Need to Break 4 Y/o Son of Thumbsucking

Hi there! I had the same problem with my 4 y/o son too. It was to the point that it was (and may have already) caused problems with his mouth and teeth. So I was desperate. If you don't mind using something that tastes bad, I've got the answer. It's called Malva Stop. It's actually for the nail biting habit. You just paint it on his thumb like nail polish. It doesn't come off like some of the other products. It'll stay on for a few days actually. It tastes bad, but for us, it was worth it to stop the habit. If you google Malva Stop, it will take you to the amazon site where you can buy a bottle there. I know it doesn't sound too nice, but in the end, for us it was better. It took us about a week then the habit was gone! Hope this helps!

When I was little, my parents wrapped duck tape around my hands every night for about a month. If you think this is a hassle my sister recently used first aid tape and just wrapped her daughters thumbs and this seemed to work. Socks will also help if they will leave them on but some kids tend to take them off. Hope it helps- J.

G., Ask yourself what purpose thumbsucking serves for your child. He is placed in CHAOS all the time, (daycare, your house, daddy's house) and having to make major adjustments to daily situations that would shatter the peace of most adults. He's not mature enough to sort out his emotions and deal with so much chaos. Why are you so bent on breaking his habit? He is pacifying himself, soothing and nurturing himself. THAT's like being cradled in mommy's arms for nurturing at her breasts, a familian safety reminder that he's OK. He will stop when he's ready... Forget about "breaking" him (of this habit). Think about the words/...breaking. Thumbsucking is not a big deal at this age....no matter what ANYONE might tell you!!!!!!!! C.

Hi G.,
I wouldn't woory, mine does it too and she'll be 4 in July. Wouldn't use peppers or nail polishes, peper is too strong and might give little ones reactions (bad ones!) and nail polish is toxic, you don't want your child to eat that! You can try explaining that it doesn't look nice now that he is not a baby and eventually he'll stop. mine does it only when she is tired and when Ia m not watching because she remembers that mommy doesn't like it too much.
Try to make it less often is OK but keep them from doing is too much! Little by little is best so they won't feel bad themselves.
Good Luck,
Mariana Abadie
www.MaiaCreations.ecrater.com
www.MyKidsFirst.com

HI G., I was given this advice 25 yrs ago w/ my daughter. I put 1 of her socks on her thumb sucking hand w/ masking tape aroung the wrist, at night we did both hands & she quit sucking her thumb in 2 wks!! God Bless, D.

G., I don't want to be too forward, but I think you need to forget about the thumbsucking and focus on your child overall. I sucked my thumb till I was twelve, only by night. Insecurities are always present and sucking that thumb, well it is soothing and faithful, always. I suggest you spend more time with your son and engage fully and not partically when either speaking or playing. You maybe surprised the thumb may become less of an issue. Right now whether you want to accept it or not, he little world is confusing and mixed up. Until he fills security and confidence you too are not going to leave him. Let him know how much you love him and spend the effort and time with both your children. I don't know your circumstances, but I know that if my parents were not together, my next thought would be so when is "she" leaving me too? Do not underestimate your children, they are special and seek you always for security. Be there, always, even if you have to take a day off work to spend with them. Go shopping, to the park, or zoo. Do it out of routine, surprise them and it will do you all a world of good. God Bless and hang in there mom, they are only little once.

G.,
As a nurse, I have to tell you some of these mom's are correct. Pay close attention as to when he sucks his thumb. This is very important and see if there is something that you can give him or do for him when he does this, LIKE put your arms around HIM...... It is a very emotional thing. He has no control in his life right now and one thing is for sure, his thumb will always be attached, unlike his parents.... I know that sounds terrible, but see it through the eyes of a child. Your parents are there to let you know that your ok and when things are not going well with them or there is emotional upset within the home of any kind, children feel it, literally....When I was married to my older children's Dad, it was a marriage full of turmoil and my oldest daughter started sucking her two middle fingers and she did this usually when she was tired or in trouble for something...it was comforting and soothing to her, YES SHE HAD to WEAR BRACES.... That was ok for me, because her emotional well being was so much more important to me...If your son sucks his thumb when he starts school, then the other kids may make fun of him and that will fix the issue at least while he is at school. I would not Recommend any of the physical remedies that anyone is suggesting here. I would recommend that your ex-husband and you talk about possibly letting your children attend some therapy, possibly play therapy, its a very good way to find out what is bothering your child and how you can help him deal with it. I put both my children in therapy after my divorce, because it had a dramatic affect on them, even though I knew the seperation would be better for them in the long run, initally it was important that they found a healthy way to deal with their emotions and play therapy with a good child psychologist allows that... I know you have your hands full, but ultimately if you help him deal with his emotions in a constructive way, then you will be teaching him that his feelings matter and its important for him to feel SECURE. Ultimately, that is what all human beings need SECURITY...Financially, Physically, and Emotionally....
GOOD LUCK GINA
J.

