Thumb-Sucking

Dear D.,
A friend of mine that I grew up with also sucked her two fingers on her right hand. She would only suck at home, but all the neighborhood kids knew she did it. She would hide them under her tea towel. She finally stopped sucking on her own when she was 12. She had no speech impediments and is now in her mid-30's and is doing just fine. I think you're daughter will be fine, too. It is probably the way that she has found to be most effective at helping her to self-cope.
My advice is to be patient with her.

My daughter sucked her thumb until she was 5 years old. The dentist actually convinced her that it was bad for her teeth. I actually put a band-aid on her thumb and that worked great! Good luck!

Hi D.,

I put Tabasco sauce on my daughter's thumb when she was doing that. It works and stopped. Good luck.

A.

Hi - my 3 yr old has been sucking her thumb ever since she could get it into her mouth. I haven't really tried to make her stop until recently. I saw an episode of the SuperNanny where the Nanny simply talked to a child and asked them to stop using the paci, paci fairy came, child got a gift and that was it. No withdrawl, crying, etc.

So, I thought maybe it works for the thumb, too. Just talk about it and ask -- getting the child to agree. I enlisted the Disney Princesses as my helpers since we couldn't mail off the thumb & my girl loves the princesses :-) The Princesses bring my little girl a gift of stickers and a coloring page every morning when she's had a good day (and every day has been a good one -- some thumb, but less than before). After 3 days, she got a bigger gift (a princess crown). After 3 days, another gift (a princess t-shirt). I figure we'll keep it up for a few weeks and then her need for prizes will wane.

She's allowed to have thumb in bed for going to sleep. But, watching TV and riding in the car, etc, are out. At first she really fought the urge, but now just holds them in her lap or holds her blanket instead.

Anyway -- just my story -- maybe there are some ideas in it for you.

Hi D. my 13 1/2 yr old daughter still has to have somethign in her mouth either her sleeve, fingers or a pencil. He Dr. said it was a nervous thing and since she has ADD/ADHD she can not sit still at all. Just make sure she isn't sucking on her hair cause if she is even if just once talk to her about what happens when she chews or sucks on her hair. My daughter sucked on her hair also and it backed up her colon and she almost had to have surgery cause her colon almost burst open cause the hair litteraly caused a major hairball and the hair wrapped around her stools and she was not able to go potty.

I remember when my daughter was young, she had sucked her thumb so much that the skin was red and chapped. One night before bed, I put some Vaseline on her thumb, just to try to soften the skin on her thumb, while she slept. She must have tried to suck her thumb during the night and didn't like the taste. I never saw her suck her thumb again, after that!

hello, D. my name is N. i have a 16 year old and a 13 year both my girls were thumb-suckers but not for long. i researched and found that was lack of confidence and needed re-assurance. especially around parents and family, we tend to over baby or babies because we dont want to let go, if she is only doing this around take it slow while she is watching t.v read her a book instead something arond being a big girl and let her know that your are secure that you will be there no matter what. small children how we feel, they dont know why, but they know.......... good luck god bless....

D.,

I am 32 years old and sucked my thumb until I was about 11 when I had to get braces! I never did it in front of anyone outside of my family either. I heard someone say that either you pay for braces or you pay for a shrink. :) Once I got braces I couldn't suck my thumb because it hurt so I stopped. She'll be alright. Just make her feel accepted and loved no matter what.
Best wishes!
E.

Hi,
Two of my boy's sucked their thumbs. One until he was 12 the other was 10. I tried everything to make them stop. Eventually they just did it on their own. However, it did mess up their teeth. She will eventually stop on her own.
Good luck!
J.

Well, since I can't see any of the other responses, I hope this isn't redundant!

I sucked my thumb until I was twelve years old. My mother did everything in her power to make me stop. My big brother used to get his little hands bound up at night so he couldn't suck his, but he found ways around it. My mother finally bribed me with a set of walkie talkies I coveted so much I was losing sleep over; she said if I stopped sucking my thumb for a month, she would buy me those walkie talkies. I did it. And that was that.

Now, I'm saying all that to say this: looking back, I realize she made much too big of a deal of my thumb sucking. I also wet the bed, so it was like,'Oh my g** that's who you are!!! You are a thumb sucker and a bed wetter!! ack!!' It seemed to somehow be, in her mind, a reflection on her parenting. If she had just ignored it, I might have stopped sooner. Or maybe not, but at least it would have been my decision, like it ended up being anyways.

