How do you stop child sucking thumb.?

Question

I have 5 and 7 year old daughters who wont stop thumb sucking. I have tried anti nail biting varnish to no avail, other than chopping their thumbs off or sewing up their mouths, any ideas please

Answer 1

Don't!
Why do you want them to stop?
If you really think it is neccasary - make it fun to stop!!

Cheers!

Answer 2

Hi i sucked my thumb from the age off 6mths to 26 i enjoyed sucking my thumb it was a comfort thing to me,i only stopped because i started to have gel nails and the nail used to dig in to the roof of my mouth.My 9 yrd old daughter has sucked her thumb since 4 ths i dont try at all to stop her why should i ,its also a comfort thing too also she still hugs her blanket to while sucking her thumb.Her sucking her thumb doesnt bother me one bit shes happy and i am too,she has no problems with her teeth at all and nor did i.

Answer 3

please don't try to stop them! i am 26 and i still suck my thumb i can't sleep without it! and if 4 some reason which isnt very offten i fall asleep without my thumb i wake up the next morning with a very sore throat and i feel like i have'nt had anysleep! i don't see whats wrong with it! and in all these years its never caused my teeth any problems! i must admit that i suck the same thumb every night and its a bit shorter than the other but u cant really tell.

am affraid that unless you chop the thumbs off you won't stop it!

Answer 4

Don't listen to these people telling you to put something on your childs thumbs, that is probably the stupidest thing I've ever heard, especially the person who suggested the hot sauce, which could really hurt your child & is potentially borderline child abuse. Nobody wants their kid to be a thumbsucker, especially for the damage it can do to teeth alignment, but if you leave them be the child will eventually stop doing so.

My niece is 2 & sucks her thumb. My sister (her mother) gives her a piece of fruit everytime she sees her sucking her thumb. Although it doesn't stop it entirely, it does cut it down.

Answer 5

Maybe you could try a reward system - stickers for not sucking and a treat at the end of a suck-free week? Good luck with this - I have a 21 month old who learned to suck her thumb off one of her friends - when I say "thumb out" she just laughs at me! I guess I'll have the divil of a job when she's a bit older!

Answer 6

This is a 'common' habit of any child. Patience is one way - and a lot of it. I guess what I'm trying to say, is join them. Show them it doesn't look right, nor should it look right. Encourage them to be brave. Give them something for their little hands to do (this will keep their hands busy and away from their mouths)

I was young, and a thumb-sucker. I was teased and ridiculed for being 'insecure' and 'shy'.

One day, my dad started sharing the thumb-sucking habit with me. He would suck his, whilst I sucked on mine. What made me stop (and I remember this vividly) is that I was appalled at seeing someone else doing what I knew wasn't right. I used to pull his thumb out of his mouth and beg him to stop. This happened for about 2 days - then I realized if I stopped, he would too. Miraculously, we both stopped together.

Again, patience will be the key here!

Good luck.

Answer 7

Telll them that their teeth are going to look like bugs bunny and that everybody is going to make fun at them.

When I was about 4 or 5 I was a thumb sucker and my mom put a bandage on my sucking finger, but I took another finger, so the next night she bandaged them all up. I stopped.

Answer 8

Why do you want them to stop? If it's not doing any harm to anyone, leave them to have their childhoods! If it is maybe because you feel embarassed that they are 'too old' to be doing it, then perhaps you could explain to them appropriateness? ie; the thumb sucking should maybe be kept for when they are sleepy and in bed. That way, you don't have to see it and they don't miss out on a natural, pleasurable habit!

Answer 9

To be honest i would just leave them alone.

My little one is almost 6 yrs old and has a mania for dummies. She has one in her mouth, one on her upper lip wedged under her nose. She then has one in each hand and rubs her eyebrows with them!!!!

I don't feel this is a major problem however strange it may look (and believe me it does) as she is a very well balanced liitle girl, doing excellent in school, has great social skills and is very popular with her friends.

She just enjoys doing this when she wants to relax or is tired....
my guess is that your kids are probably the same..

Answer 10

Tell them their thumbs will waste away, and one morning they will find them gone, or just wait for them to grow out of it, as they will. You will find that their friends will stop them as they won't want their friends to find out in case they get teased.

You shouldn't worry about it, everyone is different, and there is no norm, every child does things at their rate, like talking, walking, riding a bike, driving, etc

As long as they are happy and well, I would just go with the flow!

Answer 11

OK, you're not going to like this, but here goes. I made up my mind that I was not going to be a weak parent. I decided that my children were going to know who the boss was from early on. With a stern voice and an occasional spanking (notice I said spanking, not beating) they learned pretty quick that it was best to do as I say. When it came time to stop the pacifier I simply told them it was going happen, and it did. No problem. And no thumb sucking ensued. I've used the same tactic throughout their lives, and it's worked. They know I love them with all my heart, and I know they love me. They even tell me about all their friends who get away with murder because there's no discipline in their house.

Of course the other side of the coin is that they walk all over their mother because she's afraid they won't like her if she disciplines them. I let them get away with it because their mother should know better, but they know that if I ever find out they've done a teacher or someone else that way, they will have to pay the price. So far, I've got two of the greatest kids in the world.