Many infants and young children calm themselves by sucking their thumbs. While most children will stop on their own between ages 3 and 6, some continue past the age of 4 or 5. Prolonged thumb-sucking can lead to serious dental and speech problems. By using lots of love, encouragement, and a few simple steps, you can help your child succeed in breaking the thumb-sucking habit.
How is problem thumb-sucking treated?
Simple home treatment measures stop most children from sucking their thumbs. But if your child is older than 5, start with a visit to your child's doctor.At home, treatment includes:
Parents setting rules and providing distractions. It may help to limit the times and places that your child is allowed to suck his or her thumb and to put away blankets or other items your child associates with thumb-sucking.
Putting gloves on your child's hands or wrapping the thumb with an adhesive bandage or a cloth may help remind your child not to suck the thumb.
Offering praise and rewards for not thumb-sucking may also help your child break the habit. For example, put stickers on a calendar each day that your child doesn't suck his or her thumb. After an agreed-upon number of days, have a celebration for your child.
Don't shame or punish your child for thumb-sucking. This will only lower your child's self-esteem.
If home treatment doesn't work and you are concerned or feel frustrated about your child's thumb-sucking, talk with your child's doctor. There may be other treatment options, such as behavioral therapy, thumb devices, or devices for the mouth. But remember that thumb-sucking usually isn't a problem in children at preschool age or younger. Most children will stop on their own if you give them time.
1 comment:
As the parent of a child who really loved sucking his thumb, I know how hard it is for some kids to stop - even when they want to.
When my son was 7, our orthodontist told us that he was going to need an expander within the year and had to stop sucking his thumb before it could go on. I wasn't willing to make my son suffer with any of the products on the market used to MAKE kids stop thumb sucking: plastic sheathes, neoprene thumb sleeves and bitter tasting ointments just to name a few. I also didn't want him to feel bad about needing to stop sucking his thumb. So we talked about it - a lot. He wanted to stop, he just couldn't. He would suck his thumb unconsciously during the day and all night in his sleep. First we tried using a regular knit glove, but he would pull it off in the night because his hand would get too hot. I had him sleep in my bed and spent all night pulling his thumb out of his mouth. Clearly, we needed another solution: Thumb-Thing. By eliminating all of the fingers but the thumb, his hand stayed cool and he would wear it all night. During the day he would put it on while we watched a movie or read a book, or anytime he thought he might suck his thumb. I didn't have to do anything but make sure his Thumb-Things were clean. He never forgot to put it on at night, and instead of feeling bad about himself, he was proud.
Please check us out at ww.thumb-thing.com
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