I am bold enough to say that your daughter will eventually stop sucking her thumb. The first time she gets the right kind of peer pressure over it, 'POOF!' it will be gone! "What thumb? I don't suck my thumb. What do you mean?" Then it will all be part of the past, and someday you may even chuckle about it. She just has to find something more important than her thumb, that's all.

So, do her a favor and just ignore it. When she's in high school and the captain of the football team asks her to the prom, I'll bet ya she'll be just fine!

Sure hope that helped! Just thought a former thumb-sucker might be of some encouragement!

Hugs

J.

My daughter was 7 when we started trying to have her stop thumb sucking. She did it when ever she had her "blankie" and was a comfort thing. We used to let her take Blankie with her everywhere, now it has to stay in her room and she has almost completely broke the habit.

Does your daughter have an item that she normally has with her when she sucks her thumb?

My girls stopped sucking their thumbs at age 7 when I got them each a squishy ball, like the ones they sell to build hand strength. I purchased ours at a sports store. They were the kind that are covered in balloon material. Both girls stopped sucking their thumbs for good in less than 3 days. I hope this helps.

My son will be 25 next month. He's handsome, well adjusted and a hard working guy.
He sucked his two fingers until he was about 8 years old. He also loved different blankets through the years. He loved to feel the fuz on the blanket and suck his two fingers at the same time. It brought him a lot of comfort and it wasn't related to anything negative; he just liked the comfort and his reflective time. We talked about it with him, starting at about age 6, that he should start fazing it out because he was going to make his teeth bucked, but we did not make a big deal out of it. He stopped doing it at school but continued doing it at home. Anyway, the sucking did move his front teeth a little and he did have to have braces eventually but my other two children had to have braces too. My advice is to not make a big deal out of it and just talk to her about the pros and cons. To this day, my son admits that he still likes the feel of fuz while rubbing it between his fingers and just keeps a little in his pockets. (funny) He has no problem with people knowing this fact either. Just relax, talk to her and she'll faze it out on her own. I mean really, do you see people past childhood sucking their thumbs? Nope.

I can't fully agree to say she will grow of it, I hope that is so but I still suck my thumb (embarrassed) and I'm 26!! It' how I relax, how I feel comfortable... I also don't do it in front of anyone but my husband and now my kids. My parents tried to stop me from sucking my thumb from the beginning but I could not stop crying so they would eventually give in.
From looking at me you couldn't tell I suck my thumb since my teeth haven't been affected. I know I won't be able to shake this off anymore, not after all these years. I wish you good luck and all the moms out there with kids who suck their thumb and pray that none are at my age and still soothing themselves that way.. I hate it but love it at the same time.

Hi, Although all my girls are adults now, I too had the problem of thumb sucking with three out of the four girls. I did nothing to stop them since it became a security (safe zone) for them. They never did it in school, but did suck their thumb within the family group. It never affected their school work, as they all were honor roll students. I see nothing wrong with thumb sucking, and it pretty much stopped before the fourth grade. I would let it ride.

Dear D.:
I hope I'm not the only one with this opinion, but my question to you is why? When I was pregnant with my son, who is now 17, the ultrasound photos clearly show his litle hand away from his mouth, thumb sticking out and the next the thumb is gone. He sucked his thumb inutero. Now is this a bad habit? Have you ever seen an adult sucking their thumb?
Leave her alone, it's comfort to her and she will stop on her own. By the way, my son doesn't suck his thumb, his teeth are beautiful, he speaks perfectly and he quit around 8.
M.

they have some stuff you can buy that you put on the thumb, makes it taste really bad, then of course, she needs some kind of reward for not sucking the thumb

Do nothing and she will stop on her own. Both I and my younger daughter were major thumb suckers and both of us behaved just as is your daughter. Both of us gradually weaned ourselves even of the nightime sucking, which went last. If you force her to stop, you risk other bad habits appearing in its place, as this is how she is soothing herself. She will not "go down the aisle" sucking her thumb! You're lucky it has not affected her teeth; both my daughter and I formed overbites. But I believe my daughter's emotional welfare was worth the cost of orthodontia.

