I have a daughter who will be 5 in 2 weeks and she is still sucking her thumb. The doctor told us not to make a big deal about it and just correct her when she does it. We made a rule that she could only suck it when it was nap/bed time (she hates going to bed so I figured that would be a deterent). It has slowed down from what it used to be but she still does it. She starts school in the fall and I want her broken of it by then! And anytime I catch her doing it-she thinks it's a joke and tries to get her thumb back in her mouth. I'm at a loss. Do I buy that finger nail stuff that makes it taste bad? But even that-I've painted her nails and put finger nail polish remover to get it off and she still sucks on it after that-I would have figured those things would have left a horrible taste behind... who knows!
Any advice helpful!
I would stop talking about it altogether. She's getting lots of attention because she is still sucking her thumb and kids love attention. Direct that attention toward something else that is positive that she does. After all it's her finger and you can't take it away. It will have to be her decision when to stop sucking it. I quit around 4, but my brother sucked his until K.
Not to scare you, but my sister was a thumb sucker until the 5th or 6th grade. It pushed her teeth out a little, but not enough for the normal person to really notice. My father put a dirty sock over her hand and he also put tobasco sauce on her thumb. she finally quit.
If the thumb doesn't taste good anymore, she should quit.
Good luck.
From a former thumb sucker I will tell you that I don't do it anymore :)! I sucked my thumb until I was five and then just stopped. If she is anything like my daughter the more you try to stop her the more she will do it. I know it drove my mother crazy, but the doctor told her to leave me alone I would stop when I was ready and I did. Hang in there she will stop when she is ready. As far as school goes trust me kids are cruel and if her classmates see her sucking her thumb they will tease her and she will stop doing it in class. Who know she might not even suck her thumb in school they are so busy she might not even think about it.
Our thumbsucker stopped when she contracted pinworms and we were able to tell her that it came from putting her dirty thumb in her mouth. Does your daughter understand germs? Might that be a deterrant?
We had tried many things before that and couldn't find anything that worked, but she stopped cold turkey after the pinworms episode.
Keep trying, though! Our daughter will need braces because the thumbsucking pushed her front teeth out. Good luck!
