I have a problem, some might think it's not but it is for our family. My 23 month daughter is a thumb sucker. Ever since I had to wean her at 16 months (I had to wean her because I was pregnant w/ our new baby & I was having contractions so the OB advised that I wean her) she went from sucking her thumb on occassion to ALL the time!!! Why is this a problem? Beacause it seems like she's always sick! I am a complete germ freak, I wash my kids hands when we are out, before they eat and when we get home from going out. The problem is she touches EVERYTHING and then puts her thumb in her mouth before I can wash it! Then once she's sick my other 3 kids get sick and at times so do I! I tried putting Band-Aids on ther thumb, she either takes it off or sucks her thumb with the Band-Aid on. My mom suggested giving her the pacifer and maybe she would stop sucking her thumb, that didn't work. It seems like she gets a viral infection at least every month, you think she would be immune to it by now! Not only is she always sick but her bottom 2 teeth are croocked fromt he thumb sucking! I have not pushed the issue because we just had a new baby and her still being a baby herself I didn't want to take away what soothes her but it's become a BIG problem! HELP! Does anyone have any suggestions? Anyone break their child of thumb sucking? If so what and how did you do it!
I wish I had an answer. Kira is a thumb sucker & her left tooth is coming in crooked...ugh! If you find an answer let me know - www.giveawaytrain.com
ReplyDeletedo you think bribery would work? i know it works with my 3 year old but not so sure if it would work at 23 months. try offering a toy from the dollar store if she can go a few hours without thumb sucking and then another toy if she can go another few hours. whatever you do, don't put that junk on her thumb that makes it taste spicy. my parents did that to me and i rubbed it in my eye when i was little and it caused a big problem
ReplyDeleteI recently had a giveaway on my blog for this very same problem. This is an every day mom who came up with a solution called the Thumb Buddy. This is the link to her website http://www.thumbuddytolove.com/. I know I was a thumbsucker as a child and you can feel my front tooth popped through my gums. Check it out, it might help.
ReplyDeleteGod Bless,
Shelley
I wish I could help, but Im dealing with my daughter not being able to get off the bottle. :( I hope your little one can stop! I do know of 5 and 6 year olds still sucking their thumb and even using pacifiers. I think she will stop when she is ready. Can you distract her with another toy that she may hold onto for security instead of her thumb?
ReplyDeleteKrissy @ Mommy Misc
My 3 year old did the same thing! As soon as he was weaned, we went to sucking his them. I haven't broken the thumb sucking, but after being after him for a few days, I told him that he could only have his thumb for naps and bed time. It has worked pretty well so far. I'm not sure that would work with a young child though.
ReplyDeleteHTH!
JanelleS
www.financiallyfree4ever.blogspot.com
My brother was a thumb sucker. My mom ended using stuff that she painted on his thumb that tasted bad- I think it was meant to discourage nail biting, but it worked.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if you'd want to go this route, but you could put Mavala Stop Nail Biting polish on her nails. It tastes HORRIBLE. I work with children with autism and we've had to use it on kids who chew on their fingers. It works! I personally didn't stop sucking my thumb until I was 5 and was bribed with a Chuck E Cheese party. I got lucky that my teeth came in straight and my parents didn't have to spend a fortune on orthodontics.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
I think they make thumb guards that you can put on.. I had a friend that had to do that with her 4 year old. She is now 5 and the guard helped a lot. She still does it every now and then when she is tired but my friend reminds her and she stops immediately... I just did a quick search for guards and there are tons of them on the market.
ReplyDeleteI am having a problem with nail bitting. My son bit his nails (and the back of his fingers) for the longest time. one day it finally went away!! Now he just places his fingers in his mouth instead... I've tried the spicy nail polish stuff - he said he just has to count to three and then the taste is gone. Smart kid. Any advice?
ReplyDeleteHi i saw your link on blogfrog. I came across a site which has a thumb sucker remedy. The lady actually makes covers for the thumbs, if you are good at sewing I guess you could make one similar. My kids never did this but I would look at this if they did. Here is a link www.kiddigiddy.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteHope it might be of help. Karima from www.karimasblogs.blogspot.com and www.karimascrafts.com
Oh I saw your post then was bloggin around and found this post http://6dukes.blogspot.com/2010/04/breaking-habit.html
ReplyDeletewhere she made a thumb guard for her daughter. Hope it helps!
Good luck with it! I only managed to limit thumb sucking to bedtime.
ReplyDeleteMy son is 3 1/2 and still sucks his thumb (although he doesn't ALL the time now). I watched a news segment on thumb sucking when he was 16 months. There's a lady in Omaha, NE that works with kids who thumb suck but she doesn't even work with them until they're 5, so honestly, I wouldn't be too concerned about the sucking itself. But perhaps talk to your doctor about her picking up so many colds/infections. Maybe he/she has some advice.
ReplyDeleteI guess I was lucky....when I had baby #2 - and baby #1 saw him suck his thumb too, he stopped...because I told him he must be a big brother and big brothers dont suck their thumbs...of course if it makes anyone feel better...my grandma always said - no child ever walked down the aisle on their wedding day - sucking their thumb....like everything else, this too shall pass. It's like potty training, make too much of it and it becomes a battle. As a suggestion maybe, you know those bottles of hand sanitizer? a little dab on the thumb will keep the germs away...and maybe the taste will keep mr. thumb out of her mouth? Ask doctor first....
ReplyDelete