That is EXACTLY like what I did as a child. And I pushed the roof of my mouth up and had an overbite (eventually, not at 7). I did it until I was 11, when they put a othodontic tool in my mouth (I believe it was called a crib) that would poke in the thumb everytime I tried to suck, but otherwise, I couldn't feel it. I did it out of boredom, as a habit, and basically because I didn't know how to stop. I never got poked, since the minute it was in, I was able to stop, and never sucked again. My sister has a 9 year old and she has tried EVERYTHING to get him to stop and finally had the same thing put in, but it has been changed in the last decade, and it no longer pokes you, just doesn't allow a proper suction to be made, so there isn't any comfort, and they quit. Anyways, good luck, and help her now, before she really does a lot of costly damage to her mouth.

My eldest son, 6, really struggled with this. I too was worried about his speech even though 2 different speech therapists told me not to worry about it. With so many people suggesting that you put peppers on her fingers, I have to warn you. They DID NOT work with my son. And if she has a hang nail or small paper cut, that can really hurt! What did work was sitting down and telling him why I was bothered by the thumb sucking. The reasons and physical sideaffects that could occur, my worries for him. Then we made a copromise to help each other. Him to try not to suck his thumb, me to remind him gentle if he did. I simply said, "Danny, thumb." And he would pop it out of his mouth. I tried not to make it a big deal about it or call to mauch attention. It took about a month before he was telling me, "Mama, I didn't stick my thumb in my mouth. I remembered." In another month, he wasn't doing it at all. And he felt wonderful when I pinted that out to him. He really accomplished something that he could be proud of.

I have a 8 year old daughter, who just 2 months ago stopped sucking her thumb:) The scenario was exactly like yours-She did it after school, while watching t.v., etc. Basically, she did it all the time except at school.
Here's what we did, we put gauze and medical tape over her thumb every day, until the urge went away.We made it a good thing and rewarded her with a present after. I really am suprised that she hasn't sucked her thumb since. It worked for us!!!and it may work for you.
A liitle about me, I am a married mother of 3 and I work part time..

If she isn't hurting her teeth, and this comforts her, why bother trying to stop something she has learned how to sooth her self with, she will grow out of it, place limits on when she is allowed to suck her thumb, even though at home not in front of company, or watching tv.. replace the thumb with a popsicle <( spell check ) when your reading together gently just reach over and pull her thumb out and let her read next.

at 7 yrs old she is still a little girl, she will grow out of it..

I agree. She will stop when she's ready. One thing I've learned with my two boys is that you can't rush them. They seem to do things in their own time and they always turn out fine.

Good luck!

my daughter also sucked her thumb and it was a blessing in disguise. she was very self-consoling. she stopped when she was ready. i never made a big deal out of it at all. she would suck her thumb to sleep, comfort herself or just out of habit. she also had a cloth diaper that she was attached to. now she is 13 years old and has no problems with thumb sucking or attachments to anything. she is a very happy well-rounded young lady. she also had braces when she was 10 and now has very nice teeth. i don't think that thumb sucking affects speech. it may be a roof of the mouth thing. i think she was about 8 when she really just quit. i don't think it affected her in any way.

Let her suck her thumb. She'll stop when she's ready! I did! Many tried to get me to stop, but I finally got to where I was only doing it to fall asleep and when I was ready...I put socks over my hands (clean ones) until I didn't end up taking them off. I was 12. So, it might be a while.

when i was younger i really wanted to get my ears peirced but she would not let me because i kept sucking my thumb sooo i never sucked my thumb again and i got my ears peirced so give her a prize make her want to stop

D., Try to remember that she's unlikely to go off to college still sucking her thumb. She will stop when she is ready. It sounds as if that is her security and self-soothing technique. Try not to let it bother you and if your family says anything to you about it, tell them she will stop when she's ready.

=) C.

Hi D.,
Why? Thumb sucking is a response to a need that is being met by her obtaining oral gratification. Some people have a much higher need than others. Our culture does not encourage children to satisfy this need by extended (normal duration) breastfeeding, so a good substitute for this is thummb sucking. If you persist in removing this from her she will need to find another means of oral gratification which could be potentially more harmful - such as drinking. (Maybe not at this age, but when she gets a little bit older.)Since there are no adverse affects with either her teeth or her speech, what is the problem? When the need is outgrown, the behavior will cease. It really isn't a problem.
Warmly,
G. Andrews, IBCLC
The Lactation Connection
PS My eldest son had incredibly high sucking needs and sucked his thumb until 9 years of age with no adverse affects on his teeth or his speech. When he stopped needing it, it went away - no hassles.

