How to Stop Thumb Sucking in 5 Year Old?

my 5 year old daughter still sucks her thumb. SHe does it any time she is tired or sometimes bored. I don't mind if she does it at home, but I don't like it when we are out in public (she is tall for her age and looks like a 6 or 7 year old). So, out in public, she can control it if I tell her not to do it. But, at night going to sleep, I just let it be. I've talked to her dentist about it and he said it's fine until she starts to loose her teeth. She just had x rays done at her last exam and she is no where near loosing any teeth soon, so he said it's still ok for now. As long as he is just doing it at night, I wouldn't worry. I don't think he will be 16 and going to sleep overs with his friends and still sucking his thumb. He will grow out of it sometime

My daughter is 4 and also sucks her thumb at bedtime along with the blanket. I can't imagine taking that from her since she recieves such comfort from it. Just wondering what your reasoning is for wanting him to stop?

If it is just at night why fight it?? I don't understand why we want our kids to be "grown-up" so soon. Let him have his comfort at night...
Trust me he won't go off to college sucking his thumb and sleeping with a blankie. Let him grow out of it.
I stopped sucking my thumb on my own at 5. My sister did it at night until she was 10, no one outside the house knew she did it. Each kiddo is different.
I say don't make an issue, but instead talk about what big kids do and how they don't suck thumbs. Never direct it at him directly or make him feel bad that he does it, but just mention what big kids do. Let him know when he is ready to be a big kid and not suck his thumb or need his blankie, that he should tell you. Let him know it is ok and he can take his time. But then drop it...
I have a 2 year old and a 11 month old. BOTH suck their thumbs. I wish I had forced the binkie, but they took after me :)
I have many years of this ahead of me, but I know I won't be making it an issue for them.
Good luck...

And to address the idea that you will need YEARS of braces if you don't stop it.... hog wash. If you are going to need braces that is in your genes! I have known plenty of people that that sucked their thumbs and needed either no braces or just the normal amount of braces we all go through.
I needed 1 year and had nothing to do with my thumb sucking. My sis needed 2 years, but hers also had nothing to do with thumb sucking. We were both born missing adult molars, so we had to adjust where I teeth sat. My mother has the best teeth I have ever seen (super straight) and she sucked her thumb! So if that is your only reason to stop it I would still not worry too much.

My thoughts are that both his blankie and his thumb are separate self-soothers and helps him get to sleep at night. I would probably tackle them individually so as not to cause him a lot of needless anxiety and I would probably start with his thumb first and then, possibly his blankie if that is still a big issue for you.

Since he is sucking his thumb while he is sleeping, he's probably not even aware that he is putting his thumb in his mouth at a certain point, there's nothing you can do about it except go in at night and take his thumb out of his mouth. But, during the time that he is starting to go to sleep, you can probably set up a reward chart for him and give him a sticker for each night that he goes to sleep without putting his thumb in his mouth. If he goes 21 days in a row without sucking his thumb prior to going to sleep, then he earns a certain really big prize, something that you have decided upon in advance. And then, just to help encourage him while he is going through the 21-day period, let him win a mini prize every 3 to 7 days or so. I think that if you make this into something really special and cool, and really pump it up for him, he'll probably willingly give up his thumbsucking habit.

Hope this helps.

My son is almost 4 and still sucks his thumb as well. Just when he's sleeping or gets really tired... To me, it's a soothing method so I'm not quite worried about it at this time.. Only that his skin is rubbed so raw on his thumb~

"Why fight it?" asks one of the people who responded to your question. Because it can positively destroy your mouth would be my answer. I sucked my thumb until I was seven, by which point I had totally buck teeth. 10 years of braces later and my teeth looked fine but I have a permanent small overbite because of sucking my thumb. At age 46, my teeth are shifting around again and the overbite is getting worse. Sigh. Anyway, out of desperation, my father put my hands in socks and duct taped them around my wrists (not tightly, just enough so that i couldn't get them off at night). This solved the habit within a week. I wish he'd done it years earlier so I wouldn't have had to go through the pain of braces. It works.

There is no relatively easy way to do what you are asking. Sorry, but true.

I am anxious to hear your responses.

Anyhow, why do you feel he needs to stop one, or both? Just curious...

M. - thumb sucking can be so frustrating! I read your question and can totally empathize, as my daughter was the same way. She would either twirl her hair or twirl the end of a blanket or a doll's hair and suck her thumb at the same time.

My thought just like yours is that the blankie and the thumb go together - if you can get rid of the blankie you can stop the thumb sucking. For my daughter, I would tie her hair back at night and she didn't get the blankie or a doll to twirl.

If taking the blankie away is a major panic thing, maybe you could take him to a store and see what he could "buy" with his blankie (so he can't come asking for the blankie later) - something he REALLY wants, and he could take that to bed instead (even if it is a car or action figure). If it is his choice and he sees that he has control with this, my guess is that there will be less panic. Good luck! I've so been there!

I think HE needs to feel ready to quit. You can steer him in that direction, but if he's not ready, I think you will be beating your head against the wall.

When he's ready, then figure out what motivates him, and help him remember what he's working for, i.e., stickers every day that he doesn't suck his thumb. At the end of a month, he earns something bigger, say a toy he's been wanting, a trip to Chuckie Cheese, whatever excites him, let him choose. Remember, if he is in Kindergarten or just starting school, it may be very stressful for him. You may want to give him a little more time.

Good Luck!