Our dentist told us to stop our DD sucking her 2 middle fingers - her teeth and upper jaw were obviously suffering badly. Up 'till then I had not discouraged it, because she wanted to and it soothed her. She also used to stroke her face and ears with her hair at the same time. It was soooo cute.

DH decided to use the yucky stuff for stopping nail biting. I felt cruel and I couldn't do it. Dh put it on all her fingers before bed, having explained it would taste yucky but it would remind her to not put her fingers in her mouth as her teeth were getting crooked.

She immediately tasted it... hated it and then kept getting out of bed to wash her hands. Of course, nothing washes that stuff off and the taste was really on her tongue by then. She was upset and I felt like a complete *****!!! But I kept telling myself she needed to do this for the sake of her mouth...(It was really bad, she could clamp her back teeth together and still put her fingers in her mouth... that's how big the gap was!!!) So, she went to sleep without her fingers that night for the first time.

The next day, she not only stopped sucking her fingers, she also stopped stroking her face with her hair and she stopped her 2-hour day-time sleeps!!! And for about 4 days she was a hyperactive rat.... then she settled back to normal. We only put it on her fingers that next day and never did again.

But, she has never sucked her fingers again. It actually worked. BUT!!!! She never had another day sleep either... and I sure miss those. :frown:

She was nearly 3... and that was about 1 year ago. Her teeth are looking heaps better.

I didn't think the yucky stuff would work - I was a nail biter well into my 20's and many times I tried to stop using that yucky stuff. But I would just persevere through the taste until I'd sucked/chewed it off. Maybe the age was that key. A 2 - 3 yr old can't really do that I suppose - have that determination to keep going at something through even a yucky taste. But as a bigger kid I sure could!!

hth and good luck.