With my son I made up a story I read from the local newspaper about a child the same age an gender of mine.
My son wanted to do it too. the story was about a child who wanted to stop sucking his thumb so he wrapped it up in a bandaid. It helped him realize how often he did it and reiminded him to do something else in stead. At night I had him rest his hand up under his chin. It put him in the same position as if he was sucking it. There was also an incentive for him when he went 10 or so days with out sucking. It worked like a charm. Dont let it go on for to long. This is not like using the potty. They very well might be going to highschool and beyond sucking their thumb or finger. It will eventually move her teeth. Even adult teeth move forever! Many adults still suck thier thumbs or fingers. It could be a life long habit.

Hi D.
I know I was a thumb sucker until the I was in 2nd grade. I know I didn't do it at school either, it also was around bed time or with family. I had to have braces but what child doesn't these days. I am sure it is something that she will grow out of. She seems like she uses it to just comfort herself, which to me seems very normal. Good luck with it.

Hello Thumbsucker's Mom,

first of all, its not completely bad.

I used to suck my finger until i was 13 years old. Don't be too frightened, by that time i used it as a sleep aid. My mom tried everything, from putting band-aids around my finger to dipping it in chili so i wouldn't like the taste. By age 10, she would also monitor me constantly and whenever my finger would unconsciously find itself in my mouth she would tell me to take it out. Eventually I grew water welts on my finger from sucking it so long. I knew it wasn't good and by that time i knew i would be embarrassed if someone saw me sucking it. Finally, by age 13 and my finger only being used as sleep aid, my mom took me to the dentist because my teeth were great candidates for braces. The dentist told me that in order to get my teeth fixed I would have to stop sucking my finger. He also added that if i didnt stop he would install a sharp device in my mouth that would prick my finger if i put it in my mouth. And from that moment on I didn't suck it again. So with all my mom's efforts, though were not in vain, didn't work. It was the dentist who scared me with that painful device. I suppose I was at an age where peer influence had a role in it too.

On the psychological side, sucking my finger for me was security and comfort. Hindsight tells me I needed this.

Big Smiles, M.

Hello D.! I am a mother of two boys and while they did not have any problems with thumb sucking my nieces did. They were 8 year old twin girls and their mother was so worried with what to do about their thumb sucking. Her children's dentist suggest and implanted a claw like type of device. The procedure was painless and it was very effective. When ever the twins tried to put their thumb in their mouth the claw would poke them. Maybe you could inquire about it from your daughter's dentist. I also think she sucking her thumb for comfort maybe you can give her something else to soothe her while she is trying to sleep like a big comfy bear or a really soft blanket. I hope this helps some.

D.,
I have a daughter that sucked 2 fingers also (mostly when sleeping). I was told by her doctor that she would eventually stop when she was ready to stop. She did it until she was about 14 years old! She now 18 has an overbite and problems with her jaws and has to wear a mouth peace every day. The only thing I can suggest is to just gently pull her thumb out of her mouth each time you see her. She probably is not even aware that she's doing it. This might help!! I don't know sorry!!

Leave Her Alone. My daughter sucked her thumb until she was married at 17 1/2 years old. Sometimes when she is under severe (rare) stress she will still suck her thumb. When she was 7 years old we had a tongue fence put in her mouth by the dentist. We used hot sauce. we used socks, you name it we did it. Nothing worked and the stress really ate at all of us. Come to find out one day I asked her what made her stop and she told me it was wearing acrylic nails for her wedding and the year to follow while she worked as a secretary. Needless to say what we as parents worry about so much is really not as significant as we think. Now both my granddaughters suck their thumbs and we don't even worry about it. One has already quit and the other is beginning to lose interest in it all together. Good Luck but I can promise you your child will be grown and this will be a memory. Yours truely, C.

