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Original poster

What's the oldest your dc has started thumb sucking?

51 replies

pinkdolly · 21/10/2008 16:36

None of my girls have ever been thumb suckers. But dh was and very much still is. He quite often sucks his thumb in front of the girls.

About a week ago my dd3 who was 2 in July started sucking her thumb. Just a bit at first and would babble about daddy doing it.

I then stopped breast feeding her about thursday and since then she has been doing it a lot more.

breast feeding was very much a comfort thing for her, so i'm wandering if she is using her thumb to replace this.

Or is this just copied behaviour from daddy. should i be discouraging this or will she get bored of it?

Has anyone elses child started thumb sucking this late and did it turn into a habit?

Thanx

Pink

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bamboo · 21/10/2008 16:49

dd started at 2 as well but because a couple of girls at nursery did.

She continued for a good 2 years until dh nearly knocked her front teeth out at a festival (she was on his shoulders and they were dancing about). One of her teeth was so wobbly that we insisted she didn't suck her thumb as we were frightened it would come out completely. She never went back to it after that.

annmar · 21/10/2008 17:01

DD1 was 2.

We moved house and then DD2 arrived.

I assumed she needed some comfort because of all the changes.

She still sucks it now at 4, I feel I should be stopping her, but I was a thumb sucker, and I haven't got the heart to deprive her of something she obviously gets comfort from.

bamboo · 21/10/2008 17:04

I don't have a big issue with it either. My sister still sucks her fingers when she's concentrating sometimes and she's 27!

UmMwahahahaaaaa · 21/10/2008 17:13

Sorry... your dh sucks his thumb??!!

Original poster
pinkdolly · 21/10/2008 17:28

yes- dh sucks his thumb when he is tired- he is also 27. It's never bothered me. A friend of mine has a friend who still sucks her thumb at 40. I bet it's more common then you think.

In fact dh's cousin is abot 23ish and she sucks her fingers, am sure there are a few of them in his family.

Maybe it's genetic.

I just always thought that if you were gonna be a thum sucker you would be from day 1- obviously it's not unheard of to start later.

thanx

OP posts:
UmMwahahahaaaaa · 21/10/2008 17:35

It is interesting, wondering now if dd will start when (if?!) she gives up the dummies...

Original poster
pinkdolly · 21/10/2008 17:39

Um - DD1 had a dummy- I waited till she was 3 and then bribed her to give it up (naughty mummy emoticon). She took the bribe and has never sucked her thumb.

However she is 6 now and occasionally chews and sucks on her clothes if anxious or panicked about anything. I am sure that comes from having thr sucling comfort of a dummy.

OP posts:
Original poster
pinkdolly · 21/10/2008 17:39

sorry that should have read sucking - should proof-read before posting.

OP posts:
CarGirl · 21/10/2008 17:42

dd is 3 and she is starting to suck her thumb but I don't "let" her she has a dummy and I enforce it being for bed time. Her older sister suck their thumbs and I am trying to restrict this to bedtime only as well.

My only concern is that it affects the shape of their jaws which can lead to needing orthadontic work which could well cost us ££££££££££££££££££££££££'s, they have soft toy comforters as well though.

Original poster
pinkdolly · 21/10/2008 17:55

cargirl- my dd3 would never take any type of comforter whatsoever. She is a complete mummy's girl and is still quite clingy.

I tried everything but she wouldn't have any of it.

Dd2 was the easiest, had her soft comforter from day 1. Now at 5 she still likes to stroke the tags to go to sleep (but it has to be the right type of tag soft and shiny, or it doesn't work, her words not mine)

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ADragonIs4LifeNotJustHalloween · 21/10/2008 17:56

BabyDragon's just started at 2.8 and I'm seriously p-ed off about it

MwaHaHaMhamai · 21/10/2008 17:59

I don't think it's pathectic, from a teeth developing point of view it might affect front teeth protruding, tho not sure if that is fact or myth. My ds 7 still does it but mostly when tired or bored. Not exactly crime of the century. I pick my nose so shoot me!

Original poster
pinkdolly · 21/10/2008 18:00

Really dragon - why is that?

I know a lot of pepole dont like it, but I would sort of be a bit relieved if it got me off the hook.

