three and half year old suddenly started thumb-sucking - should I be worried?

[mum03]

Please help- My ds age three and a half, has suddenly started sucking his thumb. He never did this before now, although he did use a soother when he was little, but now only uses it occasionally at bed-times. Should I be concerned about this sudden day-time thumb-sucking and what should I do to discourage it?

i don't think I'd be concerned, and there's no reason why you'd have to discourage him at this age.
i have 3 thumb suckers (occasional mostly at night and when they are tired)
i used to suck my thumb too and didn't have buck teeth - if it's an issue when they are older they can get braces - if it gets to be drastic of course!

I wouldn't be concerned but I would try to discourage it.

My daughter had a dummy, when we got rid of it she started to suck her finger instead (age 3)

Jump forward to age 14, she had a major habit, she had misaligned her jaw and her bite is totally out. She is looking at 4 years of brace work and if that doesn't work, jaw surgery. It is only because of the finger sucking and nothing else

Not wanting to scare you, just long term thumb/finger sucking is not advised and is a very hard habit to break the longer it goes on

DS started sucking his thumb last year for the first time (he will be 4 in a couple of weeks), he did it for weeks on end but I guess it was because he become friends of a girl who did it and he thought it was cool and then got some comfort from it. Having said that, his best friend has a piece of ribbon as a comforter and DS's is wearing a sock over his hand (they are made for each other [rolls eyes]). He also got a time when he wanted a ribbon to go to sleep and friend wanted a sock too

But now he has forgot about the thumb and the ribbon, so I guess it was just a phase. Now, the sock on the hand... that worries me!

Chandra - thank you for the reassurance,
Bigbird2003 - thank you for the warning to discourage thumb-sucking
hana - thankyou for the reassurance

I was concerned because I have just started back at full-time work after a few months of being a sahm, I think that the thumb-sucking is as a result of ds missing me. I just hope it is not a sign of insecurity starting.

is he copying someone at nursery perhaps?

I don't think he is copying anyoneelse, but it is possible, but he has been at the nursary since september and this thumb-sucking has only just started.