Hi there -- As a childhood thumbsucker and after reading your note, I would recommend doing nothing and when she is ready, she will stop. Some kids have a greater need to suck than others and it sounds like she is using it appropriately -- as a self-soothing tool. I think the less we, as parents, make of things that we don't like, the sooner the child outgrows the behavior. My son started biting his nails after weaning ( I nursed him until he was 4 and then got pregnant which precipitated a mellow, natural weaning) which really bothered my husband. For most of my pregnancy, he kept biting and my husband started trying to make him stop which really just created more turmoil and upset and changed nothing. Finally, I talked my husband into just acknowledging our son when he wasn't biting his nails and shortly after the new baby was born, he stopped on his own. Now it is something we talk about just in terms of how healthy his nails look and we also make a big deal of cutting them and filing them.

Busy thumbs are also harder to suck -- so you might think about a combo of activities she likes and acknowledgement for what a big girl she is and maybe even talk about how someday she won't be sucking her thumb anymore because she will be all grown up. Hope this helps. aloha JP

i am an ex-thumb sucker. my mom put chili, rubbing alcohol and the eye brow look. nothing will help, trust me. its our security blanket so to speak. i think i stopped when i turned into a teenager.

now that i look back, i think something happened to us when we were little, to make us feel the need for a comfort zone. (nothing the parent did otherwise we wouldn't suck in front of them.)

I too was a thumb sucker and didn't stop until I was about 9 years old. My dad would tease me and tell me that I'd get buck teeth if I didn't stop so I better start pushing my teeth in. So I'd push my teeth if I wasn't sucking it. Going to sleep without sucking my thumb seemed almost impossible. What my parents did to get me to stop was bribe me. They said that I could have anything I wanted if I stopped sucking my thumb. I wanted a walkman. Kinda shows my age huh? lol But it worked. They bribed my sister too, she is three years younger than me, she wanted a Cabbage Patch Doll. Both of us stopped. I had to stick my hand under my pillow and sleep on it, to really keep it from going in my mouth.

On another note, my sister-in-laws, who were also thumb suckers or still are...one would suck her thumb after she was married while she watched TV!!! I'm not even sure if they really ever stopped!!! Not something I would recommend...

It is a hard habit to break when you've been doing it your whole life! Be patient and kind because it is a very comforting habit. Good luck!

I sucked my thumb until the age of 6. My parents tried everything from mittens on my hands to putting hot sauce (tabasco) on my thumb. Nothing worked until they overheard me talking with a school friend about learning to ride a bike. I didn't have a bike so they "bribed" me with it and overnight I stopped the habit. I don't know if it works for all kids, but it worked for me. Evesdrop and find out what she REALLY wants and then bribe her with it... it just might work. The best part is you aren't out any money until she meets her goal, so it's a win-win situation.

Unfortunately I did that also until i was 9 or 10. Always at home.... always for comfort. For me, growing up was very stressful and my house was always nosily with people yelling. It was a nice calming thing for me. Maybe she is worried or afraid about something... give her some one on one time. Let her talk if she needs to - stop giving the finger sucking so much attention. Sometimes if you give something so much negative attention they do it more because they know it angers the parent. Its normal kid behavior... it should be resolving soon.

My advice (since you asked) is to shift your thinking away from trying to "stop this behavior". What we resist, persists, as they say.
Whenever you see her sucking, know that she is comforting herself. Stop what you are doing, go take her gently in your arms and love her as deeply as you can. Tell her how much you love her and that it is okay to suck her thumb. Reassure her that she will always be loved, and that everything is okay.
Have faith that she will give it up when it is the right time for her to give it up, and that all really is okay. Better than okay. All is fantastic.
God is good - ALL the time.
Much love and many blessings,
Rev. K.

My son used to suck his thumb until about 5 years old and he now bites his nails. Talk about some type of oral fixation issues. Anyway, we paint this stuff called THUM on his nails to help with the nail biting. It has cayanne peppers in it. It doesn't taste very good and when we remember to use it, it works very well. I'm sure you've already gotten this response, but I was unable to access the responses to your question. If you haven't already, good luck. I hope it works for you.

W. Jones

We just started putting a band-aid on my 7 year old daughter's thumb to make it uncomfortable for her to suck. Our dentist was encouraging us to take a "positive" approach like this as opposed to putting something icky tasting on her thumb. He gave her a pep talk and she's been motivated and willing to do the band-aid thing.

My daughter only sucks her thumb when she has her blanket, so we have also made her blanket stay on her bed, which has greatly cut down on the amount of time she is tempted to suck.

