My 6 & 7 year old sons still suck their thumbs...?

Question

does anyone have any advice as to what I can do to stop this? I don't want their adult teeth that are coming in to be messed up because of their habit. Thank you

I am looking for suggestions on how I might stop this. I have tried since they were two, but have had no luck.

Answer 1

As a child, I sucked my thumb. As a teenager, I had to have expensive and very painful dental work done to fix the damage I'd done. The pressure of my thumb on the roof of my mouth caused my upper row of teeth to grow in a narrower arc than they should have, and this affected my sinuses. I required a palatal expander, which basically makes the roof of your mouth wider by stretching the left and right sides of your teeth apart. Yes, it hurts as much as it sounds like it would.

I wish my parents had been successful in getting me to stop sooner. Putting nasty stuff on my thumb didn't work, because I learned that if I just sucked on it for a while, the icky flavor would go away.

You should try using medical tape to tape your son's thumb to the side of his hand, or even to the palm of his hand, so that he physically cannot suck his thumb. Don't bother making it unpleasant for him; make it impossible. Expect them to have trouble sleeping for a few nights. After a while of sleeping without sucking his thumb, he will become more confident that he can do it on his own and won't do it anymore once you stop taping his thumb. It might take a while, though.

Be sure not to ridcule or pressure them. Thumb sucking is a security thing, and it will only get worse if they feel insecure. Also keep in mind that sometimes the child's own willpower is the only thing to stop the thumb-sucking.

Answer 2

I sucked my thumb till I was a teenager, and it did mess up my teeth. My parents tried everything from, awful tasting stuff, putting mitts on me and duct taping them on to putting tape or band aids on my thumb. I still found a way. It was more of a comforting thing to me, when i was tired i would do it. So rather than putting your children through all that horrible stuff that probably wont work. Every time you see them putting their thumb in their mouth tell them that they need to go to bed because they are tired, that's why they are sucking their thumb. And knowing children, they wont want to go to bed, children like to stay awake as long as they can. But when they are in bed, i don't know what you can do. Its just a habit, and they probably don't even know they are doing it until being told that they are, that's the way it was for me. I thought i would just tell you from a previous thumb suckers point of view, maybe you can figure out something from there. Good Luck

Answer 3

I'm sorry to say my two sisters are 34 & 30 and STILL suck their thumbs! My mom tried everything when we were growing up but none of it worked! They tell me that is their only possible security! One of my sisters teeth are messed up but the other ones are not. I have heard about the dental implatation that makes it unconfortable when they put their finger in their mouth, and so far it worked everytime! So maybe you should try this! From what I hear is doesn't hurt them it just makes them unconfortable. Good Luck!

Answer 4

At least he is not still picking his nose and eating the collections.

There is an underlaying security issue most likely so talk to your son about how he feels when he sucks his thumb or doesn't get too? Ask hims about a different way to get the same feeling of security? Maybe a teddy bear, a dog if your ready to raise one, etc.

Talk to him about the hygene and problems with thumb sucking as he gets older.

Work with him, maybe using a pepper sause, vinegar, bitter apple will help him get over it, but he's gotta want to as well.

Good Luck, I'd suggest keeping his thumb - he will need it later in life!

Answer 5

The only thing I can think of, and had a friend do to her child, was to put something spicy or sour on their thumbs. You can even try mustard or horse radish, something that they hate. In my daughter's pre-k class last year, the teacher would give incentives like encouraging her not to do it and saying that if she can go the entire day without sucking her thumb, that she would get a sticker. You can try this and if stickers won't phase them, then try using something that they enjoy.

If you don't stop the sucking of their thumbs then they'll end up getting an overbite.

Good luck!

Answer 6

They sell sour stuff that you brush onto nails/thumbs to stop nail biting and thumb sucking. You can try it, but it probably won't work. My mom tried it on me and I would just ignore it, knowing that if I sucked my thumb long enough, the nasty taste would be gone.

As far as I can tell, it's pretty hopeless to try and force them to stop. They'll stop on their own some day, hopefully. My mom tried to stop both me and my sister and it didn't work on either of us. She got to a point where she stopped before she was 10. Mine continued much longer than that.

Answer 7

I had a half sister that sucked hers until she got married. My mother tried everything. She mostly did it at night, when she slept. My mom even got a pacifier for me and that never worked.
The doctor told my mom it was her security blanket. I walk around the house pulling it out of her mouth at the age of 13.
Nothing helped. When she started College she only did it at night.
My kids never did it I gave them pacifiers and at the nice age of 1 took them away and they either carried a stuff toy around or dragged a blanket.
You might try sticking a sugarless lollipop in their mouths. Show them pictures of what their teeth will look like later on.

Answer 8

Good Luck, I don't think you can stop it. My sister sucked her thumb until she was 14, then one day she just stopped. I don't know many people who didn't have to get braces eventually, I never sucked my thumb and I had braces. You could always bribe them.....

Answer 9

Sounds like a little too late now - should have been stopped by 6 months. Take note of the above answers that are in their teens and still doing it!! You can try all the hot pepper, etc you want, but they are old enough to wash their own hands.

Answer 10

My son had a dental appliance placed ion the roof of his mouth for a few months. Worked like a charm. Take him to a pediatric dentist. Good luck.