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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:

RosiePosie · 14/04/2005 08:19

I think sometimes a dentist can tell that the person is a thumbsucker, but the "damage" isn't obvious in real life, if you see what I mean. My dentist used to tell me off as a child, for sucking my thumb - he could obviously tell that I did it, but I'm sure no one else ever could! I am 30 now, still a thumbsucker and my teeth aren't perfectly straight, but not many people's are, surely? I'm perfectly happy with how my teeth look. And, as I said before. . sucking your thumb ( if you are a thumbsucker ) feels soooooo GOOD.

toddlermum · 14/04/2005 10:03

Hi all. She was not obviously traumatised this morning so I don't feel too bad this morning. We'll see how we get on this evening. As I said I don't mind that she sucks her thumb but I was concerned about what the dentist said. I am interested in your story RosiePosie - that makes me feel much better if my plans don't work!

psychomum5 · 14/04/2005 12:20

Well reading this makes me comforted that it really isn't a bad thing about my two girlies at 11 n 9 sucking their thumbs after all. My DH did until he was 16+ and his teeth aren't out of shape so maybe it's just how your teeth are born to be.

My 11yr old girl has fine teeth, but the 9yr old has teeth that don't meet at the front. It means that when she bites her back teeth are fine, but the gap at the front is enough for her to poke her tongue thro. Great party trick!!!
Thing is tho, my 2yr old son also has the same problem but he is a dummy sucker so I can only assume it's a genetic thing....my brother is like it too!!!(he wasn't a sucker of any kind...just read that back and sounds odd..lol, but leaving it in anyhow)

Maybe if I relax about it they will stop in their own time. Was beginning to think that the more I nagged the more it made them want to.....

SoupDragon · 15/04/2005 10:33

Toddlermum, your DD is exactly like my DS (he's sucked from 4 weeks old!). Dentist took one look and said "does he suck his thumb or have a dummy?" (implication being that sucking a dummy can damage teeth too.) I bught the stop and grow stuff yesterday and will be starting it tomorrow.

SoupDragon · 15/04/2005 10:34

psychomum5, your DDs teeth sound like my DSs and his is through thumb sucking, it's not genetic.

batters · 15/04/2005 11:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SkiBunnyFlummy · 15/04/2005 12:57

chopping both thumbs off will surely do it.

but if you think that is a bit harsh then praps just some thumb vices for extended periods during the day and night

SkiBunnyFlummy · 15/04/2005 13:03

or taping up the mouth

cupcakes · 15/04/2005 13:19

Glad to see you other adult thumb suckers out there. I am 30 and still do. Dd and I sit there together in the evenings with our thumbs in our mouths. She will suck either thumb but I like my left - I wonder how you develop a preference?!
Dd is 2.2 and I can see a definate decline in the amount of time she sucks. She used to do it constantly but now it is only if she is tired or upset, not even when in the buggy anymore. My dentist predicted that it would slowly taper off like it has so I have not been trying to discourage it - even though her top two teeth stick out slightly. Apparently there is a certain amount of hours per day that they can suck for without it damaging their teeth shape (2 or 3) so so long as she can get it down to that by the time her big teeth come through neither my dentist or myself are unduly worried.

SoupDragon · 15/04/2005 13:50

SkiBunnyFlummy, we've threatened to chop DSs thumb off before

psychomum5 · 15/04/2005 13:58

I threatened to chop off DD1's thumb during the school hols, and then to post it to the school so that there was no chance of getting it back to re-attach for a looooong time. Traumatised her for life for that comment!!

psychomum5 · 15/04/2005 13:58

Didn't stop her sucking it tho!!!!

SkiBunnyFlummy · 15/04/2005 14:09

yeah i think the fear of having to stop sucking thumb liable to make you suck thumb more.

easiest way is to find someone with older boys, and let them all play together - or nearby for a bit (as older boys obviously don't want play with littlies) they will tease about thumb sucking

nothing like teasing to stop kids doing something babyish

nooka · 15/04/2005 20:43

I think that putting stuff on your children's thumbs to make them stop sucking them is pretty mean. I was a confirmed thumb sucker as a child, and still get the urge (although nowadays my thumb just doesn't really fit quite right any more). I can't remember stopping, and I guess it just tailed off. My dentist told my mum that I would end up wearing a brace, but she reckoned that was just a way for him to make more money and ignored him. My teeth are just fine now, and I have no intention of stopping my son (coming up 6) stop with such draconian methods. He'll stop when he doesn't need it to go to sleep.

