Printable View
Has anyone got any suggestions to stop thumb sucking? My DS sucks his thumb and sometimes he sucks it so bad he has bruised it. His teeth are starting to move forward. He is 2 yrs 2 months. I have tried telling him its "dirty, that its yuck" and tried to ignore it but it is still happening... Any suggestions would be great!
TIA Jenni ;)
My DS is a thumb sucker also. He uses his thmb to help fall asleep and I think its gorgeous, although breaking the habit will be hard. I havent tried to wean him off that yet so cant speak from experience
Can you bribe him? Maybe tell him he is a big boy and get him a special toy to sleep with or cuddle instead of the thumb,
I know what you mean though about bruised thumbs, jordans is so dry and the nail is paper thin. He has blood blisters on it sometimes but he just loves it. I think he is too little to understand so I would be interested to see how you go as no doubt I will be asking same thing in a years time.
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.
they recommend stopping it by 5, so you have some time up your sleeve.
my little cousin used to suck her middle 2 (well, the 2 up from pinky) fingers to the point where the skin split and they got infected, it was not a pretty sight. I will find out what they did to stop her.
I know my mum used to tie her hand up to her bed when she was a teenager to stop he sucking her thumb in her sleep. Not recomending that though, just an anecdote ;)
We have a 2 yo thumbsucker and we're going to try the yucky stuff soon.
We've tried giving her a blankie as a substitute - result: now she sucks her thumb AND needs her "mer-mer" to go to sleep :rolleyes:
Her two front teeth are getting crooked as well and I'm not prepared to let it go another few more years - more damage will occur and the habit will be even more ingrained than it is now.
We're thinking after Xmas is out of the way we'll give it a go. Will let you know how it goes :)
See rayray's post above for discription of how my sister sucked her fingers... well besides treating the damaged skin my parents actually did nothing (having already learnt the hard way with me!).
Ok her fingers were so bad they had to take her to a dermatologist... she had topical ointment for them which while it was fine and safe my parents told her it was 'poison' so not to put her fingers in her mouth... as she was older (3) this worked fine... then periodically over the next 2-3 years she would slip back into sucking them... mum would just apply sorbeline to her fingers and say it was poison and she would stop again... it was a comfort thing. You say your son is bruising his fingers... why not apply sorbelene or vit E cream, it wont taste nice but it wont burn his mouth like the paint does. Wishing you all the best.
With me I sucked my thumb until I got a dental plate in grade 3 (8yrs)... prior to that my parents tried everything from bribes, to humiliation to painting all my hand with the nasty stuff... I used to cry myself to sleep as I sucked my thumb regardless of the nasty taste because the thumb sucking was so important it didn't matter about the nasty paint. The paint episode was before I went to school and I can still vividly remember it, every night for over a week! I still wake up occasionally with my thumb in my mouth when stressed or sick. I will also suck it when stressed and awake but it is an unconcious thing and when I realise I stop. I substituted my thumb sucking for picking at the skin on my lips and still do this so often have scabby split lips, I am also a rabid pen chewer... well pen, key rings, moile phones, tv remotes... if I'm not picking at my lips I am chewing on something... I know this is no help but with B if she does start thumb sucking I am just going to let it run its course for fear of removing her comfort too soon and her ending up as wacky as I am.
Thankyou ladies for all your replies,,,,
Rayray, i PMSL when i read your post! Could you imagine walking into my DS's room with his hands tied to his bed! ROFL!
On the thumb suck thing i got some stuff called never suck and he still sucks his thumb with it. He has a teddy that he sleeps with as well as sucking his thumb, i have tried to give him a dummy, i know thats just swapping from one bad habit to another but he isnt interested in it either. He also has about 3-5 bottles a day aswell! I think after christmas im going to buy the stuff that stop you biting your nails and see how that goes. If that doesnt work i dont know what to do!
Thanks for all your replies, Keep them coming. Oh and i used to suck my 2 fingers up from my pinky when i was younger, so maybe its a habit from me!!!
Jen
my step daughter sucked her thumb until age 11.
pestering/punishing made it worse.
best to ignore it.
she had to decide for herslef that she wanted to stop. her teeth are ok now:)
give him something to hold/do to try and get him to have to use his hands for other things.
if its just at sleep time, not much you can do - but thats better than all day long.
my dsd wore gloves to bed at one stage:lol: