how do you get an 8 year old to stop sucking her thumb, we have tried every thing???

Question

we have tried everything, yellow ribbons, band aids, pruell by accident, she has to do orthodontics, she refuses to wear her retainer, she has two stages of that for 3 years.we tried money, she's just stuck on this thumb. She says she wants to stop.

Answer 1

Just wear him a loose pant.then he will always try to hold that.

Answer 2

If she really wants to stop sucking her thumb, I'll bet she is only doing it in her sleep. For daytime, all the suggestions about something bitter will serve as a good reminder. For night time, I suggest that you wrap an Ace bandage around her elbow(s), but JUST tight enough to keep it from slipping down. The idea is to make it so that if she tries to reach her mouth with her thumb, the Ace bandage will tighten up enough to prevent her from doing it without using a lot of force. She is not likely to do this when she is asleep.

Of my three kids, the one who wouldn't quit sucking her thumb until she was 8 or 10 turned out to have the best bite and best smile of them all - without braces. Lip pressure is an awesome force. Once she actually quit, it was only a matter of a few months before it was obvious that her teeth were being pushed back down where they belonged.

So, take heart. She might not need braces after it is all said and done. I'd start saving, though.

Answer 3

hey.. I used to be a thumb sucker too... and i just recently heard that if a kid is always sucking there thumb that it can actually push your teeth up and mess up your looks. A good thing to do to maybe get your 8 year old to stop is to get a retainer. It gets in the way of sucking the thumb and if it doesnt help that then it will still keep the teeth looking good! i hope i helped!

Answer 4

Habits, any habit, is a very difficult thing to overcome...especially when you are either very young or very old. Your child is at the stage and age of "transition"...and the thumb-sucking is a habit that will heal completely on its own. If your child is sucking his or her thumb at the age of 8 years, then it's obvious that it's a habit that began early-on in life. There are no "quick cures" for this kind of habit. The thing that is going to be most useful for the termination of your childs' thumb-sucking, will be the fact of growing up and getting older. I would imagine however, that the REASON for having to get the orthodonics is BECAUSE of the thumb-sucking which caused the mis-aligned teeth to start with. AGE is the only real cure...along with PATIENCE, UNDERSTANDING, AND LOT'S OF LOVE.

Answer 5

This seems to be less of a dental question than a psych question. An eight year old sucking her thumb speaks of some pshychological issue that needs to be addressed.

Have you sought out a therapist - perhaps at her school? One answerer suggested that she's seeking attention, in which case you could totally ignore her thumb sucking.

Putting something on her thumb at this point seems useless. She's eight, afterall and can wash anything off.

Good luck.

Answer 6

1. Wait for the problem to go away. Most children, but not all, outgrow the habit by the time their permanent teeth come in (about age 6). After this age, thumb sucking can cause dental and speech problems, but before then, many children still have a fairly strong impulse and need to suck.

2. Start to work on kicking the habit a little while before you expect your child's permanent teeth to come in. That way you can deal with it before it becomes a real problem.

3. Try to keep your child talking, which will make it hard for her to keep her thumb in her mouth.

4. Offer her activities to keep her hands busy: crayons or pencils and paper, squishy balls or toys to fiddle with, or models and puzzles to work on.

5. Consider working out a reward or praise system, using stickers and a chart or calendar.

6. Encourage your child with positive reminders that she is a big kid and that big kids don't need to suck their thumbs.

7. Explain to your child in simple terms why it is important for this habit to go away, and ask her to suggest a few possible solutions. Many children will come up with some creative possibilities.

8. Try putting a brightly colored adhesive bandage on your child's thumb as a reminder not to suck.

9. If your child sucks her thumb at night, consider having her wear a glove or sock on her hand while she sleeps.

10. Talk to your dentist, who may have helpful suggestions and who can also explain the dental consequences and options for treatment if thumb-sucking continues when the permanent teeth come in. Ask your dentist to have a talk with your child, if you think it will help.

11. Be patient with your child. Although thumb sucking is an unattractive habit, many children can't help themselves. Take the time your child needs to eliminate the habit gently and gradually, rather than criticizing or punishing.

Tips:
Encourage your child to wash her hands frequently to avoid constant transfer of germs from her hands to her mouth.

Take a look at your child's thumb. If it is callused or sore from sucking, she is almost certainly sucking it too much.

Look for hidden stress in your child's life if she suddenly develops a thumb-sucking habit. Dealing with the source of the stress may eliminate the problem.

Answer 7

Amazing she still has a thumb. Has the doctor come up with anything? My parents put a thumb basket on my sister's thumb with soem awfull tasting stuff and that got her to stop eventually.

Answer 8

put some hot sauce on that baby or get a picture of someone who sucked their thumb and at age 30 looks like a horse in the mouth, maybe that'll learn her

Answer 9

First determine what is her payoff for sucking her thumb?

Seems to me she's got you by her thumb. My advice is find out what she "gets" out of it. She has some attitudes assumptions and beliefs that thumb sucking "works" for her.

I think it is attention of her parents. If that is the case carefully watch her and attend to her when she is not sucking.

Answer 10

my mom when to the store and got this stuff for stop sucking your thumb and bitting your nails in like a week my brother was done with his thumb. i don't know th ename but its yellow and you paint it on the nail and on the tip or the thumb. it sour and spicy, it might work.

Answer 11

I bet you haven't stuck it in pepper, this worked
after my grandmother had exhausted all of the other things that people had told her, my sister never sucked her thumb again after the pepper hit her tounge.