my littile girl is 5 years old and she sucks her thumb at night and when she is tried.
2006-09-15 22:30:13 · 34 answers · asked by joanne h 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Parenting
I was a thumb sucker also and it caused me all sorts of problems with my teeth. As a result I spent 5 years in braces! You should try to get her to stop. It will cause all sorts of problems with her teeth as well as her jaw. She needs to find another way to soothe herself. Try giving her a stuffed animal to sleep with. Reward her when she does not suck her thumb but, don't nag her about it.
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2006-09-15 22:44:46 · answer #1 · answered by mardaw 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
That's a tough question. I sucked my thumb until I was 9!! My 8 year old daughter used a pacifier until she was 2 and I weaned her from it, it was easy though because sucking wasn't a big comfort method for her. Now my 4 month old son uses a pacifier and sucks his thumb when one is not available. When they are babies is it a comfort, soothing thing to do. When a baby is tired and you put pacifier in there mouth they fall almost instantly asleep. Sucking is a natural reaction reflex for babies. At 5 it is no longer a reflex, but a habit. Granted, it still may relax her and be comforting. Of course you want your baby to be comforted so if your worried about her teeth, maybe try to give her something else to replace her thumb, a t-shirt of yours that has your scent, or a soft stuffed animal may work. My mom made me put that horrible tasting nail biting stuff on my thumb and I don't think that is a good idea. Don't worry. Eventually she will stop. How many 15 year olds that you know suck there thumb still?
2006-09-16 00:30:53 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
She's getting a bit old for that I think. Maybe I was a harsh judge at 5, but I remember there were two kids who would have a crafty thumb-suck in kindergarten class, and even then I thought they were backwards.
She'll stop soon, but you could try pointing out to her in a kind tone that thumb-sucking is what babies do -- if you're shopping or something and there's a 2-year-old nearby who's sucking his thumb, then show her the difference between them, ie how cute it is for *babies* to do. Learning to distinguish between "big girls" and "babies" is part of growing up. It's good to give them some approval when it's time to let go of "baby" things and move on.
2006-09-16 04:38:39 · answer #3 · answered by Summer 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you can not really stop a child from sucking thumbs or fingers but I think that you should discourage it if at all possible. My sister did this until she was 9 or 10 and ended up wearing braces as she had pushed all of her teeth out. She hated the brace and now will not allowed her daughter to suck her thumb or fingers and tells her off.
2006-09-16 05:08:30 · answer #4 · answered by Claire M 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do NOT stop her. I sucked mine till I was 8 years old and have had no problems from it. None at all.
It can cause emotional and psychological problems. Just talk about stopping so the idea is in her head, and then sometimes mention that if she stops you'll get her this or that, something you know she'll really want. But only if she stops for a long time.
Anyway, good luck either way.
2006-09-15 22:46:49 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi do you take your daughter to the dentist regular its never to early you know tell your dentist your concerns he/she will have a word with your daughter their never to young to understand you won't get a direct response specially when she's tired try finding something she likes to cuddle a pacifier (dummy) is a good idea for bed time if nothing else works it's a lot easier to take this away once she gets use to using this instead of her thumb my brother sucked his thumb and its now deformed. Don't threat but keep trying. good luck this is a hard one. Remember praise her and tell her how pretty she looks with out her thumb in her mouth and how you like to see her pretty face with out her hand at her mouth. this sometimes has a good response.
2006-09-16 02:03:25 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
My boy's eight and he still sucks his thumb, mostly when he's tired, but I'm 31 and I still suck my thumb if I'm in a really deep sleep, or I've been really upset - if it gives comfort, then why not - the only time you would need to be concerned is if it were affecting your childs teeth!
2006-09-16 04:28:10 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You should but it's not that easy. Talk to and take her to a dentist to see what you should do. The act of sucking a thumb is only damaging to the growth of her teeth and she will stop on her own but you don't want her to have bad teeth.
2006-09-15 22:41:09 · answer #8 · answered by chrissy757 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Thumb sucking is not a problem, but it may be a symptom of something at that age. Consult a pediatrician.
2006-09-15 22:33:19 · answer #9 · answered by martin h 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My fiancee still sucks her thumb now. She has no braces and good teeth. She is 28. Why panic?
Seriously.. do what you think is best. It will not cause a problem either way.
2006-09-16 00:26:08 · answer #10 · answered by Rob C 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