3month old thumb sucking problem...?

Question

well my babysitter thought it would be cute to spoil our baby and to make things worse we find out that she's been putting him to sleep by sticking his fingers or thumb in his mouth- that dumbass!

anywhos, how can we get him to stop using his thumbs and fingers for comfort or to go to sleep, some ppl say put hot sauce on his fingers and im like he's only 3months and what if he sticks his fingers in his eyes?... do anyone know what i can do? please help me!

well i read most of the answers already and thankyou for your help, my son usually loves his pacifiers but all of a sudden he just hates it and i didnt know that it was normal for him to suck his thumb ive always heard different, that if i dont catch it as early as i can then-dum dum dummmmm- something bad will happen.

OKAY SOME PEOPLE CAN NOT READ, I NEVER SAID I WOULD PUT HOT SAUCE ON MY SON'S FINGERS, IM NOT EVEN GOING TO GET TOO UPSET OVER SOME ANSWERS BECAUSE ITS OBVIOUS THOSE INDIVIDUALS DIDNT READ MY QUESTION OR MAYBE THEY CANT READ, SO LEAVE THE HOT SAUCE ISSUE ALONE.

Answer 1

First I would tell the babysitter to stop RIGHT NOW!
Then I would put booties on his hands and purchase a pacifier.
Some people don't agree with them, but when he is 2 and you are trying to break him of it a pacifier is much easier to throw away than cutting off his thumb.
I have yet to see a kid going to college still sucking on a pacifier, yet I have seen kids going to college who still suck their thumbs!

Answer 2

I, too, have a 3 month old. He was a really sucky baby from birth. To settle him, he was only really comforted by sucking, initially on our fingers then, when our nails felt like they were getting pulled out from the end of them, a dummy (pacifier - you sound like you're from the US). He's our second child. Our first didn't need a dummy but this one does. He has an orthodontic one so is shaped correctly. I wouldn't be overly concerned about his sucking - it's just a comfort thing.

Yes, definitely avoid hot sauce. To try and 'wean' him off, you will probably have to persevere with not giving him the dummy when he wants it. A good start would be to not allow him to fall asleep with it in his mouth - just use it for comfort at other times. That way, when he wakes he's not panicking and wondering where his magic dummy is that sends him off to sleep. Just make sure that there is no association with sleep and the dummy. This process can be painful as a parent but brave it out and you will be rewarded.

Children - and babies especially - thrive and live around constant patterns. If you maintain a set pattern of behaviour around sleep-times, etc. that is what the child will expect each time once it has become 're-programmed' to the new pattern.

Hope that helps. Good luck

Answer 3

Just let it go. Right now, it's a comfort mechanism and not a reason to be worried. Some babies will use fingers and/or pacifiers and others will refuse everything, but their bottle or Momma (if nursing). As the baby matures, he will find other ways to comfort himself so he can fall asleep.

I have four kids. Numbers 1 & 4 refused EVERYTHING while with numbers 2 & 3, we had to lose their pacifiers to make them stop (#2 was 3 and #3 was 18 months).

Good luck!

Answer 4

This is VERY common for a baby and all babies need the oral stimulation! My daughter is 8 months-old and has sucked her thumb from day 1, it isn't a problem! My son who is now 2 years old had a pacifier which I hated and I definatly dont recommend those. Let her suck her thumb/fingers/whatever!!

Answer 5

My 5 month old sucks her pointer and middle fingers-either hand. We have tried pacifiers, she is just not interested. It does worry me in the future about how we will wean her from this, but she needs the suckling. Now that she has 2 teeth, I would rather her suck her fingers than me. I think she started around 2 months. She was sucking so hard, her fingers would turn purple. The doctor said to get a pacifier. Please don't put anything on your baby's fingers to discourage this. They will eventually stop when they are ready.

Answer 6

Why is this such a bad thing? At 3 months old, your son needs comfort and babies get comfort from suckling. He doesn't have any other way to comfort himself (if he doesn't like a soother), so what's the problem with thumb/finger sucking. Now, I agree at, say, 2 years old thumb sucking might begin to be a problem. I just can't see a problem with allowing your son to sooth himself to sleep.

Answer 7

Our 7 month old started sucking her thumb to put herself to sleep when she was 3 months old. My husband freaked, but I am okay with it. Why not? She only does it to go to sleep and not at any other times. That just makes it easier on you...no getting up in the middle of the night to pop the pacifier back in his mouth when he needs comfort.
Read what you wrote... "for comfort or to go to sleep". If the baby needs comfort, do something about it. If he needs to go to sleep, give him a pacifier.

Answer 8

it is quite NORMAL for a 3 month old to use his fingers that way. Babies are in an oral stage. Everything they play goes to the mouth. That's why u keep poisons and choking hazards out of the way. Babies NEED oral stimulus as part of healthy growth and development. It has been proven that babies which do not get this need met are more likely to become tobacco users in adulthood. You're baby does have a problem here. Ask your pediatrician for info on baby's need for oral stimulation. Also 3 month old babies are not spoiled. They only know to cry or get upset when they need something--they can't talk yet.

Answer 9

No...Do not use hot sauce. My husband's dad did this to my brother in law when he was 2 and he rubbed his eyes and it burned really bad. Thumb sucking is not a problem until they are 2, when it can interfere with the development of their teeth....same with using pacifiers. I have gotten lucky with my son...he was never a thumb sucker or pacifier user. Nothing bad will happen. If he is still sucking his thumb at 1 year you could start trying to wean him off of it before he turns 2.

Answer 10

My daughter also done this, I just put mittens on her hands and a dummy (pacifier) in her mouth. She's now 5 months old and only sucks the dummy. Dummy's are only unhygienic if you don't clean them and sterilize them properly.

My other 2 children also had dummy's.

P.S. I can't believe people are suggesting stupid things like hot sauce and nail polish for a little baby. People like that shouldn't be answering baby questions.