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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Teachers and thumb sucking - is this usual?

60 replies

Psipsina · 01/05/2015 09:53

Ds may have got this completely wrong, but he came home yesterday saying that his TA and teacher kept putting white tape around a child's thumb to try and stop him sucking it.

From what he says it was surgical tape, but it was replaced various times during the day. The child didn't seem upset to Ds, which is good.

I suspect it was a strategy suggested by the parents but Ds insisted it wasn't, and it was their own idea, and they wrote in the child's contact book about it.

Just curious to know if this would be considered usual as it seems a bit odd to me, say Ds was correct. I don't intend to do anything about it as I think it's between the other parents and the teachers involved.

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soapboxqueen · 01/05/2015 11:30

It's not something that I would do and I don't know why the school staff would be bothered by a cold sticking their thumb. It's more likely an idea from home.

Your child may be entirely accurate but more often than not, children get the wrong end of the stick. The school cannot discuss other children with you. You could speak to the teacher saying you were concerned about what your child said or the head or the parents of the other child.

However in the grand scheme of things I don't think it's doing any great damage unless the child were distressed or the parents were not informed.

soapboxqueen · 01/05/2015 11:30

*child sucking

newbieman1978 · 01/05/2015 13:39

I'd be very very surprised if a teacher/school took it on themselves to do something like this. I'd even be pretty surprised that the teacher/school would participate in this type of thing even with the consent and direction of the parents.

Saying that you hear of some strange goings on!

Worth finding out the facts though as it will give you an indication of what the people educating/caring for your child think is acceptable.

Original poster

Psipsina · 01/05/2015 16:39

Thank you both. Well this is it - I kind of wonder what the whole approach is like, when you get an incident like this one.

All I could gather from today is that they were speaking to his mum after school yesterday, keeping him in the classroom while they spoke to her, and then today the teachers were doing the same thing again.

Still no idea if it was their idea or her idea but I guess she probably agreed to it in any case

If they do try anything like this with Ds, I will be having words.

OP posts:

TheTroubleWithAngels · 01/05/2015 16:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

bigTillyMint · 01/05/2015 16:42

Never heard of this before - my guess would be that the parent had asked them to help her.

We tried the tape with DD. It didn't work and she still sucks her thumb aged 15

Original poster

Psipsina · 01/05/2015 16:47

Good points. I sometimes get the feeling that the school thinks it knows better than the parents, for some reason, which puts me slightly on edge about stuff like this.

We haven't been there long though so I shall try not to jump to any conclusions.

OP posts:

GhoulWithADragonTattoo · 01/05/2015 17:09

Marvela Stop nail varnish is excellent for stopping thumb sucking. Recommend it to the parent if you know them. I did ask school to remind my DD to stop thumb sucking. I'm sure this will be at the parents suggestion or in response to a plea for help.

bobajob · 01/05/2015 17:14

A child who is sucking their thumb constantly often has poor speech and isn't participating in class, so teachers will often discourage it.

Personally I wouldn't put tape on a thumb (at least not without parents' agreeing) but I would give the child something else to occupy their hands.

Littlefish · 01/05/2015 18:47

I agree with bobajob. I've taught children who completely switch off as soon as they start sucking their thumb or fingers.

I also agree that it may be that the child's thumb is sore or infected.

mrz · 02/05/2015 08:21

I think TheTroubleWithAngels is probably on the right lines and parents have asked the school to keep it covered.

BeeInYourBonnet · 02/05/2015 08:25

Our school and us worked together to try to get DD to stop sucking her thumb ( she did it constantly!).

catkind · 02/05/2015 21:59

Gosh I wish school would help us stop DS thumbsucking. Hadn't occurred to me to ask. Would most teachers be prepared to help, or would I get odd looks for asking? Every time we see him in assembly or sports day it's plugged in

cariadlet · 03/05/2015 08:53

As the teacher spoke to the parent after school, and as a note was written in the child's contact book, I'm pretty sure that the parents are trying to stop the child from sucking its thumb and are asking the teachers to support them by using the strategy that they are trying at home.

