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Parenting

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Original poster

Tell me all about stopping thumb sucking please!

11 replies

Longines · 16/05/2014 09:21

I really want my 4 year old to kick her thumb sucking habit....

We have applied a bitter tasting nail polish for the past 6 or so weeks and everything went well - she had to stop I guess because of the foul taste.

Last week I applied the stuff less frequently so the bitter taste was less strong and she started again. Well it would be easy to just apply the stuff twice per day again but now she suddenly kicks up a fuss and I need to wrestle and pin her down. I have a sinking feeling that it isn't going to be as easy as I had thought....

What are your experiences with all this?

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Poshers · 16/05/2014 09:22

Prob not helpful but I'm 37 and still suck my thumb ... (Better than scoffing biscuits & choc for comfort!)

ThePigOfHappiness · 16/05/2014 09:26

I sucked my thumb until I was 18 and got train tracks removed. I still sick it if I'm hungover tired. My mum tried everything, nothing worked but time.

crazylady2013 · 16/05/2014 22:17

Sucked my thumb until I decided to stop. Luckily for me this was when I started school as I wanted to be a "big girl". At first only managed not to suck during the day but slowly included nights when I realised there was things such a sleepovers (didn't want to seem like a baby to my friends). The bitter nail polishes never worked for me when I was trying to stop biting my nails. Again it was my own desire to have pretty nails that stopped me (my mom would only paint them if they hadn't been bitten).

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bluebell345 · 16/05/2014 22:20

you can apply the nail polish when she is sleeping.

AnonButRegular · 16/05/2014 22:22

Dd is 14 and still sucks her thumb when she's tired and going to sleep.

I never had a problem with it and never wanted to stop her doing it - why would I? It's a comfort thing. She never had a dummy either, just her thumb.

Her teeth are fine btw

IHeartKingThistle · 16/05/2014 22:35

I stopped when I was 22. Never an issue. Leave her alone!

MandScookiesrule · 16/05/2014 22:49

My DS is 3.9 and last month he wore this...
www.amazon.co.uk/Dr-Thumb-original-sucking-treatment/dp/B00G5BF61G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400276682&sr=8-1&keywords=Dr+thumb
...for 2 weeks day and night and stopped, no tears, just did it. I'm sure it won't work for everyone but for us it was so easy.
I sucked my thumb till I was 7 and really wanted him to stop before he starts school.
As a dentist, I have seen some teeth really messed up by thumb sucking.

snoggle · 16/05/2014 23:03

Well great if it's not having an impact on teeth, but for many it does. My DS is 2 and already it is evident that his palette is more pointed at the front, his upper teeth are moving forward an his lower ones back. His speech is also affected, he forms eg p and b from under his teeth.

I want him to stop but no idea how. It does feel bad, he's always been very good at settling himself with the thumb, but I am worried his mouth and speech will be really messed up

SueDNim · 16/05/2014 23:28

I'm interested in getting DD something like the Dr Thumb. However she has a comforter as well as sucking her thumb and I am not sure if the association with the comforter is too strong to keep the comforter but stop the thumb sucking. Does anyone have any experience of this?

MandScookiesrule · 16/05/2014 23:56

DS has a comforter which he always stroked when thumb sucking. We didn't take it away whilst he was wearing his dr thumb. Now he doesn't thumb suck anymore he still has the comforter but just doesn't seem as interested in it. I think the dr thumb has taken aware the habit and the desire to suck his thumb, leaving the comforter more like a cuddly toy rather than a thumb sucking companion. HTH.

Original poster

Longines · 17/05/2014 14:36

Thanks for lots of advice!

Dd has a comforter too and since she stopped sucking it comes out to play far less... I didn't want to take the comforter away as well. But when she saw it before the thumb went straight in like a cue. I showed her to tickle her nose with the comforter it works..

The nursery teacher talked to dd and apparently dd sucked again because I didn't put a lot of the bitter mail polish on it... Teacher also said: let her put the stuff on herself, involve her, also put some coloured nail polish like some of you suggested.

At the end of the dinner (we had a play date over) I just said: Dd wants to show you all something.. And I hit the foul tasting stuff out and said: she is going to put this on all by herself now. She was really proud actually.

So I guess the wrestling is definitely the wrong way and I will make sure she wants to stop as well...

I ordered a book : David decides about thumb sucking. It's quite 80s but I think she will like seeing "real" kids.

I know a part of me also thinks she is so young, let her do it.. But 4year olds don't really need sucking for comfort and ideally move on to other healthier self soothing techniques.

And I know it doesn't affect everyone's teeth, but am not that keen to risk it...

Thanks so much guys!!

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