Good luck!

I had this exact same problem as a child. I only sucked my thumb at home. It didn't cause me any problems with my teeth or my speech either. It provided a sense of comfort for me. It helped me cope with life. I kept a lot of things bottled up inside of me and I think it was a coping mechanism. I stopped on my own when I was 13 or 14. I just decided that it was a childish thing to do and that I needed to stop cold turkey. It was hard. The only way I could fall asleep for a while was to cry myself to sleep. After a couple of months it wasn't a problem and I never went back to it. I'm 34 now. One thing I always thought was important was that my parents didn't try to make me stop or put any focus on the behavior.

My advice is to let her be if it's not affecting her teeth, speech or making her sick. If you decide otherwise, there was a post a couple of weeks ago about this topic and several products were listed.

Good luck!

I have the same thing with my daughter - same age! I bought a glove from thumbbusters, which we put on at night (she hates it). Any other suggestons would be welcome.
Sx

Hi, I haven't checked but you've probably already gotten tons of advice. All I know is that you need to replace the behavior with something appropriate. You can't expect her to just stop because you say so. Find out whether it's a need to keep her hands busy or her mouth. You can try gum. You can try a sugar free lolly pop. Maybe she's just relaxing her hands...lanyards are good, sewing. if it's a soothing thing, try teaching her to stroke her other hand or her own cheek or give her a piece of cloth that is soft so she can hold that as a soothing object (not a stuffed animal or something, but something she can bring with her and it's still appropriate).
I've known some adult thumb suckers and i know it's a hard problem to get rid of. I commend you for trying!!!
Good luck!!!

Hi,

I have the same exact problem with my daughter. MY daughter is also 7 almost 8 and sucks her two fingers. If you get any advice can you pass it on to me please at ____@____.com

Thank you,
C.

I had two daughters that had the same habit. I learned from my first that this was causing havoc to her teeth. The dentist put in an appliance that attached to her teeth something like a retainer. It had what looks like a small basket behind her top teeth. This prevented the thumb from being comfortable in her mouth. It can't be seen and it is painless. really saved her mouth from getting deformed.

Hi D., I don't have an answer for you but you are not alone. My 9 year old son does exactly the same thing. He is very intelligent (slight ADHD) but get's all "A"'s in school, excells in sports, and is the sweetest of all my kids (he's the youngest). I've tried everything- painting his nails with that yucky tasting stuff (he sucks it off), bribing, and eventually had the dentist put a bar behind his front teeth to prevent him from sucking, but then he started speech therapy for his slight lisp and the speech therapist wanted the bar off so he can do the tongue exercises. He still managed to suck his thumb with that big bar in there.
So, I've stopped bugging him about it. I figure if that's the worst problem he has, I can deal with it. I'm betting that when he starts dating he may decide it's not that important anymore :-)
Good luck.
S.'
mom to 5, soon to be 6 when we pick up our adopted daughter from Vietnam

Hi D.,

I have heard that some moms put a dab of something bitter on the thumb or even chili sauce.
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This worked for one of my children - but not the other - so good luck. We designated that he may suck his thumb only on his bed. When he was sucking his thumb in front of the TV - we gently reminded him that he could only suck his thumb in bed. He had to make the choice ... stop ... or go lie on his bed. Sometimes he stopped and some times he went and laid on his bed. Eventually he was only sucking his thumb in bed. At that point, we encouraged him to stop ... and he did. My other child, on the other hand sucked her thumb - at school, in front of friends, everywhere, whenever she wanted until she was about 10. It really did no harm to her - she is now off to college with no lingering "thumb-sucking issues". Good luck.