That sounds awful and I love dd to bits, but up till now I have been her only comfort and that can be hard work.

Am 16 weeks pg with number 4 so that's why i felt i needed to break the breast feeding out of habit.

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ADragonIs4LifeNotJustHalloween · 21/10/2008 18:05

Because DS1's thumbsucking made a complete mess of his teeth and jaw. I was delighted that neither DS2 or DD sucked their thumbs because it is impossible to stop.

FlameThrowersKillZombies · 21/10/2008 18:07

Can't answer this, but can anyone tell me why DS (2.8) is now asking for a DUMMY after being a dedicated thumb sucker!?!?

Original poster
pinkdolly · 21/10/2008 18:09

Yes dragon- my dh is walking proof of how difficult it is to stop.

I can understand you not wanting him to mess his jaw up if you have already had experience of it.

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ADragonIs4LifeNotJustHalloween · 21/10/2008 18:10

Problems from thumb sucking are not limited to the sticky out teeth caused by where the thumb is. If the thumb (or dummy) is in, the teeth aren't closed together and the jaws do not grow as they should.

This isn't limited to sucking habits though, take a look at any crowd of children watching TV etc and a large proportion of them will be sitting there slack-jawed.

The private orthodontist DS1 is seeing looked at me and told me he knew I'd sucked my thumb as a child. He hadn't seen my teeth but could tell from the shape of my jaw/cheekbones etc.

As I say, it's not only caused by thumbsucking. DS2 is having the treatment too due to the gormless slack-jawed look but his is a far less complex case than DS1 as there isn't the sucking damage. This is at £4k a shot so you can see why I'm angry DD has decided to suck her thumb at this late stage!

Original poster
pinkdolly · 21/10/2008 18:10

Flame- Perhaps it's an age thing. Maybe he has become aware of children around him with dummies.

I had wandered if that was why dd3 was doing it.

OP posts:
Original poster
pinkdolly · 21/10/2008 18:14

Oops, sorry Dragon and wrongly assumed Babydragon was a Ds not a DD, sorry about the gender confusion.

You know i've never noticed any difference between mine and dh's jaws before (i was never a thumb sucker).

Will be looking at hime very closely when he comes home from work tonite.

OP posts:
ADragonIs4LifeNotJustHalloween · 21/10/2008 18:16

Sometimes it's difficult to tell what she is, PinkDolly She's wrestling her brothers in a cardboard box in the garden ATM!

I'm not sure what he saw in my face [panic] Something to do with a longer shaped face I think. He's got years of experience though.

MwaHaHaMhamai · 21/10/2008 18:20

Gosh, sorry if my last post was flippant, thanks for the heads up soupy.

CarGirl · 21/10/2008 18:45

I gave dd4 a dummy because she was a finger sucker and I know I can ditch the dummy quicker and easier than the fingers (she has finally forgotton about them) but I am really trying to restrict their sucking because I can see already that mine could do with orthatropic treatment - so that's 4 children aroun £16k of treatment.

Original poster
pinkdolly · 21/10/2008 19:06

ouch! cargirl- that's a lot of money.

I was checking dh out when he came home, think he got a bit sensitive about it, so had to stop. All I could see was his lovely pouty, full lips.

But then I guess it probably takes knowing what your looking for to see any problems.

I told him that I posted on here about dd sucking her thumb and he said "U didn't tell them about me, did you?"

Whoops!

He is alright now tho, I started a thread in chat asking who else still sucks their thumb and got a few replies to show him from other fellow thumb suckers. So he's not feeling so silly now.

OP posts:
ADragonIs4LifeNotJustHalloween · 22/10/2008 09:56

Orthotropics, that's what DSs are having Cargirl. £4k a child. Still, at least I have only 3 of them... [sigh]

ADragonIs4LifeNotJustHalloween · 22/10/2008 09:58

Mhamai, don't worry about sounding flippant. I was too with DS1 until I realised what he'd done to his teeth!. I always believed I'd done no damage with my thumbsucking (teeth are fine, no braces) but when the orthodontist looked at me and knew I'd sucked my thumb I was shocked. I can kind of see what he means about the changes in my face although no one would ever notice unless they knew what they were looking for.