Thumb Sucker - Smyrna, GA

Have you called your doctor?Maybe there is something he can give you to treat the blister that wouldnt harm the baby.My 16 month old sucks his thumb,I tried giving him a paci too but it doesnt work.However my child ONLY sucks his thumb while falling asleep in his crib,then he takes it out and sleeps the rest of the night without it,he doesnt even walk around with it in his mouth unless he's ready for a nap.My first loved a paci,and this one likes his thumb so I have had it both ways.But he has never gotten a blister.I say just call the doctor and ask them what's the best method,I'm sure your not the first one to have this problem.Heck while I was taking my baby once to his appt. a guy who had brought his son in actually grab the doctors prescription pad he left on the counter for a min and ran out the back door,naturally he was caught.But it was def a first for my doctor and he told me that they see alot of things you wouldnt expect everyday.

Hi Ann!

My son sucked his thumb until he was almost 5. He had the blister as well. Really, there is NOTHING you can do for it, just keep it dry as much as you can until it forms a callous. As long as your pediatrician, and later you dentist, say that he is not damaging his palate, don't worry about it too much. Eventually, when he is older, you can get something called ThumbGuard. My husband and I tried EVERYTHING, and ThumbGuard is the only thing that worked to get him to stop sucking his thumb. And it only took about 3 weeks! Hope this helps!

A.- happily married mother of 2 boys, ages 3 and 5, and one girl, 9 months!

My daughter had the blister, too. The doctor said it was no big deal...just try to distract her when she starts sucking her thumb. She's 17 months and sucks her thumb whenever she's tired.

I had one thumb sucker...I did the same as Mary olive oil..I also got him some real soft blankets that he picked out and he started rubbing them on his checks to sleep...finally he stopped the thumb sucking.

I'd ask my dr but it sounds normal and nothing to worry about. I wouldn't put anything on it.

My little girl had the same blister for months. It comes and goes with the teething. When they suck the thumb a lot the blister shows up. I wouldn't really worry about it unless it's bothering him.
If it is you can put an oil on it - sesame, sunflower or olive -- those are edible & could help.

Ann-oh those thumbs! Well all I can say is to thumbsuckers these are the best things ever. I am not a fan of thumbsucking, but both of my twin boys still suck their thumbs to go to sleep and they are 21 months. I have not tried to make a big deal about since I feel it will only encourage it. Both of my boys have blisters/calluses from thumbsucking. At first I was alarmed like you. I didn't put anything on it, and let it heal as much as it can on its own. Now sometimes it peels, but I don't call attention to it as that will cause them to pick at it. Your baby will probably keep a blister/callus until he quits. Unless it gets horribly bad looking or infected, I'd just let it be. Hope this helps.

Also, my boys mostly suck their thumbs with their blankies. So we leave the blankies in the crib as to not encourage all day thumbsucking. They know were their blankie (they call nigh nighs) is and they are ok with it until you try to wash it-lol So if your baby sucks with a blanket, you may want to work up to leaving it in the crib, especially by closer to 1, since they can better soothe themselves by that age.

Let us know what happens :-)