I've been asked the same thing a few times (although I've never been asked to put tape on a thumb!) - often after the child's dentist has spoken to the parents about the thumb sucking and the effect it is having.

Pipbin · 03/05/2015 09:01

This is a big lot of none of your business.

You don't know any facts about this other that what your child has told you, and he may well have got the wrong end of the stick.
You know that the school has spoken to the child's mum (presumably by hanging around and sticky beaking) and that it continued. This makes me think that the parents are on board, in fact it my be at their request.

And I know I won't win any friends by saying this but sometimes, just sometimes, schools do know better than parents. Carrying a baby to term doesn't make you a parenting expert.

Seriouslyffs · 03/05/2015 09:14

Pipbin is right!

Pipbin · 03/05/2015 17:39

Thank you Seriously.

JoyceDivision · 03/05/2015 17:45

Pipbin, completely agree

I have used tape on DDs fingers for months but as soon as it is off they go in on auto pilot.

Ihave put the stop n grow on, soaked her fingers in vinegar, fish sauce / nam pla?, mustard, all dd happily soaking her fingers.. and she just perseveres through the taste to suck her fingers.

I am sat watching her and she is doing it now. No matter what she occupies her hands with, it gets raised back to her mouth!

Nowfeeltheneedtopost · 03/05/2015 18:23

You don't say what age your DS is but I'd be extremely surprised if your DS was in any position to "insist" it wasn't a strategy suggested by the parents! Seriously, please say how old he is and why you are confident that he was able to determine that this issue had not been discussed between the parents and the school previously? I just don't see this is any if your business at all.
You do sound very negative about the school. Is it perhaps not one that you wanted your DS to attend?

Fairenuff · 03/05/2015 18:54

I suspect it was a strategy suggested by the parents but Ds insisted it wasn't, and it was their own idea

How old is your ds and how does he know that it was school's idea. Did he actually read what they wrote in the contact book?

Pipbin · 03/05/2015 19:21

Could it be that the teacher said something like 'I tell you what Jonny, if you keep sucking that thumb then I'll have to put tape round it', but having previously cooked up the idea with the parents?

I shall try not to jump to any conclusions.
Except for all the ones you've jumped to already.

FeckoffandDie · 04/05/2015 14:45

Hi there, OP here.

I had missed the way this thread had continued as it was way down my list of TIO.

This is a big lot of none of your business.

Of that I am aware. Did you not see this part of my OP?

You don't know any facts about this other that what your child has told you, and he may well have got the wrong end of the stick.

Yup, I said I suspected he was mistaken.

You know that the school has spoken to the child's mum (presumably by hanging around and sticky beaking) and that it continued.

No, I only know what Ds has told me, he is normally collected by someone else so I don't 'sticky beak' thank you very much. I was interested to know if it was normal practise. That's all.

This makes me think that the parents are on board, in fact it my be at their request. YES! That was EXACTLY what I assumed! How funny!

Honestly did you just decide to interpret everything I said in the worst possible way, or what? I had a lot of sensible, straightforward replies initially and was quite happy with what I was told, which confirmed what I had thought myself (ds is often mistaken - I know this much).

Why the need for adversarial comment and tone?

Fairenuff · 04/05/2015 15:10

OP how old is your ds?

Pipbin · 04/05/2015 15:20

Well Feckoff (lovely tone of name there).
Your tone was rather adversarial too, If they do try anything like this with Ds, I will be having words.
In fact your whole post was really saying 'I don't like this school and now look at what they have done to this child'.

So if you agree that it was none of your business and that it was possible your son had got it wrong, why bother to post?

Branleuse · 04/05/2015 15:22

im not sure what the problem is. Attempting a gentle way of dissuading a child from sucking their thumb at school age is a good thing. My dd still sucks her thumb at 7 and her jaw has been badly affected. Shes certainly going to need an orthodontist

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