It's interesting that on this thread there's lots of trust in dentists, but other threads I've seen have been happy to dismiss health visitors - I've always found it very difficult to trust dentists!

sobernow · 15/04/2005 20:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SoupDragon · 15/04/2005 21:10

nooka, I can see the damage DS has done to his teeth - you'd have to be blind not to! I didn't actually need the dentist to tell me about it!

I am not mean for putting stuff on his thumb to stop him sucking and I'm certainly not draconian (well, except in a blue string soup kind of way).

If you don't want to stop your son sucking his thumb, that's fine, but don't insult those of us who do.

nooka · 15/04/2005 21:44

Soupdragon,
I wasn't meaning to be insulting (my post wasn't directed at anyone in particular), and I can see why you are concerned about your ds. I just think that if you turn to your thumb for comfort having it taste nasty (and that nail biting stuff is foul)would be pretty upsetting. Having said that I'd use it for nail biting! My ds has real problems relaxing and going to sleep and I guess I'd prefer slightly wonky teeth to traumatised son. I guess we all add up things differently depending on what matters most to us and our families

SoupDragon · 16/04/2005 11:54

There you go again - it's not going to traumatise him!

AussieSim · 16/04/2005 13:38

My DS is a thumbsucker, and his thumbs suffer badly from eczema - the open wet tending to infected serious kind. I have to wrap them every day and it looks pretty serious to all the people that question me about it in the street. Before I started wrapping them he would suck on them no matter how horrible and sore they looked.

We have seen a lot of improvement with them through seeing a Naturopath and they are nearly better now, but the minute I unwrap them for his bath and a bit of fresh air he starts sucking and I have to wrap them up again.

It is a very unpleasant situation for us, but my hope is that we can clear the eczema and I can let him be a normal thumbsucking 2yo and that he will hopefully give it up on his own sometime before he goes to school.

Horse · 19/04/2005 19:51

I really must post to thank you Tigi for sharing your experience in conquering the thumb sucking. My dd is nearly 3.5 and has sucked her thumb from 7 months. I would have preferred her to have sucked a dummy so that I could have taken it away from her. Last Friday, after reading this thread, I pointed out to my dd that her finger looked a little bit poorly and that I should get some medicine for it. At that time she didn't fall for it but on Saturday morning she came to me and asked me for medicine to put on her finger and she administered it herself. Since then she has asked for her finger medicine and will paint it on her finger. She has also not sucked her finger, she used to suck her index finger and play with her hair at the same time. Apart from settling a little later and a few early mornings it has been very painless and certainly not at all traumatic. Thank you again.

toddlermum · 20/04/2005 18:31

Just a quick update in case anybody is interested. DD no longer sucks her thumb - hurraH!!!! She does chew her teddy's ear while we read stories but that's it - only had to use the stop and grow about 4 times - Mumsnet is fantastic! Have managed to get DD to give up milk bottle and thumb sucking within a year with info and experience gleaned from other mumsnetters (have had visions of having to take her bottle with us everytime we go away) without too much heartache and DD is so proud of herself as well. Thanks to all of you!

dropinthe · 20/04/2005 18:32

I have no advice as still do it after 35 years!!

Peachyclair · 20/04/2005 19:17

Yeah me too, after 31. Don't care much though it can be embarassing when I do it in college. One day I'll start caring, but not yet.

LIZS · 20/04/2005 19:32

Well done your dd, toddlermum. There is hope for us yet . Any tips on what swung it in the end ? dd chews her teddy too - aargh !! - so much so that it had an overskirt (one of these soft comforter ones with teddy head and soft flannel under and over skirt) which has virtually disintegrated.

toddlermum · 20/04/2005 20:21

Well she's nearly 5 so can reason with her - and bribery - told her when she gives up she can one thing from Disney shop - whatever she wants

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