Hi D.,
Since she is only doing this behavior at home and with family my guess would be that everyone is trying to get her to stop while at home. She's 7, she enjoys all the attention sucking her thumb gets her with everyone noticing her. One thing to do is to ignore it. If you quit reminding her of how much attention its getting her she will probably quit on her own. If its not affecting anything else quit worrying about it.
Kathy

My son sucked his thumb till he was 5. I told him that the first day of kindergarden had to be his last day of thumbsucking. Some people have told me that I took the bottle away to early, others say it's insecurity. Try to give her something to replace the thumbsucking while she is doing it. When you catch her while she is watching tv, don't stop her give her a sugar free popsicle. When she is reading, give her something to hold in her hand. when she is in the car distract her by talking or have her hold something. Eventually, it should stop. Just don't remind her to stop, put something in her hand instead casually. Your lucky she doesn't need braces like my son:)

My daughter had the same issue. Her thumb sucking and nail bitting has stopped.
My recommendation depends on your family philosophy. I rewarded my daughter by having her nails polished. I would polish her nails on the weekends, as our school prohibits nail polish. She was drawn to that, vain I know but it workded for us.
She is 9 and she has not sucked her thumbs in 3 yrs. I periodically have her nails polished during the summer.

I sucked my thumb until I was 9 years old but did it only at night. I had no problems with my teeth. Sometimes it feels like they'll never stop behaviors. I would ask her and talk with her about your concerns. Maybe she knows she uses it for comfort and that's okay but it may help to hear mom say, "I know you'll find other ways to sooth yourself soon. Maybe cuddle time would help." Or whatever you think she'd like to hear. Best of luck. My 6 year old is still doing it too but occasionally says she thinks she'll stop soon.
G. H

My daughter finally stopped sucking her thumb at 7 years and 2 months old on her own. One day she decided that she did not want to suck her thumb anymore and asked if we could keep a bandaid on it until she thought it would not be a problem, she had also made a deal with my mother in law that if she quit smoking then she would stop sucking her thumb. My daughter is now 9.5 years and never looked back. I know it is hard, but it has to be when she is ready. I tried everything from bribes to frustration to stop her and nothing mattered. Hang in there, ask her if she wants to try the bandaid trick and I noticed that once I no longer paid attention to it, she was left to stop on her own. Good luck!!

The more ATTENTION you give the thumb sucking, the more she will hang out on to it. Be happy you have a child who can soothe herself. She has already learned not to do it in public,
and she will learn to let go of it more herself. I am a 44 year old former thumb sucker and mother of a 4 and a half thumb sucker--- and I really believe the way to deal with it is not to make a big deal about it. The only thing I do is gently ask my daughter to take out her thumb when she's talking so people can hear her. Like your daughter, she mostly does it watching tv,
or when sleepy or upset or feeling cuddly. Let her be--- she's going to be okay!

All of us at probably an early age found some kind of item or activity that comforted us. Some of these activities are more of a detriment than a benefit. I've hated taking away my child's favorite comfort technique. We gave her some chapstick when we took away her pacifier. We made sure she had something soft and silky to sleep with that she can also rub on her cheek, lips or chin.

I wish you the best of luck!

Hi D.,
I sucked my thumb and only drank breakfast out of a baby bottle till I was in 3rd grade. I remember it was a huge concern to my mother and I kind of liked, that she was worried and took extra care of me. One day for no reason at all, I decided to want to eat breakfast with my dad, sister and mother at the table and I eventually forgot about sucking my thumb, because other things became more important and I felt like a big girl now. I think your daughter will be just fine. She already knows, that sucking her thumb doesn't fit into society at her age. It's just a comforting thing right now, like eating soup for me, when I feel really sad. Give her time and trust her.
I am now 36 years old and despite the fact that I held on to baby habits much longer, than the average kid, I turned out pretty good: I am a successful business woman, happily married and strongly driven. I am so determined and focused, that some people wish they could suck their thumb after they meet me.
So please give your daughter all the time she needs and let her grow up on her own timing. She will become a terrific woman. Good luck, love A.

I say let her do it. It doesn't seem to be a problem. And she is finding comfort in it. You can ask her if there are other things that would bring her comfort. But if that's workin'. Let her do it. And she'll stop on her own. My sister did it too. And she is a wonderful, confident, beautiful woman. And doesn't do it anymore. ;)

R.

Based on my experience as an infant and a thumb-sucking child, simply wait until your daughter starts being invited to overnight parties. I was a very sick infant & turned to my thumb for relief (there are pain-negating acupressure spots in the thumb). As a sick infant, when I got better, the doctors told my Mother to let my continue to suck my thumb as it had been my only comfort & anchor while sick & in pain....& this was 1941! As I grew older, I was embarrassed about my need to suck my thumb; once I began receiving overnight invitations from my friends I made myself stop. No harm done. I am now almost 67 yrs old & have had a great life.