4 Month Old Daughter Sucking Her Thumb

HI J.

I have a little boy who will be 3 in April and has sucked his thumb since day one. He sucks it mostly when just watching tv chilling or when he is ready to go to sleep. I have been told not to worry about it. I too was worried on how to get them to stop and there are different things but for now we have decided to let it be - we have been told he would grow out of it. It seems to comfort him -while he is sucking his thumb he also rubs his hair. Or pet his hair as he says. Brandon wouldn't take a paci either he would have nothing to do with it. I know it is not much help for you - but I just thought i would let ya know what i have heard. take care A.

OK- Here is a great tip I learned from a friend and decided to take her advice. Try and pair the thumb sucking with a blanket of some sort. Eventually, when she doesn't have the blanket, she won't suck her thumb. It's worked so far, but I have yet to wean mine from her blanket! Good luck!
E- mom of 2, 4, 6 , 8 year olds

dear J.,

I had 2 thumb suckers. on my eldest we did everything to stop him and then he stopped around 5. the youngest we did nothing and he just stopped around 3. I sucked mine until i was 11. None of us needed braces and we only sucked it when we went to sleep. so just let her have her thumb. she needs to suck and it comforts her. its better than her eating tons of food.

just relax and enjoy her and don't listen to everyone. they will make you crazy..hahaha

love L.

Hey there,
Thumb sucking is actually better than using a paci and its a good thing, she has learned how to self soothe! Hooray, that is a great thing! Don't worry about it, she will stop when she doesn't 'need' it anymore and it won't ruin her teeth unless she's still doing it when her permanent teeth come in. Relax and enjoy her! This is a great time of babyhood :) More info can be found at www.askdrsears.com

Awww, my daughter has a sugar thumb too. I think it is a good thing. It lets me know when she is tired or hungry or stressed. The only problem I've had with it is during the winter it can get really chapped and whatnot. My doctor told me not to worry about it until she is 4...that should will probably stop by then anyways. My sister had her thumb until she was 14 though!

This is a tough one! I have a 6 y.o., 4 y.o. and 10 m.o. The first (my daughter) spit out her pacifier at 4 m.o. and switched to her thumbs. She would suck them so hard they were raw, and she would switch between them. I didn't make an issue out of it. She needed to do it to sooth her and relax. I felt horrible that she was so stressed, but the pediatrician said it was all normal. She's now 6 1/2 y.o. and still sucks her thumb, but only when she's upset about something. It's my cue to pay attention to her and help her. The bummer is I know I'm in for braces, but I think I would have been regardless. :) My middle boy had a pacifier. At 1 y.o. we only let him have it in bed. At 2 y.o. we moved him to a big boy bed and took away the pacifier at the same time. He moved on with little looking back. My baby still has a pacifier and only uses it when he's overtired or for teething relief. We'll probably follow the same procedure as with the middle boy, but we'll have to see his personality. He seems a lot more like my daughter so we'll see what happens. Good luck!

Hi J.! My son never took a pacifier either. I used to be jealous of all of the babies that could be soothed by simply popping in the paci until he started sucking his thumb around 3-4 months. He immediately started sleeping through the night and I never have to worry about running in to replace the lost binkie. He is now almost 11 months and only sucks his thumb in his crib or if he's really tired in the car. Thumb sucking is completely normal and actually better for baby than pacifiers. Pacifier use is directly related to an increase in ear infections. I hope this helps!

I would definitely let her suck her thumb! I was ecstatic when my second baby found her thumb! My oldest had a pacifier, and always woke up at night looking for it, and we had to always take it everywhere, etc. My youngest found her thumb and starting sleeping through the night right away!
It may be hard giving up the habit later, but it is do-able.
For day time, you can try a reward system, and at night put a silly sock that the two of you have decorated together on her hand.
Look at it as a good thing-your baby will be able to sooth herself!

My daughter, now age 39 with 3 boys, sucked her thumb from birth on. I never stopped her -- it was her thumb; it provided her comfort and was much easier to find than a paci. As she grew up, she never sucked her thumb at school, only before she fell asleep. She never needed braces and stopped at ate 10 when I told her she could go to sleep-away camp.

