Toddler Thumb Sucking

Hi! I have a thumbsucker too! However, mine is five and a half! Her pediatric dentist said that most kids will grow out of it and as long as she stops before her baby teeth fall out it's ok. Well, at her last appointment she showed no progress in cutting back on the thumb sucking (like your daughter she had it in her mouth almost more than not) and her teeth had continued to move (top teeth forward, bottom teeth back). The dentist suggested a $900 device to attach to the roof of her mouth!! Um, no! So, we cracked down. We used Mavala Stop. It's a nailpolish we bought at the dentist for about $20. I painted it on every other day. And I made a sticker chart for her. Every day she didn't suck her thumb she got a sticker and after 4 weeks I took her to get a manicure! She did awesome and loved the manicure! She struggled a little at bedtime because that was her soothing mechanism. Now I catch her every once in awhile but it has drastically decreased. I'll simply remind her or reapply the polish every so often. Oh and I also told her that if she didn't stop she'd get the device and then she'd have a mouth full of metal and couldn't eat yummy things like apples, gummy bears, gum, and anything else sticky! And, she still couldn't suck her thumb!
Good luck to you! I hope this helped! :-)

My daughter is 29 months and like yours, has been sucking her thumb since she was only a few months old. Right now, she only sucks her thumb when she is tired or in a situation where she is unsure. It is comforting to her and yes, her hands are dirty at times and I know it can be unsanitary, but I let her do it. I don't think it's a big deal and I think it is highly unlikely that she'll get sick. My pediatrician said that it is wise for a child to stop sucking their thumb around the ages of 4 or 5 and she say's that most kids stop by that age anyway as they get engaged in more things and just grow up. I think that right now, she just might not be ready to stop and I think that you are doing the right things like distracting her, praising her, etc. I will say that my daughter will do the exact opposite of what I want her to do. So, maybe because you are working so hard to get her to stop she won't do it. Try backing off a bit or totally ignoring it for a while to see if that helps. It almost seems like potty training... the more you push, the more they won't do it.

C.,
Let me start by saying I was a thumb sucker as a child. I did have to have braces later in life, but crazy enough, not for misalligned teeth due to thumb sucking.

I think that weening from thumb sucking is going to be like anything else....it will happen in its own time....she is only 2 1/2 - right? Some kids attach to a pacifier (like my oldest - I think he was close to three when it finally went away), some to a blanket (like my middle - who is now approaching 8 and STILL wants his blanket) some to a particular stuffed animal (my youngest and at 4 he is starting to be not so dependent on it). I don't think I fully gave up my thumb until right before I started school. Even to this day - when I am concentrating on something - that thumb nail is the first thing I start chewing on. It is also possible with you being so bent on stopping the behavior that your stress is actually having a negative impact on her stopping the action. Does that make sense?
Have you noticed a pattern or particular time that she is more prone to thumb sucking - say bedtime and naptime, or when you are in an unfamiliar place, or maybe when she is nervous about something? Or is it more the absentminded habit that just pops in while she is say looking at a book or watching a tv show or something like that?

My guess at this age, this is her "blanket" or "animal" - so if you are not opposed to her having that security object - you may just need to replace the thumb with something that can provide that security that kids at this (okay all) age(s) want. Please don't take that to mean that I don't think you are providing a secure, safe environment for your daughter, just that kids like to have that little something extra. Have you tried helping her find something else that may provide that "security" that she has attached to her thumb? Maybe you can let her pick out a new stuffed toy, or a new special blanket or something and let her have that - but if she sucks her thumb - you take that away. This could be trial and error until you find that one special thing that will be more important to her than sucking that thumb. As she gets older and starts doing more writing and coloring, playing with playdough or other toys that require the use of both hands, it will likely lessen as well.

In the meantime - for sanitary reasons, thumb sucking is probably more sanitary than some other things....all you have to do is keep her hands washed - you don't have to run a load of laundry for that special blanket or animal:) Or figure out how to clean a pacifier when if falls on the floor in the store. AND you don't have to spend time going back for that special item when it gets left behind. So just keep her hands clean, and use lotion on them to minimize the dry skin effect that the constant washing and thumb sucking has. If she develops blisters, bandage them and that may deter the thumb sucking long enough for her to attach to something else.

Good luck with this habit, I know it can be frustrating to change behaviors in our children that we don't like.

T.

I wanted my son to stop sucking his thumb before kindergarten - he didn't suck it nonstop, it was more when he went to sleep or was watching a movie. Our pediatric dentist had us put a $200 device in his mouth. It is a little spindle across the roof of his mouth that is attached like a retainer. Worked like magic in no time. We kept it on for 3 months just to be sure the habit was gone, but it qas quick and painless. He had terrible buck teeth that have been straightened by braces. Not sure that would have been prevented or not if we had stopped him earlier.
My daughter sucked her thumb but we were able to stop her habit through constant remindind.... "helen - no sucking, helen - thumb out", etc.

i actually learned from our dentist it doesnt effect the teeth. its only when the baby teeth fall out and they are doing it with perm. teeth it causes a problem. IM not sure how much i believe it but i hope its true b/c my six year old still sucks her thumb. your little one is still pretty young i wouldnt worry about it yet. but if you are that worried their is a stuff you can get on amazon called mavala stop it worked for me but not so much on my 6 year old she just didnt care how bad it tasted and it tasted bad! lol i will say DONT get the stuff from walgreens called THUM its main ingredent is pepper. i tried it on myself first (thank goodness) and an hour after it dried i wiped my eyes and it burned so bad i had to pull the car over for 15 mins..... dont use that on your baby!! good luck