18 month old keeps poking belly button and sucking lip

[MummyOnTour]

My 18 month old has been more or less constantly sucking her bottom lip for the last month now - I've tried ignoring it and I've tried telling her not to do it, but she doesn't stop. Someone told me that they knew someone who kept doing it and they ended up with a massive bottom lip so that's what I'm worried about. Should I introduce a dummy to stop her doing it - 18 months seems very late to intriduce a dummy but not sure what to do!

She's also constantly poking around in her belly button and again I'm not sure whether to ignore it or tell her not to do it! We live in very hot place so she often without a top on to keep her cool so I can't cover her up really!!

Any advice??

If it was me I'd repeatedly say don't do that and rub my finger on her lips to correct it, constantly. I'm persistent though

There was a boy in my school who constantly liked his lips and then wiped them and it made them sore, chapped and then they did swell etc. The skin will heal itself in the end if left alone, doubt it would leave a scar but maybe someone else knows something I don't. But I would be more worred about lip thing than anything else. I'm sure you could break her of habit if consistent.

I wouldn't worry about belly button but maybe some other musmnetter may say something wiser here.

Can't really offer any words of wisdom other than to say she will grow out of it. I remember I used to lick my lips all the time when I was young and had permanent scabs all around my mouth........people always used to think I had chocolate round my mouth and start trying to rub it off! It can't have been very pleasant at the time, but my lips are completely normal now!

Have to say in your situation I would be reluctant to try and introduce a dummy at this age.......if she really takes to it you may have terrible difficulty taking it away again and it will have consequences for her teeth and pallet. Agree with teaandcake that if you really want to stop her then persistance will be the key! Although if she is anything like my DD, the more you tell her not to do it, the more she will

I wouldn't worry about the belly button thing - my 20month is currently obsessed with bellybuttons - her own, her sisters, mine, her dad's, random strangers (OK, not the last one right now but wait till the summer and crop tops!).

I'd try and distract her with the lip-sucking but wouldn't introduce a dummy, not now. Maybe start singing nursery rhymes or something that she'll join in with and therefore stop sucking?

Thanks everyone, will keep persisting!!

My 3yo dd is a lip sucker too. We weaned her off her fingers last summer, but she's taken to sucking her lip instead and it's making her teeth stick out a bit. We're powerless to stop it really. We've tried persistently telling her not to but she doesn't realise she's doing it. She has a teddy comforter thing which she likes to smell and whe teddy goes to the nose, the lip goes in too. I'm reluctant to get rid of teddy though at this age?

Sorry, I know that's not helpful, but you're not the only one.

Oh, and she was obsessed with belly buttons at 18months-2. To the point where she would poke other people's when we were at the beach and draw one on makka pakka on the sand.