He only sucks his thumb when he has his sleeping buddy (teddy) we hide this till night time till he goes to bed and that is the only time he sucks his thumb but his skin on his thumb has dried out and gone all cracked and he complains about it hurting but yet wont stop suckin it any suggestions would be greatly appreciated
2006-12-11 19:10:41 · 13 answers · asked by Legend T 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Toddler & Preschooler
There are things you can put on the thumb to make it taste less appealing such as a drop of vinegar or commercially manufactured products specifically for this problem.
Most children outgrow the habit by 4-5 years of age though. Most important is to not nag or keep taking his thumb out of his mouth, he will just pop it back in when you aren't looking and then it becomes a power struggle.
You can also try to determine when he resorts to thumb sucking (is he tired? anxious? bored?) and come up with an alternative such as snuggling with him if he is tired or anxious and letting him color or draw if he is bored.
DO NOT USE IPECAC- It causes severe vomiting and cayenne pepper actually killed a child whose mother put it on him without knowing he was allergic to it.
2006-12-11 19:17:56 · answer #1 · answered by akgirl 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
If he is only doing this at bedtime, then don't stress it. You know it is when he is tired, if you have broke him from sucking his thumb any other time you have most of the battle won.
Ask your pediatrician for suggestions. Ask him/ her about the natural need that a child has for the sucking stimulation, I can't remember what the guidelines were on that, but your pediatrician will know what I'm talking about and can better advise you as to some tips to help stop this habit.
My sister-in law had this problem and because of that when I had my babies I made sure they had a pacifier, it is easy to regulate a time with those.
Try not to scold him, that may make him do it even more, because it is kind of like a security blanket.
2006-12-11 19:45:20 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
When i was younger i constantly sucked my thumb. I know this might sound crazy but from 3-7 years old my right thumb doesnt move as fast as my left. (the one i was always sucking). It would cramp and hurt like the dickens. Now it has gotten better but it still doesn't move as well. Tell her that and she might stop. As others had said nail polish, gloves etc. I know i might sound crazy but it is true! Good Luck
2016-03-29 04:11:02 · answer #3 · answered by Keyo 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If his thumb is cracking it would just be cruel toput something on it that might cause an infection. That is his comfort along with his bear maybe you could read him a story and not bring the bear out but sometimes nothing work but as they get in preschool they normally stop all that because they think they are all grown up.
2006-12-11 19:42:16 · answer #4 · answered by G girl 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Paint it with iodine or ipecac. You may also try taping something over it with masking tape when it's bedtime, something that is too large to allow his thumb to get inside his mouth.
You might be able to save a few k this way, as it may prevent the need for braces in the future.
2006-12-11 19:24:42 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
He is sucking because it is comforting to him... When I weened my daughter I started giving her a sippy cup of water everynight... That was when she was a year old... Have you tried giving him a pacifire at night... There are many different things to try... I agree with the mittens answer as well because even if you do find something else that comforts him at night he could through habbit continue to suck it in his sleep...
2006-12-11 19:37:43 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
You should put something on the thumb that tastes nasty, and the kide will dislike it, or tell him a little story, that its bad, if he sucks on it, that something might happen to the thumb, you know try to scare him a little, it sounds mean, but you got to try something, cause later the thumb will get ugly, trust me I've seen it happen.
2006-12-11 19:34:04 · answer #7 · answered by jtsoccer2003 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Put some cayenne pepper on his thumbnail... not much just enough to let him know not suck his thumb.
2006-12-11 19:18:16 · answer #8 · answered by jazzman1127 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Use the stuff from the chemist that people use to stop biting thier nails. Its a gross tasting nail polish and it wont harm him!
2006-12-11 19:30:18 · answer #9 · answered by ce_ben1 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Don't worry about it. He'll stop when he's tired of it. My son was seven when he stopped. As long as he didn't suck it in public, it didn't matter. It was a security thing.
2006-12-11 19:50:22 · answer #10 · answered by truthseeker221 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