thumb sucking?

Question

my daughter is almost seven yr old and sucks her thumb. ALL the time. i have tried to reward her when she goes an amount of time, ive tried to take things away when she does it, ive dipped her thumb in nail polish remover and that will work for the time being but i would prefer to use something that wont hurt her if she puts in her mouth. i dont want her to be a grown woman that sucks her thumb, and besides that her thumbs are both flat, and her teeth have began to round themselves out from her thumb always being on her teeth. they are still her baby teeth so i would like to have a solution before her permanant teeth come in to avoid complications with them. help if you can. no silly answers please.

Answer 1

Your concerns are legitimate, it can mess up her teeth, and I've been hearing more and more about grown women still sucking their thumb. That one girl from American Idol, Mandisa (she was my favorite), said she had recently broken her thumb-sucking habit, and she was almost 30. And everything I've read on the subject says that kids should not suck their thumbs or pacifiers past the age of 3 or they will damage their teeth. I agree with the person who said you should show her some pictures of what might happen to her teeth if she continues this. She could be setting her up for years of dental work and braces if she keeps it up. And try that stuff you can put on their thumbs, I know there are several brands out there and they are very bitter but non-toxic, and they don't come off right away. Whatever you do, don't shame her, this will only cause her to want to suck it more, or she'll develop another habit to replace it. Good Luck.
And to the guy that said to get her a fake penis to suck on, what the hell is wrong with you? She's seven. You sound like an idiot!

Answer 2

Rewards are a great way to motivate your child. If you reward your child often and regularly for not thumb-sucking, she is more likely to succeed.
Set a goal for how long your child will try to go without thumb-sucking. Start with one day, or even part of a day; then aim for longer periods. Let your child pick a reward for reaching that goal.
During the first week, reward your child on the first day. Then reward her every other day for good progress. Rewards might be small toys, markers, or candy, a favourite treat, or a privilege like watching a favourite video or a trip to the park.
During the second week, use a calendar or a progress chart that identifies the days of the week. Let your child put stickers on or mark the days he or she has gone without thumb-sucking.
After the first goal is reached, set a new, longer goal. For example, if the first goal was 2 weeks without thumb-sucking, the next goal could be 4 or 6 weeks. After this goal is reached, set another, such as 3 months. Make sure your child is rewarded for reaching every milestone.If this habit cannot be broken, I suggest you see your dentist,or Paediatrician, who may be able to offer you a solution or help.

Answer 3

This may sound off color, but have you tried teasing her about it? make sure she knows you love her.... but when she puts that thumb in her mouth, "Oh mommies little baby, do you need a bottle and a diaper too?" if you feel bad doing that, (Which I personally couldn't do that to my child.) Maybe try sitting her down and telling her that people might think she's a baby if she continues this. or show her pictures of people with bucked teeth every now and then and point out that this person sucked their thumb until they were 8 and look at their teeth from it! In the meantime make sure she washes her hands often, most illnesses come from the germs you come in contact with throughout the day. Good luck. Take care and God bless.

Answer 4

Let her know that when her next bday that is the time all girls must stop sucking their thumb. That they are big girls and no longer little so they can't do that anymore. They actually have a nail polish the you paint on their thumbs that isn't as poisonous as the remover you can use. Also her teeth don't form around her thumb it is her roof of her mouth that forms. Which is $$$ to get fixed. you can also have an orthodontist place a devise in her mouth that will place discomfort if she tries to suck her thumb.

Answer 5

I can tell you that my two sisters and I all sucked our thumbs. Everything was tried on. Tabasco sauce, pepper, gloves, teasing, products that you can buy in the store... None of them worked. We all out grew it. My youngest sister did it until she was a teenager. I stopped around 9 but would wake up in the mornings and had been sucking my thumb in my sleep for another couple of years. Neither of my sisters had any adverse side effects from sucking their thumbs. I did however, and still do have problems with my bite. One that the dentist says to fix will entail breaking my lower jaw and extending it out. All that I can really say is she will stop when she's ready. You can try all the tactics that were tried on me and if they work then that would be great but if they don't, don't be disappointed. Good luck.

Answer 6

I realize that this is not Best Answer material, nor a solution to the problem. But, my daughter is 30 yrs. old and if she is watching TV and gets really
involved, she still sticks her thumb in her mouth.
I hope you find a solution.
I have wondered though, if putting gloves on her when she sticks the thumb in her mouth, not as punishment but as a reminder. Leave the golves on, only short periods of time throughout the day. If nothing else they might make her aware when she sticks the thumb in her mouth.

