Thumb sucking is a habit that begins innocently enough. Most times the beginnings are in the womb and due to the comfort it provides it may last up until the preschool years. As my child turned three and still sucked her thumb I wondered if that were normal. My other children either did not suck their thumbs at all or not past a year old. I envisioned my preschooler in Thumb Suckers Anonymous introducing herself as “Hi, I’m Kara and I suck my thumb.” The time has come to admit that my child is a thumb addict. There are days she seems to do nothing but suck her thumb and days when her thumb stays put. She sucks her thumb when she is upset, tired, or bored. She’s three and she’s a girl so she is upset on a regular basis. What steps can I take to break this addiction or will it simply resolve itself without assistance?
Thumb sucking is quite common in babies and toddlers. While not as common in preschoolers many are still using their thumbs in times of stress and fatigue. The main concern parents have is the effect on the child’s teeth. Many dentists will say thumb sucking has a direct effect on the alignment of the teeth while others disagree. The best advice in a situation when experts disagree is to go to your own dentist and discuss the issue. Your dentist will be able to determine if your child’s teeth are being affected by thumb sucking.
How do you get your child to stop thumb sucking? There are the extreme measures of putting bitter tasting liquid on the thumb to a dental device that prevents a child from sucking her thumb. Take caution that adding anything to the thumb could get into your child’s eyes. Another solution is wearing mittens or finger puppets. However, a child can easily remove each but it may me a distraction enough during the day or maybe the child will fall asleep before she decides to remove it. Most of the time these extremes are not necessary so begin with gentle reminders to remove the thumb from her mouth. Be careful not to ridicule or pressure your child to stop sucking her thumb. These actions can result in the child being more stressed which will cause her to suck her thumb more. Ignore it and it will go away then? Normally, yes. Have patience and talk to your dentist or pediatrician if you are truly concerned.
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