My baby girl discovered her thumb a couple of weeks ago and just loves it. Will this be a problem later on? She does this mostly to fall asleep. She's been sleeping through the night for the past week now, even getting up at 9:00 this morning. Any thoughts?
2006-11-20 04:21:05 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
She takes the pacifier too, but when she spits it out, in goes her thumb.
2006-11-20 04:25:22 · update #1
Yes...gently take her thumb out. If necessary use a pacifier.
2006-11-20 04:22:43 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Yes, it can be a problem later on with her teeth and she may need braces...but then again it seems that every teen needs braces, so that to me isn't enough of a reason to squash this comfort measure. However, she's still very young and she may outgrow it by 6 months. Talk to her dr. Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with it...they won't be going down the aisle sucking their thumb. I would rather see a thumb sucker, then these 4 year old kids who still suck on a pacifer.
I will tell you that when my 16 year old daughter is scared, tired or upset, she will revert to sucking her fingers like she did when she's a baby. She hides her hand behind a pillow, but my husband and I know and don't say anything. This is a comfort measure for her and harmless in the grand scheme of things (and I've never seen her do it in public.).
I wouldn't worry about it but if you are, talk to you dr. I'm sure there are non-stressful ways to wean your child off of her thumb.
Good luck.
2006-11-20 04:32:35 · answer #2 · answered by Allison S 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it is fine for you baby to such her thumb. It is a way for babies to self soothe. I would rather not give a pacifier to my baby. If it is working for you, go with it. My 6 month old loved his thumb at around 11 weeks too and now that he is older he has lost interest. He only uses it to soothe himself in the bed. He rarely ever sucks on it during the day.
2006-11-20 04:26:56 · answer #3 · answered by heebs 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Thumb-sucking is the comparable as a pacifier so if she would not like the pacifier, no ought to push it. She has probable been doing this because of the fact the womb so it extremely is reassuring to her. She is self-soothing so because it extremely is stable at this age. I do see the place it could substitute right into a venture yet i would not difficulty approximately it until she older. maximum childrens end sucking their thumbs on their own while they are waiting. My son is 3 months a million week this week and located his palms those days. Sucking on his fist plenty. And the pacifier. in spite of the reality that i'm no longer happy with the two (I spit mine out while i substitute into 4 weeks old and swore up and down he would not have a %. each and all of the time,lol) i be attentive to it extremely is amazingly organic and sometime he won't. in the event that they proceed, i've got self belief it extremely is extra suitable to apply a reward gadget or distractions while they are older than probably removing a sprint ones comforting gadget. i would not positioned something on her thumb fairly this youthful. i be attentive to you are trying to be proactive 'battling the headache' yet sometimes we ought to enable them to do in spite of makes them experience stable (in all fairness) because of the fact they are, even with each little thing, only little infants. GL.
2016-11-25 21:18:28 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its hard to say if she will carry this method of self-soothing over into her childhood and possibly even adulthood. I personally would try to discourage the habit from the very beginning. My cousing started sucking her two fingers as a young baby and still does it when faced with stress and she's 17 now. Her mom has tried all kinds of tricks to get her to stop, but nothing has worked. Also it has affected the growth of her teeth as they are pushed out from her finger sucking and she desperately needs braces. I think its better to give the baby a pacifier for a few months, it will be easier to transition off of that when the time comes.
2006-11-20 04:25:14 · answer #5 · answered by Zari A 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It's just a soothing mechanism that your child has discovered. I wouldn't worry about it since she is no where near having teeth. It becomes a problem when the teeth start to erupt (possible buck-teeth). If you are worried past that, experiment with the 100's of pacifier types out there.
P.S. Be glad that she is sleeping through the night!
2006-11-20 04:24:16 · answer #6 · answered by downinmn 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yeah, in the long run, if she keeps sucking her thumb, it will become kinda deformed with calluses, and then her teeth are at risk of coming out unstraight. I have a 7 year old brother who has always done it, he even came out sucking his thumb in the sonogram photos, and hasn't stop doing it since.He is not ashamed of doing it and even does it at school. We've tried different things, so he'll stop such as putting chilli on his finger or covering it up with something hard, but nothing seems to work. So if no problems are encountered, you should let her stop when she thinks it is time. That is what the pediatric said to my mom!!!
GOOD LUCK!!!
2006-11-20 04:34:51 · answer #7 · answered by Luz 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is probably something that occurred before birth a few times and brings compfort. It shouldn't be a problem unless the baby continues doing it as a toddler. This can affect the teeth if it is to much of a habit later on, but enjoy the sleep for now.
2006-11-20 04:31:19 · answer #8 · answered by majecstik 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We have 3 little boys and only one was a thumb sucker. It was much easier to get the oldest one off the pacifier than it has been to get the middle one to stop the thumb. My middle one is 4 years old and we're still battling the thumb. So my only suggestion would be to try to encourage the pacifier and discourage the thumb.
2006-11-20 04:30:09 · answer #9 · answered by DGS 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Hey, enjoy it, anything to get them to sleep! I guess it could be a problem later on, but I don't think you should worry about it now. You can try just giving her a pacifier, that's easier to take away in the future than her own thumb. And you don't swaddle her? I swaddle my baby everynight (with a swaddle me blanket), that way her hands don't scratch or hit her face.
2006-11-20 04:24:02 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
She will always be a good sleeper! My son started sucking his thumb at aobut 8 weeks and hasn't stopped. It drives me insane cause he won't play at times, just sucks his thumb. And there is nothing you can do to stop it right now. Babies natural instinct is to suck and its very comforting to them. My dr said that it isn't a problem unless they continue to do it after they are 5. Then it may cause jaw alignment issues.
2006-11-20 04:26:29 · answer #11 · answered by Jamie S 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