When I was little about 4 years old my parents took me to a orthodontist and he suggested to take popsickle sticks and cut them in half, draw smiley faces on each of them and name them Sammy and Samatha and tape them onto my thumbs. Sounds curel however when I tried to suck my thumb it gagged me and so it broke my habbit. I also couldn't get them off so it was fool proof. It is worth a try and when they can't suck on there thumbs they can look at the smiley faces on the sticks.

Julie

does he do it at bedtime or during the day? If at bedtime only, it will eventually stop as he gets older. I was a thumb sucker until I started kindergarten, but as soon as I started having friends over to spend the night or vice versa, I was embarrassed to let them know, therefore, it broke the habit. Have your dentist tell him that he could harm his teeth. Sometime when it comes from other people, it will help. WHen you see him doing it, give him NO ATTENTION whatsoever. Find him something to do with his hands when you see it happening, but don't mention it is to take away the thumbsucking. Good luck.

I sucked my thumb untill I was 13 years old. It was only at night as I got older. It was always for comfort and security. If your child had a fovorite blanket or stuffed animal that comforted them, would you take it away? Your child has found a way to comfort his self. What happens if you take that away from him? Speak to more than 1 orthodontist if your concerned about him having straight teeth. I never wore braces and my teeth are completly straight. Ultimately, vanity over self security????

why? my 6y/o daughter sucks hers, the damage has already been done to her teeth, it is her way to comfort herself...I figure she wont be sucking her thumb walking down the aisle so why make it a big deal?

My youngest was a thumbsucker and it was bad enough that he would split the skin and it grew warts. We went to the Dr to treat the warts but really wasnt going away because he wouldnt stop sucking his thumb!

An older friend of mine told me to put clear fingernail polish on to get rid of the warts. I did and got a twofer. My son didnt like the taste of the polish and he stopped sucking his thumb and the warts went away. Have to reapply several times a day.

OOOOHHH IS MY FACE RED~ Didnt think to tell you to look for the NON TOXIC clear fingernail polish. Most General brands do contain formaldahide and that would not be a good thing at all but there are safer alternatives. I did not try to pickle my child!

We are dealing with the same problem. Haven't started the actual breaking of my 4 year old girl yet. Our Dentist had said that we needed to have her broke before her permanent teeth come in and also told us that most thumb suckers stop when they go to kindergarten. So we have set a date (her birthday) that we have to stop sucking the thumb and if anyone says anything to her she will tell them she'll stop when she's 5. Because that's when she goes to school and that's what the dentist told her. I plan on buying some stuff that you can get at Wal-Mart to help break them. But you may want to start by giving him a date that he has to stop and talk to your dentist about some ideas to get him to stop.

Good luck!
S. (mom of 2 girls 6 & 4)

Decide on a time frame and then discuss it with him. Tell him what's going to happen. We have triplets, two who used pacifiers and one thumb sucker. They only used their pacifiers and thumb at bedtime but we decided at 3 1/2 that they were going to stop. We talked to them about it for about 3 months. About 2 weeks before that date, one of the girls gave up her pacifier and, after 7 days without it, she got to go and pick out a bottle of nail polish and have her nails done. That worked like magic as incentive for the other two. Then on the designated date, the pacifiers and a picture of the thumb (we traced her hand and she decorated the picture and colored the finger nails blue to match hers), went into the "Nuk Fairy Box" (a shoe box that they decorated). We left the box where the Nuk Fairy could find it and she left a note talking about how proud she was of them for giving up their stuff and she left them each a package of powder suger donuts. Then it was over. Once in a while they will still talk about it and they are well past 6 now. Obviously nail polish won't work for your son, but you can customize it with something that interests him. I think the biggest key was talking about it for a time before to let them get used to the idea.

Good luck.

um. . . worried about the dental ramifications so powdered sugar doughnuts are a substitute????

Hi, I no this may sound a little strange but I amin a PSY class and the studdies show that this is common and that until age 5 or 6 theywill continue to do this. I will research more into my book and see if I can find more information for you but for now I would let nature keep taking course and at this age it is still a common thing for a child t do... Just hang in there ok

I too have a thumb sucker. She will be 3 in less than 5 weeks. She only does it when she is tired and when she goes to bed. I used to really worry about this. There are several products on line that you can purchase to help break your child at leapsandbounds.com. Hope this helps a little. At least for night time.

G. sorry I responded under my co-workers name Cami on the thumb sucking popsicle stick cure. Let me know if it works. I work in the dental field and suggested it to a few families and it worked for them it just has to be consistant wearing the sticks 24/7

J.

this may sound silly but ive heard or people putting vinegar on the the fingers....taste nasty but wont make them sick???...never had 2 try it but just an idea!!!...Supposed to help with nail biting also!!!