Answer 7

Try showing her pictures of what her teeth are going to look like if she doesn't stop...and the damage is being done now. She is reshaping her jaw to allow for her thumb...the top teeth will push out, and the bottom ones in. She's going to end up with a terrible overbite that will only be corrected by surgery if she doesn't stop soon.

Plus, it looks disgusting to see older kids doing this at school. I'm surprised that the other kids haven't shamed her out of it already.

Answer 8

This question keeps showing up. I'm going to copy the answer I've given in the past; but first, a couple of quick points:

The concern of dentists is not that the teeth will be pushed out, but that the whole bite will be pushed forward. Still, I have heard people say that even if it happens it can be a minor enough thing not to be a big deal. As a former "offender" I can tell you that my thumb is no flatter than the one I didn't suck.

Here's my recycled answer:

If you explain to a child who is as old as five that he's now kind of old to be sucking his thumb in public (because people who aren't babies just don't do that in public) tell him 1) it is important he not do it in school at all or the other kids will start to tease him, 2) he should try to not do it until bedtime, but if that's not possible then at least keep it inside the house. Other than that, if he sucks his thumb til he's 40 it doesn't really matter. The thing about teeth is kind of overblown. My kids have beautiful teeth, and they all sucked their thumbs for a time (some longer than others). Just a note: I was an "offender" as a child. I have a "thing" about people trying too hard to stop a child from sucking his own thumb because as a child my reasoning was this: "It is my thumb. I am a good girl and a nice girl. Why are they acting as if I'm doing something so horrible? Why don't they leave me alone? Why do they keep acting like there's something wrong with me just because of this?" I'd be watching tv, sucking the thumb, and trying to hide what I was doing because every time my father saw me doing it he's say "Thumb". I didn't think it was his business. I thought he was stupid for making a big deal out of nothing. I resented that I had been "driven underground" because I just couldn't relax and watch tv and not worry about who was coming. In spite of all my father's efforts (if my mother cared about it she never said said much), I stopped somewhere along the way just because I must have grown out of the phase. I hoped everyone was happy that I was finally now "perfect" because for all the time I'd been sucking the thumb I was made to feel guilty about it and made me feel like I was doing something that was a Big, Giant, Problem. If you got the statistics on the numbers of children who suck their thumbs for a period of time you would see how common it is and what a big deal it isn't. It is their thumb. Leave them alone. I can tell you if you start putting pepper on it and harrassing them about it they are going to think you are butting in to what isn't your business, and they are going to remember you're poor handling of the issue for the rest of time!!! (Just a note: My teeth are fine. My thumb grew as big as the other one did. ) As a former "offender" and the parent of more than one former "offender", my kids and I all wonder, "What the hell is the big deal?!!" Finally, one question to all you "tobasco thinkers": Do you ever overeat? Overdrink? Smoke? Lose your temper? Let your house get messier than it should get? Procrastinate? Etc. Why don't work on your own bugaboos and leave your child alone. It is his thumb, and children know quite young what is theirs and not yours. If you didn't suck your thumb when you were a kid, well, bully for you..... but that's why you just don't get it...

Maybe this isn't what a person is supposed to say or think, but I can't help but think, "Just leave the kid alone. Its her thumb. Its her teeth that could be pushed a little out." You can tell her, "You know, if you suck your thumb your teeth may be pushed out a little, and if they are I am not going to pay to have them straightened." She can consider herself forewarned and decide what she wants to do. Chances are whatever may happen to her teeth won't be a big enough deal to have to worry about fixing anyway.

Answer 9

There are solutions that work that are less distasteful than sauces and do not require the placement of aversive devices on the teeth(by the way, those work not by inflicting pain but rather by preventing an adequate seal for suction). Many of my patients have broken their habit using socks-fresh clean tube socks. Have your daughter pick out a long sleeved nightshirt that she will wear. Sew the socks to the sleeves so they can't be removed, as when they are held in place to the wrists with rubber bands. Your success will increase if you don't shame your daughter but rather encourage her to buy in to the idea that it is time to give up that habit. {If you start with the night time habit, you will probably see a dcrease in the daytime habit}

Answer 10

i have the exact same problem my daughters 9 and still sucks her thumb ever since she was 3 years old i have tried everything the dentist have even told her to stop has its making her teeth mould funny she still wont stop she has now stopped asucking her thumb on the street but everytimes shes in bed or watching tv she will suck it i just dont know how to stop it also her aunties shes 29 still sucks her thumb at night looks like she will be too good luck in finding to solve this problem ime going to try that nail varnish that stops them from biting nails as soon has they tast that they will stop ime yet to try this good luck