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Original poster

tips on stopping thumb sucking

53 replies

lmj · 12/04/2005 14:27

i have a 2.5 year old boy who has suked his thumb since a few months old ad always the same thumb, he has had a lump on the back of his thumb for long time. no matter how many times you tel him to take thumb out of his mouth i goes back in soon after. he sucks his thumb when he is sleepy or wants comfort.
i cant just take his thumb away from him like a dummy...i dont know what to do,
i have told him his thumb is shrinking to stop him but he just started sucking the other thumb, but a day later goes bak to original thumb.
ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH
Help pls

OP posts:

tigi · 12/04/2005 14:46

My son was just the same (now 5). When he started nursery (4)I had to stop the thumb! He would suck in bed, watching TV, having a story, or when tired. It was really easy though, did it in less than a week!
I told him hus thumb was looking poorly, the hard knobble/lump on it where he sucks, and told him I had got some medicine. 'Stop 'n' grow' was the medicine (it stops you biting your nails). A vicious tasting substance that I initially used at night. He realised straight away it was nasty, and would try to suck, but would then lie in bed just looking at his thumb! I did this a couple of nights, and then odd times in the day, and at this time he was in fear of tasting it, so just never bothered trying to suck again! Younger child is now 3, and just the same, so will also use this method!
Up until then, I tried talking to him - his thumbs will be fat/skinny/poorly/go green- but made no difference!

hayleylou · 12/04/2005 14:47

I am 28 and still suck my thumb... sorry not much help i'm affraid!

frogs · 12/04/2005 14:49

Leave him to it. He'll stop eventually. Dentist told me no need to worry unless they're still sucking almost constantly once the adult teeth are in.

Admit that I do go round the bedrooms at night unplugging three little thumbs, though.

Listmaker · 12/04/2005 14:59

I sucked my thumb til I was about 8 when I decided I wanted to stop myself and used a bandage type thing on it to stop myself.

My younger dd (aged 5) sucks her finger quite a lot. The dentist mentioned stopping her before the big teeth come in but she'd freak at the idea!! I'm just putting it off really so will watch this thread with interest!

PsychoFlame · 12/04/2005 15:01

If anyone can give advice on how to stop an 11 and 9 year old doing it then that would be fab!!

Threats of chopping their thumbs off don't seem to have worked so far...

LIZS · 12/04/2005 15:22

Sorry, have the same problem with my 3 1/2 year old dd. Appealing to her sense of being a big girl now and looking after her teeth is having a little success but feel as if I'm having to nag. Keeping her busy seems to help.

RosiePosie · 12/04/2005 17:18

oooh, but unless you are a thumbsucker you have no idea how GOOD it feels. I would never stop either of mine from sucking their thumbs, but sadly neither of them do it. I'm 30 and I suck mine - but only when tired and stressed and in the privacy of my own home! It is a wonderful way of self-soothing.

MaryP0p1 · 12/04/2005 17:21

I have to agree with you Rosie. I sucked my thumb until 13 AND when I'm really stressed upset and tired I think back and remember how reassuring it was. My children don't suck thumbs but if they did I don't think I think of any agrument that would win them over.

tigi · 12/04/2005 21:15

had to give you this site to read, I laughed when I looked at it ages ago-
iusedtobelieve.com/bad_habits/sucking_my_thumb/ (sorry - can't do links)

my sons jaw had started to shift when he sucked his thumb (see stop n grow message at start), the bottom jaw had gone back, and top forward, and it was really noticable how his teeth had started to hang forward. Dentist said after age 5 it will become quite set! This scared me, but now after one and a half years off the thumb it has gone back, and he is handsome again!

Satine · 12/04/2005 21:42

Your poor little children - I've sucked my thumb all my life and it's very soothing. I can't imagine pulling the thumbs out of sleeping children's mouths!! Like forcing left handed children to write with their right hands.

myermay · 13/04/2005 11:03

Message withdrawn

myermay · 13/04/2005 11:04

Message withdrawn

Donbean · 13/04/2005 11:06

Yep, me too, 34 and still sucking my thumb! One of my very good friends who is a teacher and is 32 sucks her thumb as does her 3 year old ds, they sit and suck thumbs together.
We are perfectly normal, well adjusted professionals! Obviously dont do it at work, but on night shift there is always the temptation!

clary · 13/04/2005 11:37

myermay it will force their front teeth out of alignment. I have 3 thumb suckers, ds1 stopped when he was 5. DD is the worst , she?s nearly 4 and still does it a lot (more than 2yo ds2). Dentist says she has already misaligned her front teeth
Agree re it being a comfort tho and I was glad of it when they were little.

MamanFlo · 13/04/2005 12:49

I did suck my index (folded) until I was 6...it damaged dramatically my teeth and I had to go to have them fixed for several painful years...you should really look out for it.

