My almost 3 yrs old son has been thumb sucking since he was 4 months old. I've seen him have blisters on his thumb. I've put vinegar on it hoping it will end...no such luck! He only sucks his thumb at bedtime and not during the day...yeah!..lol Any suggestions on stopping him from thumb sucking. HELP! HELP! HELP!
2007-01-10 11:56:27 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Toddler & Preschooler
This is a tough one. Thumbs are harder habits to break than binkys because where ever you go , there it is.
A couple of thoughts... does he suck on it just for comfort or could there be something else going on. Sometimes children with reflux suck so much they get blisters etc because the constant swallowing helps keep the stomach down. Also children with vestibular sensory problems (a kind of sensory processing disorder an pediatric occupational therapist can assess this for you) suck excessively as a way of regulating their balance (without the sucking they feel they way you or I would after being on the TeaCup ride at DisneyLand)... they can suck so much that they can break down the skin on their fingers...
My younger son (with sensory processing issues) has scares on two of his fingers from sucking so much.. The therapist gave us all kinds of exercises and activities to help regulate his sensory stuff then he didnt need to suck as much.
Another suggestion is to goto the library and find some kid books on thumb sucking... there is one called 'David decides about thumb sucking" and Im sure there are more. Read the book several times. Then write a special story about your son no longer sucking on his thumb. Talk about all of the things that he can do when he stops.... no more ouchy fingers, play with his toys without his hand being wet, mom and dad take him to McDonalds for a special trip. Then read that story alot. This is easier than just preaching to him all the time about it.
Also - my older son sucked his thumb as a habit (no sensory issues). We talked about how when he started loosing his teeth he would have to stop so that his grown up teeth did not get crooked. I even got our dentist in on the act and he said the same thing and showed some pictures of really ugly crooked teeth. The day he lost his first tooth - he stopped cold turkey and I never caught him doing it again (I would even sneak in at night to check if he was doing it in his sleep - nope :) )
They also make thumb splits that you can use to cover it up for a few nights to discourage it until the habit is broken. I didnt find it helpful as both of my kids thought it was uncomfortable but you might have different luck. I got it from www.onestepahead.com
Good Luck
2007-01-10 15:57:38 · answer #1 · answered by boilerfanforever 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes brilliant people, let's put peppers and finger nail polish on a kids thumb not thinking about allergic reaction or whether or not they're going to rub it in his eyes on accident. Somebody should have slapped you a long time ago. Show him that it's causing blisters and that it might start hurting him if he continues. Start him on a favorite blankie or a stuff animal that he can sleep with or tell him that he can get a lollipop when he wakes up in the morning if he doesn't suck his thumb
2007-01-14 08:24:46 · answer #2 · answered by prima ballerina 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There's lots of home-grown methods. Here's a couple I've tried.
Chili pepper, putting the hand into a mitten taped to his jammie sleeve, wrapping the thumb in gauze, painting it with a commercial no-suck solution from the drugstore, pretty nailpolish (works for girls).
The problem with putting hot sauce, pepper, or other yukky stuff on their thumbs is kids develop a taste for it!
Two of my four sons sucked their thumbs, from the moment I first saw them in their ultrasounds! I never was truly able to stop them, though the mitten and gauze idea worked fairly well. In consequence, I had two kids need retainers to solve dental problems.
At 3 years old, a lot of that damage has already been done to his mouth. I suggest talking to your dentist and bringing your son in for an evaluation, even if he's not getting regular dental care. Your dentist should be able to recommend preventative treatment.
2007-01-10 12:14:46 · answer #3 · answered by Mmerobin 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
it really is a dropping conflict..My son is almost 4 and he sucked his thumb when you consider that he became practicacly born lol...I basically advised him that it would fall off and that i'd continuously take it out of his mouth. And now he would not even do it at evening...i became a lengthy up hill conflict yet basically keep engaged on it...do not supply up yet do not push it too a lot they're going to give up ultimately solid success
2016-10-17 00:45:54 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
theres nail polish that is made for that
you can find that on google
also let your son know there is something in it for him if he quits
the reason shouldn't be the blisters tho, it should be the teeth
cause I used to get blisters all the time when I sucked my thumb and its not as important as the teeth
2007-01-10 12:07:49 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Try putting something bitter on his thumb...one taste...and YUK...no more thumb sucking!!!!!
2007-01-10 12:26:13 · answer #6 · answered by Lynnie M 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Cayanne pepper on his thumb at bed time.
2007-01-10 12:03:27 · answer #7 · answered by Joe 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