I would let your baby suck her thumb as long as she wants. You will probably get a lot of annoying comments about it, but my daughter was fine.

my younger sucked his thumb, not continually but frequently, until he was about 3. he had a little callous at the base of his thumb from it! it never bothered me, it was a source of satisfaction to him, and he gave it up when he was ready. i love that you are willing to allow your baby the opportunity to soothe herself in her own way.
:) khairete
S.

I have an 19 month old daughter who started sucking her thumb when she was 10 weeks olds. It is her method of self-soothing herself, she sleeps better because of it and now that she is older its a great way for my husband and I to judge how tired she is. It also comforts her when she is scared.

I wouldn't worry about it, there are lots of great articles about online (askdrsears.com). Just enjoy you baby....and don't worry you'll adapt!

My son started sucking his thumb when he was still in the womb. I have an ultrasound picture of him with his thumb in his mouth! Anyways, he sucked his thumb when he was bored or tired, but stopped on his own around his first birthday. He also never took a paci. We never made a big deal out of it, never tried to get him to stop or tell him no. I think if you draw attention to it they will do it longer. If it is soothing to her, I don't see any harm.

Hi J.,

I have 3 children. My first 2 never took a paci, and never sucked their thumbs. I was very thankful for that. However, my 7 month old has been sucking her thumb since she was able to find it. What we are trying to do, and it usually works is to only let her suck her thumb before she goes to sleep. I cannot nurse anymore, since I am pregnant again, so comforting her with that is impossible for me. But, for health issues (germs mostly) we do not want her to suck her thumb all the time, because we do not want any of our children to put their fingers in their mouth. They touch too much, so we don't want to make that a habit. That is what we do, and I personnally do not see a problem with her sucking her thumb at this point. Like the others said, be concerned about it when she gets older. One day I was at a waiting room waiting to get my taxes prepared and there was a 6 year old sucking her thumb. What bothered me the most is that she had her thumb in her mouth, put her hands on the public door handle, and then back in her mouth. That's what I would be more concerned about. My mother in law swears that my sister in law had to get braces because of sucking her thumb, but I don't believe that was the case, because my son (who never sucked his thumb) has the same teeth shape that she did. So, don't fret. It'll work out. Good Luck and God Bless.

Yes, let her suck away! You are lucky that she has found something on her own that can calm her. My son needed a pacifier from early on, and it would fall out of his mouth during the night and we would have to go in and get it for him after he cried. Thumb sucking is a very healthy thing and is not a "problem" until much, much later on. I think it's better than a pacifier and I wish that either of my children had found their thumb to suck, but they did not.

Hi J., My son still sucks his thumb and he's 34 years old. Of course he doesn't let others see him do it! My three other kids let it go at various ages (between 3-6 years old)but not him, so not sure what to tell you, except teach her to wash her hands! Good luck!

J., Congratulations on your new baby. For now, you can ask the grandmother what her wishes are and abide by that. It would show respect for her feelings. But the truth be told, when you daughter gets old enough to be calling her grandmother by a name, she will be choosing it. Sometimes children mangle a name so badly that it becomes something else entirely. By the time your daughter is old enough to say the original name correctly, the new name will be in place. My siblings children all have different names for my parents. My grandson named me. His mother was Mom, but since we all lived together and there were 6 adults and him, and he heard everyone calling me Mom and called me Mom Mom. His other grandmother is Gammy and his greatgrandmother was Nene. My grandaughter calls me gamma or Mom Mom. My youngest just puts his little arms up to me to be picked up. I hope this helps. Julia P

Hi J.,

Sucking the thumb is a self soothing action for the child. My daughter started about that time and she does it mostly when she is tired or wants to nurse. I would not worry if she is not take a pacifier.

Take Care.

This might not be helpful, but many babies suck their thumb in vito, we actually caught my son during a sonogram. We would remove his thumb just before he was really asleep. Sometimes there is not much you can do. If they don't sleep like that it will be easier to break when they're older, around a year or so, but the night time one, sometimes is subconscious, as in they even if they tried really hard, would still stick it in their mouth right before they fall asleep without really knowing. Just wanted to give you some insight, good luck!!

Awe, I wanted one of my kids to be a thumb sucker cuz its so cute. lol. Maybe try the different pacifiers again. I had to try 3 and it Took my 1st daugther about a month to adjust to one. And she only used it to pacify then spit it out. It was a perfect experience. I sort of trained that though by taking it out when she was content. She gave it up before she was 9months. If you are sure she is not hungry but just needs to suck to soothe then I'd let her suck. The thumb is more difficult to break the habit from, so that is why I suggested to try the pacifiers again.

My Dear J. L, I don't have children, but I once was one. I sucked my thumb until I was about 13 years old. I was made to feel so ashamed of the habit that I hid it for years, my parents tried everything from a product called "Thumb" which was a peppery liquid that they painted on my thumb that I just licked it off as I could until my thumb went back to its normal taste. It just made me more defiant, I was gonna do it anyway.

At 4 months old I really don't think you have any problems, particularly since you are trying to substitute it with a pacifier, they are the same thing, and at least you daughter can always find her thumb...let it go until she's five or six, it's definitely a calming practice. Take it from one who knows.

Mary D.

I say if she's content, then let her be. Some babies even suck their thumbs in the womb. Put it this way: you could have a baby who is colicy and cries a lot. I'd rather the quiet little one who sucks his thumb.

I was always told to that pacifiers are better because you can't take the thumb away. It will cause more deformation in the bite of the child (teeth). My daughter loved her pacifier until she was 3. Her teeth were affected, she had an open bite. As soon as we took it away, her teeth started loooking better. But the Dentist said that it is always better to have a pacifier than a thumb. They are softer and less likely to create more problems with the teeth. In my family, no one has ever had braces or anything, so this was a concern of mine. She is fine now, and I have my son who is 20 months old attached to his pacifier too, but the dentist said that as long as we start taking it away by 2, and they are completely done by 3, then the teeth should go back. I guess it varys with every child. I don't know if this helped. I would reccommend keep trying to give the pacifier instead. It seems like a much easier thing, and since your daughter is still so young, it will be harder later. God Bless.

Both of my kids have sucked their thumbs since they were about 9 weeks old (and therefore slept throught the night!). This obviously made it very easy for me to let them do it. Unfortunately, they are now 4 1/2 and 3 and sucking more than ever! All the experts say that you can't make them stop unless they want to, so there's nothing I can do but start saving for braces. I wish now I had tried the paci a little harder. I really don't have much advice, besides keep trying the paci, or resign yourself to not worring about it when she's older.

Hi, Just letting you know I had two daughters that suck their thumb. My youngest daughter was sucking her thumb while in the womb. Both of them suck their thumbs until they started school. I didn't pressure them but once they started school and being around other children and I guess they saw they wasn't sucking theirs and soon stopped. I believe the same with happen for you. Don't worry about it pray about it because I knew when I was going through it I was afraid my children's teeth would protrude but they didn't. They both have nice pretty teeth. All babies have to have something to cling to, some have blankets, paci's, etc. well some clings to their thumb for comfort. Just let it go and see what happens after she starts school.

Hi, J..

Yes, your baby is probably comforting herself. An alternative is for you to be her source of comfort with breastfeeding. Sometimes when you're b-feeding it seems like the baby's on the breast all day, but some babies need that for comfort, as well as nourishment. I'd encourage you to try putting her to breast as often as possible so that she can derive her comfort from you. It pains me to see moms shove a pacifier in their baby's mouth to quiet them, when all the baby really needs is Mom and her comfort. The baby's sucking need is a perfect way for Mom to provide that comfort by b-feeding as much as possible.

Good luck.

J., my son is now 2 1/2 years old. He has been sucking his thumb since he figured out that he had thumbs at about 2 weeks old. It got so bad that at one point the skin on his thumbs had begun to crack. I asked his Dr what I should do. I used to put mittens or gloves on his hands so his skin could heal. His skin has since toughened up. He to this day sucks his thumb (mostly when he's tired or upset) but I have been noticing lately that he sucks a less frequently. I suggest keeping an eye on her skin (if it cracks and its not taken care of she can get an infection) and when she is ready she'll stop.

