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Thumb sucking while sleep training

1 reply

DeepKhakiOP · 17/03/2025 09:50

Hello!

I have recently started sleep training baby so she can fall asleep independently. She is 5 months old and sleeps great at night, we occasionally would give her a pacifier to help settle her for day time naps (but not consistently) and she doesn’t always take it / spits it out often.

Now that I have started going the sleep training she has started thumb sucking after a period of crying. I used to be a thumb sucker when I was younger so would prefer for her to use the pacifier rather than thumb.

I have tried going into the room and giving her the pacifier rather than thumb but she spits it out as soon as I leave the room, starts crying and goes back to thumb when she can’t find pacifier.

the thumb does soothe her and gets her to sleep - I wanted to see how common this is amongst babies and likely she will grow out of this on her own? I sucked my thumb until I was 4 years old … I broke my arm and only stopped because I broke my arm and couldn’t get to it with a cast!

is this nothing to worry about and carry on with the training or should I wait a while and settle her more to avoid the thumb sucking habit taking hold!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Row23 · 17/03/2025 12:45

Thumb sucking is pretty normal - babies like to suck as it soothes them. Pacifiers easily fall out and they can’t get them which causes more wake ups and they get distressed. If she’s happy sucking her thumb and it’s helping her sleep then that’s surely a good thing. Majority of kids grow out of it without needing intervention.
If you’re sleep training I’m assuming you’re taking away other forms of comfort for her - like rocking or patting or being with her. Let her have her thumb for some comfort!

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