how to stop chidren's finger sucking habbit? This habbit will affect their teeth?

Question

age 3-6

Answer 1

Home Treatment
Many experts recommend ignoring thumb-sucking in a child who is preschool age or younger. Most children stop sucking their thumbs on their own sometime between ages 3 and 6.

Home treatment to help a child stop sucking the thumb is not usually attempted until age 4 and then only if the behavior is frequent or intense. Beginning at age 4, dental and speech problems can develop as a result of thumb-sucking.

Home treatment for thumb-sucking is usually successful. Parents can set rules and help distract a young child from thumb-sucking. The child can take a more active role in controlling thumb-sucking as he or she matures and is able to understand cause-and-effect relationships, concepts of time, values (such as right and wrong, or sense of pride), and has some self-control. 2

The following are suggestions to help your child stop sucking his or her thumb: 3

Parent-directed measures for a young child (around age 4)
Give your child more attention and distract him or her with engaging activities.
Limit the places and times for thumb-sucking. For example, ask your child to do it only while in his or her bedroom.
Put away items (such as blankets) that your child associates with thumb-sucking. At first, put the items away for short periods of time throughout the day. As your child learns other ways of self-comfort, gradually increase the amount of time these items are not available.
Measures where the child takes an active role (beginning around age 5)
Talk to your child openly about the effects of thumb-sucking.
Put gloves on your child's hands or wrap the thumb with an adhesive bandage or a cloth. Explain that the glove, bandage, or cloth is not a punishment, but is only there to remind him or her not to thumb-suck.
Develop a reward system, such as putting stickers on a calendar to record each day that your child does not suck his or her thumb. After an agreed-upon number of days, have a celebration for your child.
Use a special nontoxic, bitter-tasting nail coating, such as Thum. Apply it like fingernail polish to the thumbnail (or fingernail) each morning, before bed, and whenever you see your child sucking his or her thumb. This treatment is most successful when it is combined with a reward system.
Before you start any home treatment for thumb-sucking, make sure you feel comfortable and confident with your plan. In addition, make sure your methods will be consistently used by other people who care for your child. For more information, see:

How to stop thumb-sucking.
When attempting to get your child to stop thumb-sucking:

You should not remove the thumb from the child's mouth while he or she is awake. You can remove it after the child is asleep.
Do not punish or shame your child for thumb-sucking. Stay neutral, calm, and nonjudgmental when talking about your child's thumb-sucking habit.
Do not allow other people to make fun of your child.
If home treatment methods have not worked and you are concerned or feel frustrated about your child's thumb-sucking, talk with a health professional.


Many infants and young children calm themselves by sucking their thumbs. While most children will stop on their own between ages 3 and 6, some continue past the age of 4 or 5. Prolonged thumb-sucking can lead to serious dental and speech problems. By using lots of love, encouragement, and a few simple steps, you can help your child succeed in breaking the thumb-sucking habit.


Thumb-sucking or finger-sucking is a habit that occurs with many infants. Your child will usually give it up naturally by the age of four. If the sucking habit continues beyond the time when permanent teeth start to erupt, your child may develop crooked teeth and a malformed palate (roof of the mouth). This results from pressure applied by the thumb on the teeth and roof of the mouth. The severity of the problem depends on frequency, intensity, duration and also the position in which the thumb is placed in the mouth. The relationship between the upper and lower jaws may also be affected. Speech defects can occur from malaligned teeth resulting from thumbsucking and/or finger-sucking.
Treatment:
The best prevention is to get your newborn to take up the pacifier instead of thumbsucking or finger-sucking. (Although prolonged use of the pacifier can lead to similar problems, it, at least, is not attached to the child and can be removed.)
Children should be helped to give up the habit before they enter school to prevent teasing.
Timing of treatment is important. Your child should be willing to give up thumbsucking or finger-sucking. If your child is not willing to stop, therapy is not usually indicated. Pressure you apply to stop may only lead to resistance and lack of cooperation. Try again later.
Give your child attention and understanding and gently discourage the habit. Reminders such as a band-aid on the thumb can help.
Offer rewards (star on chart, dimes, extra story) for days when your child is successful. Praise your child when successful.
After daytime sucking is controlled:
Help your child to give up the sucking habit during sleep. This is usually an involuntary process and a glove, sock, or thumb/finger guard can help stop the habit.
Take one step at a time. Encourage your child not to suck during one daytime activity, like storytime or television watching. Gradually add another activity until daytime sucking is controlled.
If these considerations are not successful, see your dental professional or doctor for further support. By the time your child's permanent teeth begin to erupt (at around 6 years of age), it should be brought to their attention. Your dental oral health professional may have other suggestions such as a reminder bar that is placed in the upper mouth.

Answer 2

Habits are unconscious and automatic, so they can't easily be stopped. However, you can replace an old habit with a new one. Find something else that you can do instead of nail biting. Since most such habits arise from anxiety, you'll need to do something calming. A few deep breaths is a good start; let them out slowly and evenly. If you can close your eyes long enough to block everything out briefly and just focus internally, not only will this help to further reduce anxiety, but the cause of the anxiety may also reveal itself in this quiet space. It may take practice, but being able to create a personal quiet space inside yourself is one of the most important things to learn. It helps you find your center and brings you back to the real you, with a clearer head. Also, put something that tastes nasty on your fingertips to remind you not to bite. This is important because your habit is unconscious and you won't notice it until you are already doing it, unless you have such an automatic reminder. Be sure to take a bottle with you to re-apply the bad taste whenever it wears off. Remember -- nasty, but not poisonous. A clear hot sauce is good, but don't touch your eyes. I think there may be a product just for this purpose at the drug store. Good luck.

Answer 3

As a first step in dealing with your child's sucking habits, ignore them! Most often, they will disappear with time. Harsh words, teasing or punishment may upset your child, and the habit will get worse. Punishment is not an effective way to get rid of habits.

Older children (more than 3 years of age) may use sucking to relieve boredom. Try getting your child's attention with an activity that she finds fun. Rewarding good behavior is the best way to produce a change. Praise and reward your child when she does not suck her thumb or use the pacifier. Star charts, daily rewards and gentle reminders, especially during the daytime hours, are also very helpful.

If these measures do not work and your child wants to stop, your doctor might recommend trying a reminder such as covering the thumb with a plastic strip or "thumb guard" (an adjustable plastic cap that is taped to the thumb).

Emotional stress and problems can cause thumb and finger sucking. If your child is still sucking, you may want to consider a therapsit or someone who can help determine what emotional problem they are having.

Answer 4

As my grandmother said, if you want to prevent children from finger sucking either apply bandage on their fingure or apply "Deevail" oil that is mixed with wheat as a preservatives.

I am not sure if this habbit affect their teeth or not but you can surely see the difference in the finger. the finger that is sucked the most is usually thinner than the other ones.

Answer 5

Yes.

There are things that you apply to the figures, make sure you do it when they are sleeping.

They taste bad, but it did not work on my child, ignored the taste, all together. But worth it go to pharmacy near you, it is call "dicamerie" in Gujarati. They may have aspirin water or quinine water, or some thing, for sure that may work.

child does play with water so it does not stay put, washes away, or gets whipped off.

Answer 6

Yes, it can affect their teeth causing an overbite.

Try hot sauce under the nails. There are things you can paint on the nails at drugstores.

Answer 7

this is a general human culture. you can stop it by repeatig request to children