, especially pics of cats, dogs and babies in books). Just learnt the number "four" as well - which makes him look like a genius if you hold up for fingers and ask him how many there are - but not qite so bright if you hold up two - pmsl!

dolally · 21/09/2007 23:49

You could try the following

get him used to a special blanket/muslin or whatever for going to sleep. When he has the blanket he will associate it with thmbsucking. When he doesn't have it he won't thumbsuck. therefore you try to keep the blanket for bedtime or when he's ill.

When he's about 6 or so, still using the blanket and the thumb for bedtime he will suddenly say: "I don't need this blanket anymore mum, I'm a big boy now." The thumbsucking will stop then too. Whereupon you hide blanket somewhere for emergencies but will probably find you never need it.

this is what happened with all my 3. They don't have buckteeth. I was terrified of dummies after I met someone at a lunch party who had us all hunting high and low for her baby's dummy which he'd dropped somewhere. At least you never lose a thumb.

sweetkitty · 21/09/2007 23:53

My DD is the same will only ever suck her thumb when holding her rabbit or mine or DP's hand, can't really hide my hand though.

Hunker DD2 is of course a child genius no she is a mimic of DD1 she can "count" to 10, say short sentences and if you ask her what she wants for dinner she says "cake" (thats my girl)

NappiesGalore · 21/09/2007 23:53

[rueful laugh] - yes, iadmit i bought about 8 of the blardy things trying to get one of them to take it in the night!! not a sausage.

ds3 is the big leg cling-on round here. and sooooo affectionate. but not a lap sitter on for any length of time.

bookthief · 21/09/2007 23:55

I just assumed that ds would be a thumbsucker. "Oh it will be different when he finds his thumb" I would say. No joy, although he seems to be developing a thing for fleece which I'm encouraging.

In desperation I tried a dummy but he treated it much like an old gent with a fine cigar - a measured suck, took it out, examined it, waved it about to make his point .

hunkermunker · 21/09/2007 23:57

LOL at "cake" for dinner - DS2 is a fruitbat, well, a gannet with a fruit hankering. I've only found three things he won't eat - mozzarella, avocado and olives. Actually, maybe that's why he doesn't suck his thumb any more - his mouth's always full of food...!

NappiesGalore · 21/09/2007 23:59

bookthief

MrsMarvel · 22/09/2007 00:01

No, don't do it with dummies. Remember their thumbs get bigger and after a while it feels uncomfortable in their mouths. They literally grow out of it.

sweetkitty · 22/09/2007 00:03

they are alike hunker DD2 is a gannet as well maybe thats why they took so long coming out plentiful supply of food, DD2 stnad on the babygate at th kitche door screaming Mummy NANA" until she gets a banana and you have neer seen a banana beig eaten as fast in you life.

hunkermunker · 22/09/2007 00:08

They sound v similar - my SIL was amazed today by how quickly DS2 ate a banana - she was hunting on the floor for it! LOL!

NappiesGalore · 22/09/2007 00:09

sk, i think your lot and mine would get on well. yours too aktch hunker.

[faints at thought of so many hardcore little people in one place at same time]

hunkermunker · 22/09/2007 00:19

LOL! DS2 thinks he's three. At least. He has a positive swagger about him - but he looks SO delicate and cute. Makes me laugh when he starts roaring at a MUCH bigger child because they have a toy he wants...!

law3 · 22/09/2007 07:55

Hi Mistiek, my ds2 was a thumb sucker from the word go too, whenever he wanted to sleep. I tried giving him a dummy from the word go, but he would just spit it out and put the thumb in.

He also used to rub anything silky, ie labels, when he sucked his thumb, to get to sleep.

I just used to remind him that he was big boy now and he stopped at about age 5. It didnt harm his teeth though.

I have heard of people putting the bitter tasting stuff that you use to stop biting your nails on the thumb nail, to get them to stop, not sure whether it works though!!

haychee · 22/09/2007 08:06

i took the dummy away from dd1 when she was quite young at 4months, she went straight to her thumb. Maybe its all sabout the timing of the removal of the dummy.

NotQuiteCockney · 22/09/2007 08:06

I'm trying to get my DS1 (nearly 6) to stop during the day, and the bitter-tasting stuff seems to do the trick, at least, it keeps him from sucking his thumb while it's on. It washes off before bed, so that's ok.

The only problem I have with him sucking his thumb at night is the recurrant pinworm thing.

Original poster

Mistiek · 22/09/2007 08:53

Hello All

Thank you to all those who feel the same and have given me some good advice and things to try.

For those of you who think its wrong to try stop them I would appriciate it if you had your own conversation somwhere else as I created this thread for advice not to be made to feel guiilty. For me the thought of kids over the age of 3 sucking there thumbs is terrible and even worse when they are 8 and still sucking it... My sons teeth ARE getting damaged so I have to get him to stop.

As a parent you are made to worry and feel guilty about everything! I do not need more to make me feel bad thanks.

NQC - where can I get the nailpolish from I looked at boots and they had no such beast?

OP posts:

NotQuiteCockney · 22/09/2007 08:56

It's not sold as nailpolish, it's sold as 'stop nail biting' stuff. Sally Hanson makes it, I think - DH found it at Boots, and I've found it in small local pharmacies. It's with the manicure type stuff.

SpacePuppy · 22/09/2007 09:13

Hi Mistiek,

fellow sa here.

My ds started sucking his thumb at about 8 weeks, is now 21 months and still does like yours do it when he wants to go to sleep or if he's getting tired. I tried the dummy approached, but, I don't think i could throw it further down the hallway than he did. As if he was insulted that I could even think it a replacement. Anyway, let me know if you figure something out. I've noticed that he doesn't suck his thumb when he doesn't have his comfort toys with him, I'm hoping for a gap, I think by removing the trigger (comfort toy) might break the habit. They are still young and its hard to understand adult logic. My ds is so bad that sometimes when the skin on his thumb breaks and dries out he sucks his forefinger until he can peel off the dead skin!

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