How do I get my 8 year old to stop sucking her thumb?

Question

I have an 8 yr old that has sucked her thumb since as early in life as i can remember and twirls her hair...She says this is the only way she can sleep so we let it pass, but now it is affecting her development teeth wise her front teeth are pushed out incredibly and starting to get crooked do to her thumb sucking, We have tried taking pictures of her doing this and showing people to stop her and tried to put socks on her hands and mittens even in warm weather, and of course we have scolded her numerous times in attempt to break her of this habit but nothing is working , we took her to the dentist and they told ehr if she doesn't stop now she will have a very ugly mouth and possibly be teased in the future which still isnt helping ....Any other possible ways to help please give me your opinion....I'm desperate if this doesn't stop soon my entire pay check will go towards dentist bills.

Answer 1

OMG... Do you have my daughter??? lol
My daughter is 8, sucks her thumb and twirls her hair to sleep and like you is having problems with her teeth!!
she just had a dental appointment yesterday and they fitted her for a plate that will be on her pallet to break her out of the habit.
I certainly hope it works!!!
Good Luck!!

Answer 2

As a former thumbsucker until the age of 7, I can give some first hand experience on this. You have to find somebody who can convince her it is worth it to stop. When I was 7 my great grandma told me that I should stop because thumbsucking was for little babies. I took a few days but I just gave it up myself. Maybe I have too much willpower. I just needed the direction of the right person I think. Anyway, as far as that stuff about your teeth being pushed about, I say that is a load of hogwash invented to sell you braces and multi-thousand dollar trinkets of no use for your mouth. I never had a single tooth go crooked and as I said I sucked thumb until age 7. If you want more proof, look at a picture of Jack Lambert the Steeler's linebacker from the 70s. Look at his missing front teeth. Notice how in his earliest years, the gap is the same as when he retired? If the dentists are telling the truth, wouldn't Jack Lambert's gap have slowly closed or his other teeth noticeably moved over those years? Trust me, its hooey.

Answer 3

I was a thumb sucker, I am 60 now. I stopped on my own when I was 16. Everything my parents tried failed. The bad tasting stuff, the humiliation, the bribery, I did want to stop, I was humiliated. I did have a mark on my thumb and hated it. The teeth thing did not really prove to be true in my case. Even to this day, I keep my tongue on the roof of my mouth which gives a similar feeling. I do not think that she wants to be a thumbsucker, she just is. When she is an adult she can pay for her own teeth to be straightened. Stop worrying about it. Let time and nature take it's course.

Answer 4

When she get's right into a recreation, dancing or another undertaking it is going to leave in time. Find some thing that builds up her self-worth. My eleven now began Tae-Kwon-Do at five, fine factor to do. She might want an undertaking to support along with her self worth or trust. A dependancy can also be changed with yet another dependancy however you need to discover some thing she likes. Otherwise, do not fear, she feels like a tender eight yr historical and this may increasingly put on off as she will get older. She will make peers, have sleepovers and so forth. As my dad mentioned approximately my daughter nonetheless having a dummy at two...'I have under no circumstances noticeable a sixteen yr historical with one.'!

Answer 5

first of all, take her to a different dentist and get her teeth fixed. if u have to work overtime or get a 2nd job to pay for the bill then just do it. That's your child!! don't complain about bills, u knew having children isn't free. i raised kids working minimum wage so i know how it is. now i'm in a better place financially. that dentist had no business telling her she would be ugly. 2nd leave her alone about sucking her thumb, it comforts her. would you be happier if she over- ate? was bulemic? i think you should worry about other things like her emotional stability and not how she will look...

Answer 6

She has to want to stop too... my daughter was a thumb sucker. And together we tried different things.. When they get to a certain age, .. my daughter never wanted to spend the night somewhere for fear that someone would see her sucking her thumb. But she only sucked it at night time, so there might be a difference. After all kinds of advice, she ended up solving it on her own. She simply decided that she was not going to make her thumb accessable at night. she put a sock on her hand.. haha.. took a bit but she don't suck her thumb anymore.

Answer 7

To be honest the more you moan about it, the more she will do it, as with most things, kids will do it all the more if the know it upsets you, or it gets a big reaction, which it obviously is!
I used to do it, but I grew out of it, but every so often even now I will wake up sucking my thumb lol, it just makes me chuckle.lol.
Yes it does affect your teeth, but she is not going to understand that yet. Maybe if she has a brace fitted that in itself will stop her.
I would advise that you try not to stop her maybe she will stop on her own accord if she doesn't get a reaction.

Answer 8

There is a product that works very well at helping kids regain control over this habit as well as helping nail-biters too. It is called Mavala Stop and can be purchased online. My next door neighbor has tried this and it worked in less than 10 days, stopping her six year old from thumb sucking.

Answer 9

Hi, i believe its a big problem for you. Please don't spank her and don't try to put her down before other people, its really bad and ineffective way! Try things that others suggested. If it wont help, than visit a child psychologist, she may have some emotional problem. Sucking her thumb gives her a feeling of safety. Is there something in her life that causes stress? Ask her, kids often perceive some situations that are "normal" for adults as stressful and they make them afraid. So, try to talk with her about this. Be calm, patient and empathic, her fears are REAL and STRONG for her despite they may seem stupid for you.
Good luck!

Answer 10

well what i told my sister to do with her child is to rub something bitter or some kind of spice on the thumb she sucks...and once she sucks that thumb...the taste that u rubbed on will force herself to take it out and will learn her lesson after a few times of doing so...i hear she cant go to sleep without it...so give her a bear or some kind of other soft or soothing thing for her to sleep with......OR u can also tell her a little story of a girl who sucked her thumb and something bad happened...make sure the story realtes to her life and so then she will be a little frightened to suck her thumb...well thats all i got

GOod Luck!!

Answer 11

Hi there. I can understand your frustration. I think if you really try hard to ignore the fact she is doing it and not draw attention to the habit she will eventually grow out of it. Patience I think, if you see her doing it try to distract her by asking her a question or getting her to focus on something else. Like any habit the more you draw attention to it the more it seems to persist. If in doubt or worried ask a family health nurse at the local docs surgery.