As far as I remember, I did manage to stop sucking during the day, but couldn't help it during the night. My godmother gave me a very old wool glove (red I remember) to wear during the night to avoid sucking on my finger and she told me that if I'd stop she would bring me to have my ears pierced so I could wear earrings. It did the trick and I stopped...

This is a difficult step for any child, so this is the kind of progress that deserves a reward...

Hopes this helps !

Florence

SoupDragon · 13/04/2005 12:52

DS1 has trashed his teeth too. The top ones have been pulled forward, the lower ones pushed back and the roof of his mouth reshaped.

I think one of the keys to the damaging effects is whether they hook their index finger over the nose or not as this gives more leverage.

HondaDream · 13/04/2005 14:02

Both my DD's suck their thumb. DD1 (6) just one Thumb but DD2(5) idn't fussy and will suck either. Both her thumbs are red raw esp in winter she has very dry skin and they bleed but she still sucks. Thought I'd cracked it with DD1 after a trip to dentist and losing first teeth, she stopped for a while or so I thought but she was sucking at night hidden under bed covers, she has now started inthe day aswel again. I really have no ideas what to do except tell her to stop every time I see her. My sister is 34 and she still sucks her fingers!!!

piffle · 13/04/2005 14:22

AS a former Thumb Sucker I am pleased my dd has that self administered comfort and will let her as long as it is not harming her teeth/jaw she is 29 mths now and still looks very sweet curled up with her thumb in situ

Gwenick · 13/04/2005 14:26

DS2 doesn't suck his thumbs, but does suck his index and middle fingers together (he's not fussy which hand - whichever is closest LOL). He only does it when tired or when he's upset - and I really don't care. I DIDN'T suck my thumb and ended up with awful teeth anyhow........

Listmaker · 13/04/2005 14:38

AS I said I sucked my thumb til I was 8 or 9 and my teeth are absolutely fine. My dd (5) sucks her index finger (but not curled up) and her top teeth do stick out a bit and in the cold weather she did get some chapping around the base of her finger.

As I made my own choice to stop I am just hoping she will too but she loves it at the moment and as her 7 year old sister still hasn't lost her top teeth I hope I have a couple of years leeway yet for her.

MamanFlo · 13/04/2005 15:15

I am happy for the ones who didn't have any problem with their teeth...actually the way I sucked my finger pulled the teeth out ...this means that every case is different and you should definitely ask advice to your dentist.

Dahlia · 13/04/2005 18:54

I too sucked my thumb til a late age like listmaker - I was 11! I used to do it all the time, watching tv, reading, and especially at bedtime. My teeth are absolutely fine. And I have to say I still get the occasional urge to suck even now, but I think at 39 I would look a bit daft...

Kidstrack2 · 13/04/2005 22:10

Hi, my dd is 23 months and has sucked her thumb since 5 mins after her birth (was so sweet). I too was a thumb sucker until I was 11, fell off a slide and had a deep gash to my right thumb (the one I sucked), it had to be stitched and bandaged and so I started trying to suck the left but it wasn't the same so sadly I had to stop and when the bandage did com off I tried and It didn't feel the same so that was the end of thumb sucking! My teeth and jaws are perfectly fine and so is dd, dentist said not to worry about dd teeth he said it depends on the individual how there teeth start to grow and develop whether or not they become damaged!

toddlermum · 13/04/2005 22:39

My dd is nearly 5 and has been sucking her thumb since she was about 6 months old - it doesn't bother me but the dentist took one look in her mouth and said "she's a thumb sucker isn't she?" Surely this means that there is already some damage. She has really tried to give up - bless her - but it is such a comfort to her. After reading this thread today I decided we had to give it another go and after talking it over we decided to use the stop and grow. She was such a good little girl letting me put it on her but when she wanted to go to sleep she was crying her eyes out poor little love as she says she can't sleep without sucking her thumb. I gave her cuddles and even let her suck MY thumb for a while. Eventually fell asleep by sucking her teddy's ear. I have just taken her to the toilet and normally when she is disturbed in her sleep she sucks her thumb to help her get back to sleep but I had to whisper to her "Don't suck your thumb darling - remember you've got the medicine on it." I feel like the world's worst mum as this is the most that she has cried in ages - it's like when I did controlled crying about 3 years ago - but that did work and hopefully this will too. As a special treat she asked if I could sleep with her - she's been such a brave little oldier that when I do go to bed i will sleep with her. Fingers crossed that it will be worth it. Sorry for the length of the post - thanks for reading.

MamaMaiasaura · 13/04/2005 23:16

aww toddlermum xx my ds is 5 and still sucsk his thumb at night and sometimes in the day when tired. I am discouraging daytime sucking but not night time yet as it seems to be for such a short time. i thought it was only when the adult teeth came through it made an impact.. I really feel for you.

Personally i am not too stressed by his night-time sucking but when i remind him in the daytime it has alot to do with what he might have been picking up before thumb went ot mouth - e.g. snails, slugs etc..

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