I have a 2 1/2 year old son and a 5 month old son. My 2 1/2 year old never sucked his thumb, and never liked pacifiers. However, from the beginning, my 5 month old seemed interested in his thumb. We tried giving him a pacifier instead, but, to this day, he just is not interested and spits it out soon after we give it to him. As he is getting older, he is trying more and more to suck on his thumb. My husband and I take his thumb out of his mouth when we catch him sucking on it, but it's a constant battle. I know this can be "self-soothing" for him, but I am thinking down the line that it may be difficult to get him to stop (harder than simply taking a pacifier away), and I am concerned about dental issues as his teeth grow in. Any help on how to get him to stop sucking his thumb would be appreciated.
Hi J.,
I wouldn't worry about it at this point. My 4 yr old daughter was a thumb sucker as an infant, starting in the womb. As she got older and found stuffed animals and blankets, she stopped sucking her thumb. As to the dental ramifications, you don't have to worry about it for a few years. I say, let him have his thumb and be happy that he has found a way to self-soothe.
Sincerely,
L.
Having a thumb sucker that is now seven, since 6 she doesnt suck it as often, but, in the mornings I can see she has it in her mouth.
Thumb guards or mouth guards are probably the best bet at a somewhat older age....( I tried nail no bite polish at 4- didnt work)
I say you have a very smart son who knows that he can find comfort without having to cry to try to indicate to someone else what he wants and is always under his own control. My most brilliant of my five children had this ability as well. I still believe that he was sucking his thumb in utero. He had a beautiful smile and his teeth and jaw were not affected by this thumb sucking. I say, why fight this early battle? Wait until he starts school and you have to talk with him about thumb sucking in public. That day usually does not come. If he is as resourceful as he appears now, he will find other things to do two handed that will preclude having one hand attached to his mouth. Good luck and just enjoy looking at that angelic little face enjoying himself and being in control of his own comfort.
Learning to self-soothe is an important developmental task. Thumb sucking is one kind of self soothing. Say "congratulations" to him for figuring out how to care for himself and spend your time worrying about something else.
I agree w/Love R......he's only 5 months so let him suck his thumb. And if it self-soothes & helps him sleep or feel comfort, I say don't mess w/a good thing! Our youngest is 4 & sucks 2 fingers on his right hand. He started at 2 months & that's when he started sleeping thru the night so no way was I gonna mess w/that! I'm a bit worried about him going to K next year sucking his fingers but he so rarely does it anymore.....mostly while watching TV & definately while sleeping or when upset. So, it has petered out quite a bit over the years. So, again, my advice is to let it be. Since he's only 5 months, he may stop at some point sooner than you expected.
Coming from the perspective of a psychologist (and a mom who has ultrasound pictures of her baby sucking her little thumb in the womb)you have the potential to cause so many more issues by trying to stop him from self soothing than by letting him suck his thumb! Let the baby suck his thumb! Self soothing behaviors such as thumb sucking are developmentally appropriate!
Also, I've had this conversation with out pediatric dentist, and he stated that thumbsucking does not impede the shape of the adult teeth. Kids sucking their thumb have baby teeth. By the time they are 6, 7,8 years old growing in those adult teeth they are highly unlikely to be sucking their thumb. The dentist showed me the x-rays of our daughters teeth that show her baby teeth and the adult teeth growing in the bone above and how the angles vary between the baby and the adult teeth. Please consult with a pediatric dentist, I'm sure they will say the same!
If your baby was 3-4 years old and you were asking how to stop this my answer would be different. But we are talking about an infant, if the urge is there: they are going to do it and you are not going to stop it, but you can make him nervous, insecure and fussy (to say the least) for trying to stop him.
I agree with the majority of the moms here. If your son sucks his thumb to self-sooth, I say let him. I was a thumb-sucker until I was 5 and went to school. I've never needed braces. In fact, whenever I see a new dentist, they ask if I've ever had braces, because my teeth are so straight. So obviously thumb sucking didn't have an affect on my teeth. My son, who is now 5, has been a thumb sucker since he was a baby, and now only does it occasionally to fall asleep, but has decided he wants to try to stop. He now goes to bed with a glove on to keep him from sucking his thumb.
I've asked his pediatric dentist if his thumb sucking has affected his teeth, and he said no...that usually only happens if you continue to suck your thumb as your adult teeth are growing in.
So I say, let your baby self-sooth. Pick your battles....this one isn't a battle you necessarily should be picking. Would you rather your son self-sooth, or you having to sooth him yourself? I'm guessing his self-soothing has, and will, save you from many sleepless nights...particularly when he's teething!
Dear J.,
I am the mom of a thumb sucker.
