5 year old thumb-sucker - any suggestions?

[ClaireyBeary]

Help! I have a 5 year old who will not stop sucking his thumb. It didn't really worry me too much until about a year ago when his (then 7) year old brother was still doing it and I had to stop him because it had pushed his lower jaw back and I'm now facing HUGE orthadontist bills.

He's now stopped but I am having a much more difficult job with my 5 year old. Things I have tried:

Painting his thumb with that disgusting-tasting 'thumb stop' stuff you can buy. That didn't work, he likes the taste!

Putting plasters/tape on this thumb

Taking away toys if he carries on doing it

The promise of new toys if he stops

What makes it worse is that while he is sucking he picks his nose (around it, not in it thankfully) and constantly re-infects the skin.

Please help! Any tips or suggestions gratefully received! Thanks.

wish i could help. my 7 1/2 year old still does it and all efforts to get her to stop upset her so much we gave up. she has already been referred to the orthodontist because her top teeth are much further out than her bottom ones.

hi there...this is a costly option, I have one but my ds is too young for it...his hands are too small and he can get it off. But older kids cant. It is expensive £50 but it has great reveiws and will potentially save me so much money in denstist bills when ds isnt quite so flexible in the thumb area!...www.thumbgaurd.co.uk

put mustard on his thumb.

Oh I sympathise. Dd (4) is a terrible thumbsucker. The thing is I think she wants to stop - the other day, she asked me if I could cut off her thumb because it was too hard to stop sucking it....

It sounds like the thumbguard is the way to go...

I bite the skin around my thumbs (yes I know and for my wedding I obviously wanted to stop. I found germoline helped - it tasted VILE!

try nail biting stuff, it worked for me when i was 7! dd1 keeps biting her nails so i apply the stuff so she picks instead i give up

All 3 of mine have sucked their thumb. The dentist stopped 2 of them by being quite 'nasty' - your teeth will stick out and you won;t be pretty was a classic to my daughter! I was considering a complaint until that evening when 2 of my 3 stopped sucking instantly! The 3rd was much more of a minx and I've recently had to put her in a pyjama top with a 'bib glove' sewn onto it - she doesn't try to get her arm out but if she did I would have made a big sleep suit thingy and sewn it onto that instead! It's very effective. Good luck x

My thumb sucking one gave up when he got to the age that he was teased.

Thank you all for you kind replies and helpful suggestions - especially the thumbguard. I have looked on their webiste and will probably order one. They are expensive (and I will need two because if I tape up one thumb he just sucks the other!) but if it works it's worth it and, like you say, cheaper than the orthadontist bills.

I have 4 children and only one doesn't suck her thumb. It's a nightmare! If your children do it - or you have any friends' children who do - get them to stop as early as possible. I stupidly didn't and even thought it looked quite 'cute'. But sticking out top teeth, being teased at school and big orthadontist bills are not cute, believe me!

perhaps I'll paint my 21 year old sister's thumb in that nail biting stuff while she's asleep Yes I said twenty one

clairey beary dont order two it comes with two thumbguards at elast i think it does as standard....contact them, the lady who owns the site is really nice.....

Readingnolder threads, does anyone have any recent advice on nhow to stop my 5 yr old daughter sucking her thumb ? Help please !