If your DC sucked their thumb...

[FatLittleWombat]

I'd love to hear about your experience!
DS2 has started sucking his thumb and I've had nothing but negative comments about it. He's 7 months now and it's really helped with sleep. It seems like a positive habit so far. I know it's bad for teeth and language development if they suck their thumbs for too long, but it is really such an awful habit that's impossible to break? What is your experience with your thumb sucking DC?

My DD is still a thumb sucker age 9. No speech issues but not sure how much effect it's having on her teeth - DH and I both had braces so she probably hasn't got much hope anyway!

DS preferred a dummy. He did have speech delay (not a serious one), but once you make the decision to get rid of it at least it's gone forever!

That's right Olly, dody is a dummy ooopnorth!

My DD sucked her thumb from birth. We thought she'd stopped when we got her thumb guards in the summer holidays after reception. She stopped for about a month and then went back to it. When we put the thumb guards back on again she ended up ripping them. We tried the nail biting stuff (carried on), tried warning her that it would cause her problems with her teeth but nothing worked. We were constantly telling her not to suck her thumb from about age 5 and it was getting worse, not better.

She's 8 now and, in desperation, I asked her what we could do to convince her to stop. She said she'd like a cat so we agreed that would be her reward if she stopped (for a significant, given that she'd already restarted once). She stopped within a couple of days - needed to have plasters on her thumbs for a few days just to remind her about "accidental" thumb sucking. I know she's stopped because she really wants to and all the times when she was getting "caught" like in the car and watching tv she's not doing now.

The cat/kitten will be arriving in the next month or so (local shelters haven't got anyone suitable for us at the moment - we're getting a "2nd hand" one!)

Unfortunately DS also sucks his thumb.

I haven't read every reply but I sucked my thumb from an early age - a lot - I'm 47 and if really tired, I occasionally still do ...... people often ask if I've had orthodontic work (I haven't) as my teeth are so straight. So it varies. I used to find it a huge comfort as a child and it definitely helped me to get to sleep. I've had many dentists over the years and none have ever commented on my teeth alignment.

I was a thumb sucker well into adulthood! Can't remember exactly when I stopped. I never did it in public though - always in the privacy of my bedroom mainly at nighttime. It never did me any harm with teeth or speech. My dd started sucking her thumb as a baby, probably because she never took to a dummy. She stopped herself but again I can't remember when, maybe 7 or 8. It never caused her any problems either.

DS was an extreme thumb sucker, and it began to impact his teeth and language development. We used a thumb guard to stop him when he was about 3-4 and it was AMAZING. DH mocked me when I bought it- it seems pricey for what it is, but it worked in 4 weeks and he never sucked his thumb again.

We can't stop him talking now!