She never wanted a pacifier until I took her bottle away. She never sucked her thumb until I took the pacifier away. I couldn't take her thumbs away from her.
It was something she did to soothe herself and my husband hated it and punished her which only made her want to do it more. Your baby is only 5 months old. It's a fact that babies suck their thumbs even in the womb.
My daughter didn't have crooked teeth or anything from sucking her thumb. My son had zero interest so it's a personal thing. My daughter grew out of it. At 5 months old, in my opinion, your son sucking his thumb isn't hurting anything. He needs it for some reason.
If you take his thumb away he'll just find something else like the edge of a blanket or something....
It's not the end of the world. I promise.
Best wishes!
As a pediatric dentist I know how frustrating trying to break thumb habits can be to parents. However, at 5 months, I wouldn't worry too much about it because (1) he's very young, sucking is a form of self soothing which he may need and (2) there's not too much you can do about it yet. There are possible problems that can result - changes to his jaws, teeth and thumb (yes, the bones on your fingers can be flattened). However, as he gets older, changes can be fixed with careful monitoring and the habit can also be broken with appliances. My advice - Let him suck him thumb for now and make an appointment with a pediatric dentist at 12 months (recommended age by physicians and dentists).
Good luck!
I have 3 kids and one on the way. My pediatrician encouraged me to encourage finger sucking. Sounds crazy but I even have a book written by a M.D. and she encouraged finger sucking. It has been a sleeping life saver for us. All three slept great because they could self soothe and we never had the problem of having to put a pacifier back in. We washed hands often and encouraged others not to touch our babies hands.(which is a good rule of thumb regardless) Our kids do not have dental problems and outgrew the habit early on around age 2ish. They only sucked while sleeping so we didn't have all day suckers. Just some insight from a mom who has had successful self weaning finger suckers. Good luck with whatever you choose.
All I know is that I sucked my thumb till I was THIRTY. I do what ever I have to do to keep my kids fingers out of their mouths. I wore braces for 5 years and sucked my thumb anyway!!! it's really hard to break that habit. DONT LET IT START!!!! Good luck!!
My daughter was the same. I'm sorry, I don't have any great suggestions because the way I looked at it was that i would rather pay for her orthodontia than for the psychologist later on. She stopped sucking her thumb the day she got the palate expander in. She was in second grade.good luck R. By the way, I have never regretted my decision because she really needed it!
mittens. Or those shirt sleeves that fold over the hand.
my 3 girls sucked their thumbs until jr hi.. my 4 month old is trying now. His 38 yr old dad, 42 yr old uncle and 36 yr old aunt all STILL suck thumbs. My 17 yr old was a binky baby until 3 and wen I took it away she started her thumbs. I think they did it in-utero and it really is ok... most of the time. 40 is really a little to old but in that case a pacifier would be way more inappropriate. All of my kids (and extended family) do not have teeth problems. The upside is a thumb is free and you won't lose it at disneyland and your child have a meltdown until you replace it. Also a thumb is way easier to for them to find at nite and get themselves back to sleep. My son is ok with both right now and he seems so agitated when he doesn't have one or the other so I'm not going to fight it.
I wouldn't worry about it. Forcing him to stop could lead to more problems.
My twin sons, age 22 months, both sucked their thumbs before they were even born. It was something they just did. Now we can see that they are gradually becoming less dependent on the thumb. They usually only use them now when they are tired or don't feel well. My husband is starting to mention it to the more frequent user, and he stops. But I am not concerned at this point, I was a late thumb sucker (age 11). If they still do it in a few years, then I'll worry.
Think about now.
not down line I know your heart is in the right place
what mine did is they stopped before there teeth came in on there own
I really recommend talking to your Dr. and not stopping the thumb sucking. Babies really need to express the sucking mechanism, and you are lucky that he uses his thumb, and you don't have to search for lost binkies. The consensus nowadays is that it is better for them to suck their thumb, and that there is no harm to dental formation until about 4 years of age, which gives you plenty of time to stop the habit later- when it becomes just that- a habit- right now it is not a habit but an innate need. He needs that ability to soothe and is too young to understand why you are trying to take it from him.
I think the adage "dont borrow trouble" or "cross the bridge when you get to it" applies here.
I worried about my son (who preferred the binky to his thumb) but one day around 12-15 months, I realized hey, he hasn't had his binky for a while!
He is only 5 months, let him be a baby and suck. I wouldn't worry until at least 1yo (more like 2yo).
Does your 2.5yo still rely on his pacifier? I'm guessing he's tapered off? I bet your thumb sucker will taper off too.
HI!
Both my kids sucked their thumbs from age 3 months until about 15 months, when the molars broke through. Then they just stopped on their own. Don't stress, he might stop on his own!
H.
