Thumb Sucking - Greenvale,NY

I don't think you are going to be able to stop her , this is something that she will grow out of as she get's older , does she talk to you with her thumb in her mouth? If so that could be affecting how she speaks and I would be firm with telling her 'no talking while the thumb is in her mouth' just like you would a kid with a pacifier. If she uses this as a security then there really is nothing you can do , my middle daughter used to have a blanket that went EVERYWHERE!!....it was filthy and I used to get major meltdowns when it needed to be washed , she is 4 now and has not had the blanket for over a year now.

Hope this helps

K.

What is wrong with a child, esp. a 2 year old, having some kind of a soother? if it makes them feel safe and calm, i see no harm in it. I know several people who sucked their thumb until they were 5 or even 7 years old, and then just stopped on their own. I suppose that there are things you can do to help stop the thumb sucking like, put hot sauce on their thumb or something, but at this age, i really don't see any harm in it.

Both my girls sucked their thumbs from day 1 or even in the womb. They stopped around age 8 at the dentist's insistence. Once the permanent teeth come in, it is time to stop. At age 8 I could explain what the problem is with top teeth bucking forward or bottom teeth pushed in. We used the nail-biter polish that is very bitter. It took a few weeks for both of them to learn to stop sucking even with the bitter nail polish. One I could soothe to sleep with back caresses but the other just giggled when I did that, so she took a long time to fall asleep each night. The oldest now has braces (12) and the youngest (9) will probably not need braces. My sister sucked her thumb and did not need braces, I sucked until about age 7 and did need braces. There is no predicting what will happen. I would say, let them suck and soothe until permanent teeth erupt. They may even stop on their own, my girls eventually only sucked at bed time and only for about 15-20 minutes until the were asleep, but at an early age they sucked their thumb in the car, in front of the tv, when tired anywhere. There is another school of though that says to let them since it actually thrusts their tongue forward and relaxes that huge bundle of muscles and nerves at the back of the tongue and opens the airways. No teenager is going to suck in public and with braces it will be almost impossible too. Let her soothe herself and I think you will see a decline once she ages. Oh, my oldest slissed but the youngest has no speech issues. Good luck.

Hi J.,

I would talk to your dentist, or find an orthodontist to talk to. My brother sucked his thumb well into kindergarten, and my mom used every trick that was suggested to her to get him to stop, but nothing worked.

The orthodontist said that when his thumb was in his mouth pressed up against the roof of his mouth, it made it easier for him to breathe. Once his teeth were adjusted with a retainer, he stopped sucking his thumb on his own.

Just a thought, and may not be the problem, but thought I would share with you.

Good luck,
L.