Hi J.,

I would certainly let your 4 month old have her thumb. She can find her thumb... ie. you don't have to get up in the middle of the night to find it for her (as happened with my son) and put it back in her mouth. It doesn't fall on the floor on the McDonalds bathroom. My son found his thumb around the same time your daughter did and he sucked it until he was about 2. Most kids give up sucking their thumb from peer pressure in preschool if they haven't already given it up.

My understanding is that it's pretty much ok up till they are about 3 years old when they can start to deform the roof of the mouth. There are nasty tasting nail polishes you can paint on for nail biters when you are tired of seeing her with her thumb in her mouth.

Thumb sucking is a great way for your daughter to take care of stress, fear, hunger, etc. on her own. It also can be a way for you to gauge when your child is upset or stressed.

Long and short of it, in my opinion, you are not a bad mom for letting your kid suck on her thumb.

Good luck.

Oh, how cute! I am just the person to respond to your e-mail! I just had my 7th child a few weeks ago. I have been trying to get my little one to suck his thumb! My fourth child starting sucking his two middle fingers at 2 mo. It turned out to be such a blessing! He naturally stopped at 2 years old. I am thinking because he was done teething. I never discouraged him ever. I felt that it was a sign of independence. I think it only becomes an issue when the child feels pressure from adults to stop. I am telling you, that it was great when my son could comfort himself, and he always had his comfort with him, on the plane, in the car, at an aunt's house, etc. Gee, I sure wish my new little one could comfort himself!
I just read the doctor's advice, and though I understand and agree w/ her concerns, you can always wash hands before naps and bedtime. My son NEVER had any problems with the concerns the doctor listed, and he has gorgeous teeth! All the best to you! And I, too, am adapting!
I keep reading others' responses! I remembered, after reading about the comment about pairing the thumb sucking with the blanket, that my son had a special blanket for awhile. I don't remember when he gave it up though. He is 11 now.

My baby started by sucking her hand when she was in still in the hospital and switched between her hand and her thumb.

I never made a big deal of it. I don't know when she stopped, but I think it was over before 7 months.

My daughter is now 14 months and finger sucking is just a memory. I never gave her a pacifier, she self calmed with her hand.

She is far too young for you to worry about it. Sucking for comfort is completely normal at this age.

Dear J.,
I don't want to be an alarmist, but you really need ignore the advice of people who advise against a pacifier in favor of finger or thumb sucking. I am a physician and can assure you that the pacifier is the best option of the two, should your baby need to soothe through sucking (they are more sanitary, aid in jaw muscle development, have been proven to help reduce SIDS, and can be more easily taken away once children are older). However, if your baby refuses to take the pacifier, then I would recommend that you carefully watch the finger/thumb sucking. You need to make sure that baby's hands are wiped with antibacterial sanitizer frequently (they touch many things and other people touch babies hands often without thinking). Additionally, I would only allow sucking when baby seems to absolutely need the comfort and continue to remove the fingers once baby is asleep or content. This is a behavior that you want to watch closely because it can cause problems if it continues into childhood (teeth don't grow in properly, raw/chapped thumbs are a risk for infection, and germs become an even larger problem if kids don't keep their hands clean). You sound like a diligent and concerned parent, so I am sure your daughter will be just fine with sucking her thumb. You simply need to be aware of ALL the consequences and take the precautions necessary to avoid as many resulting problems as possible. Congratulations on your beautiful new child (I, too, am a 31 parent of a 12-week old daughter, and trying to adapt). Good luck!

I say, let her suck away. I'd be thankful she has already learned to calm/comfort herself. All babies have ways of comforting themselves and soothing themselves to sleep. Some rock their heads, some twirl their hair, play with their hands...whatever. I sort of allowed this based on my readings from books by Dr. Brazelton. As my son gets older, I'm sure he'll find other ways to comfort himself. If he holds on to the habit in preschool, I'm sure his own peer group will sway him to stop sucking his thumb. That's my 2 cents:)