Thumb sucking?

Question

How do I get my 4 year old to stop sucking her thumb? She does it when she goes to bed or she's tired. I tried putting the nasty fingernail polish on her thumb but she scratched it off. I don't want to use something like hot sauce like I have seen people recommend. There was a lady on the news that did that and her child suffocated to death. Salt didn't work either.

Answer 1

My 6 y.o. son has finally quit 100% of the time for almost a year now. I just asked him what helpe him quit and he said, " I prayed alot"

Aside from his advice I believe it became a choice that he made and then he gradually broke himself of the habit. Does your 4 year old want to stop? Does she know that it is going to hurt her teeth? If she is seeing a dentist, you could ask the dentist about it and have him/her talk to her about it.

Some things we did with my son besides telling him that it was hurting his teeth and having the dentist talk to him was we gave him alternatives and positive reinforcement. At bedtime we would wrap his hand up in his blankie or have him put his hands under his pillow. When we would catch him sucking we would just remind him that he was trying to quit. When I would check on him after he fell asleep at night, I would pull his thumb out of his mouth and quietly tell him "no thumbs"

You won't get too far unless she is ready to quit. Disciplining them or using things that hurt only make the child want more comfort and sucking is comfort. Try a simple star chart- When you catch her doing things where she normally would be sucking her thumb at but this time she is not sucking, put a star on the chart. Decide with her ahead of time that when she gets a certain number of stars some kind of reward is achieved! (start small- like 5 stars equals a special candy or something and then build up to more and more stars)

If nothing seems to be working, talk to your dentist about an apparatus that can be placed in their mouth that actually prevents sucking. A friend of mine had one of these placed in her son who was still sucking when he got to first grade. It worked like a charm. She is still young enough that good dentists will tell you to try everything else first.

Be sure to praise her every time you catch her not sucking!!!!!!

Answer 2

I agree with most of the others. Don't worry so much. She will become more anxious about it and it will make it worse. She is already really slowing down if she does it when she is tired or going to bed. My son did that at her age too, he was done completely by 5 or 6. He never did it in school because he really only did it by 4 only when tired or going to bed. Every doctor I talked to said let him be, and his teeth would be fine.
My son is 26 now and no hangups like sucking thumb, or bad teeth.
Don't worry about society. Think only that this comforts her, its her thumb, and she is getting comfort. It is not a horrid thing, nor a dangerous one. She will stop soon enough. And then you will wish that it was something as small as sucking her thumb that will give her comfort, by then it will be a lot harder unfortunately. She'll be fine. You'll see.

Answer 3

Hi, personally what is the problem?
I sucked a dummy until I was 7 years of age, which transgressed into my thumb until I was 11 years. I am now a happily married mother of two, with a psychological professional back ground. I am a non smoker, I do not over eat, I have never had nor have ever needed a brace etc. I am a well adjusted adult who had a comforter as long as I needed it, and when I didn't want it anymore I stopped.
In fact to lean on psychology, children who do have comforters and are not pressured to give up until they are ready grow to become more independent, confident and sucessful adults. Embrace this, do not traumatise the child. It may cause more harm .

Answer 4

Why are you so worried about it? Your will have a lot of challenges raising children and this isn't one of them. My daughter sucked her thumb 24/7 until she went to school and the whole time she was in school, she wouldn't suck her thumb in front of the other kids. When I picked her up from school, the minute she got in the van, the thumb went in her mouth because she was tired. One night, when she was around 12, I went in her room, and she was sucking her thumb in her sleep. I don't know at what age she stopped, but I never worried about it. She is now a healthy 28-year woman, with a baby son of her own. Don't scold or humiliate her to try to get her to stop. I agree with others, that would be much more damaging. Don't worry so much, and just enjoy your daughter.

Answer 5

I don't understand why so many people think that it is OK for a child this age to suck her thumb. It looks retarded, it's bad for her teeth and speech. Make her stop. Be firm. Remind her often not to do it. She is old enough to understand when you talk to her and explain why she should stop. And reward her for every day she goes w/o sucking her thumb. Give her lots of praise and tell her what a big girl she is when you see her resisting the temptation to put her thumb in her mouth. Good luck!

Answer 6

I too have tried the nail-thing, but to no avail.
My 3 yr old has put her fingers in her mouth since the day she was born. Mainly when she is watching tv, and starting to get tired.
I have given up worrying about it, its really not that big a deal. Besides, when she starts school, she'll see that most of the other kids dont do it, and she'll stop in her own time.

Answer 7

I am 22 years old i still suck my thumb only when iam really really tired!
I don't think it is that big of deal some people do however you could try putting bandaids on her fingers that stick really well she will get Sick of sucking on the plastic after a while I would hope
Good luck

Answer 8

Honestly for me when I was little I started chewing gum at night, but that's never really a good idea. The nail polish worked for my little sister, it took a couple of months though, but you already tried that. The best site I could find for you is http://www.svcmc.org/12170.cfm. It talks about the best ways to handle the problem and gives a step by step on how to work with your daughter. I hope this was a little helpful.

Answer 9

The nasty fingerpolish is terrible, why would you do this. Just tell her no when you see her. And dont push her, she will out grow it later. Although it will effect her teeth, that is all fixable with dentistry, for now alow her to be her and do what is soothing for her. Kids are only young once, let them extend this time as much as possible, even if you think its gross or embarrasing she is just a child. Belive me she wont do it when she is in school, later!

Answer 10

Try a bandaide. My 8 year old step daughter did that all her life until I got my hands on her. She was having to go to speech class because she was reforming her mouth. I put bandaides on them and made her promise to have them on in the morning. She went 1 day crying herself to sleep and then asked for them for a week and hasn't sucked on her fingers since.