Thumb Sucking - Springfield,MO

I would not worry about it for atleast another year or so. Both my sons used binkies and I didn't even start thinking about breaking them of it until they were about 2 1/2. For me, I wanted them to outgrow it by age 3. When that time comes for you, there is something that you can buy at the health food store that you put on their fingers and it is very disgusting. I'm sorry, I don't know the name of it, but if you were to go to the health food store and ask what that is called, they should know what you're referring to.

my 22 month old is gradually breaking himself. He used to suck it all the time and now only does it when hes tired and as soon as hes asleep it falls out. Thats how we tell if hes tired or not. I haven't worried about it cause they still have a need to suck and sometimes he will go to sleep without sucking it. A 13 month old is still needing to suck. I don't know how to break them but storm is breaking himself. in order for the whatever to work its got to be something he doesnt like maybe pickle juice. I would assume.

M., my oldest daughter sucked her thumb for comfort, to get herself to sleep etc. At about the age of 21/2 we started working on getting her to quit. We tried all the bad tasting stuff and none of it worked. We then went out and had her pick out several kinds of the picture bandaids (Dora or whatever) and lots of stickers. We made a sticker chart and put the bandaid on her thumb. In the beginning she earned stickers for her chart after short periods of keeping the bandaids on her thumb- then gradually increased the time required to earn the sticker for her chart. after every 10 stickers she earned something- fruit snacks, tv time, a small book- whatever you want that will work for her. This really worked for us. She was very proud of all the stickers on her chart and proud of herself for earning them! Within 2 months she was done sucking her thumb.

My daughter use to suck her 2 middle fingers and so the nail biting stuff wasn't and option for us. I ended up putting breathable surgical tape on them and she didn't like the feeling and she stopped sucking her fingers. This is actually the perfect age to try this cause as they get older they can just take the tape off. She only sucked her fingers while sleeping so I only put it on during naps and night time. She probably stopped trying about a week after I started putting it on but I wanted to make sure the habit was gone so we did this for a month. My daughter was 13 months old when I did this. You don't want to wait too long the older they get the harder it is to break them.

My advice is to just leave it be for now, he will be fine. I had 2 thumb suckers, ages 6 and 4 1/2 now. We saw countless dentists and they all said the same thing: Don't worry about it till they are at least 4. One of the dentist's own children was a thumb sucker at age 3 and he was not in any hurry to stop her habit either. Both of my kids gave it up in stages without any problems. Your son is too little to give up something so comforting, he is just a baby. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Our daughter thumb sucked until 3rd grade. We tried everything. We knew we had trouble when all sonos showed her thumbsucking. But the amazing thing is that she is now in 7th grade and has the best teeth out of the 3 kids.

When my daughter was about 4 yo, we told her that when she lost her first tooth, she'd need to stop sucking her thumb. Then we reminded her periodically after that at appropriate moments. Nothing hardcore, just gentle reminders, lighthearted jests. Then, when her first tooth started getting loose, we'd ask her if she was ready, started talking about it a little more. The first tooth fell out, the thumb came out of her mouth (by now, it was only at bedtime) and she never needed braces.

I have no advice only sympathy! I too worry about this issue. My daughter is almost two and half and I'm pretty sure she'll be sucking her thumb until she's 10! I did a lot of "research" on this topic by asking all my friends and strangers (b/c lots of people see her and say things like Oh how cute..and I did that too...etc, etc.) and it seems that most people in my "study" all sucked their thumb until elementary school, but luckily by that point they only did it in private! LOL!

13 mo old is WAY too young for him to understand, if he really wants to suck, maybe you should try waiting for him to get a little older. Our dentist said it was a big deal until around 4 and then you needed to deal with it (at this point the yucky nail stuff will bug them more too).

i agree with dawn. does your dentist recommend you "break" him of this habit? most dentists i've heard say it doesn't become a problem till the adult teeth start coming in. seems to me parents are in a big hurry to yank away a child's comfort mechanism for seemingly no medical reason. that only leaves vanity and a desire to make people "think" they are better parents than those with thumb-sucking kids. we have a history of thumb sucking in my family (going back generations) and we have great teeth. my 3 1/2 year old sucked his thumb from about 4 weeks old (which was when he started sleeping through the night) and stopped on his own at about 2 1/2 years. no stress, no issues. most kids (unless they have some trauma happen in their lives) will quit on their own, at the latest, when they start school and peer pressure kicks in. usually before. i just don't get all the stress about forcing them to quit. if his teeth are truly the only reason you're stressing about it, consult his pediatrician and your dentist, or consult a pediatric dentist. i'm sure they can set your mind at ease.

Good Morning M., if you get some good advice I want to know also. Our youngest gr son Zane is 2.5, has been a thumb sucker since he lost interest in his binkie about age 8 mo. His teeth are affected already, worn up in the middle and his speech at times is hard to understand. I have used like you, Hot sauce ( he wants more), applecider vinegar, ellerberry concentrate, pepper sauce, nothing seems to phase him, if he doesn't like the taste he just wipes it off. The dentist suggested the bitter biter stuff also, he doesn't care. If you ask him to take it out of his mouth he will, then it goes right back in.

His thumb is chapped and his teeth are worn. So what else can we do Mamma's

God Bless
K. Nana of 5
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