 Little Mister has been a thumb-sucker since the day his tiny newborn hand stopped shaking long enough for his lips to get a grip on it. We have many cute photos of him with the fleshy noise plug jammed in his mouth. He would go to town on that little sucker! It was nice because he never liked a pacifier but had a way to soothe himself back to sleep at 3:00 AM so Mommy didn't have to break out her nipples after he turned eight-months old.
Little Bit (our 16-month old) could give a hoot about her thumb or a pacifier. If it wasn't Mommy's chest she wanted nothing to do with it. This made the 3:00 AM awakening more often than not. When she wakes up she screams like there is no tomorrow! Actually, she screams like the "no tomorrow" was the day before yesterday.
 Now that Little Mister is about to turn four-years old, we have been talking to him more about stopping his thumb sucking. He is the only one in his preschool class that does so, but so far none of the kids have made fun of him. It is starting to affect his front teeth and we don't want him to be made fun of for having a lisp. I tried to speak too fast when I was a young kid and stuttered all the time. The other kids made plenty fun of me, but for the most part I was able to let it go and say something funny so they would laugh with me instead of at me.
There are many Websites that will give useful information about stopping thumb sucking. I picked the good people over at WebMD to use for this article. When I relate their advice to my own little thumb-wrangler, here is how I see it...
What are some practical ways to help my child quit?
- For the first week, keep your child's hands busy with puzzles, games, crafts, or other favorite activities. You may need to limit TV time since many children unconsciously suck their thumbs while watching TV.
* This is certainly true about Little Mister. When he is doing something with his hands he won't suck his thumb. As soon as the TV comes on he plops it right in. The same goes for story time, too. His teacher at preschool says he only sucks his thumb during story time there. I guess it's time to cut out all TV and books to help curb the thumb sucking. Although, with the added anxiety on me I just might end up sucking mine.
- You may wish to use a bandage or a bad-tasting substance such as Thum that is painted on the fingernail to remind your child not to suck the thumb. If the bandage or coating comes off, replace it without being critical or embarrassing your child.
* We tried the Band-Aid thing and when it came time to watch Curious George he took it off.
- Carefully remove your child's thumb from his or her mouth during sleep. Thumb sucking at night is the most difficult habit to break. It may take up to 3 months before your child is able to fall asleep without thumb sucking. Try offering a favorite stuffed animal or putting a hand puppet on your child's hand at bedtime as a reminder. Gently explain to your child that if he or she continues to suck the thumb during the night, the habit will not go away and the changes to the mouth will continue to occur.
* Once he is asleep the thumb just slides right out due to excessive lubrication from the saliva running down his cheek. We have not tried the hand puppet trick. Personally, I think I would have nightmares if I went to sleep with a hand puppet at night. Anything is worth a try, though.
- Avoid putting your child in situations that are upsetting while he or she is trying to break the thumb-sucking habit; your child will likely turn to thumb sucking for comfort. Make sure your child gets enough sleep and food during this time.
* Ummm, you obviously don't know my toddler. The "situations" that upset him are the ones that land him in TIME-OUT. He does suck his thumb in the time-out chair. That means he is thinking hard and mulling over why he is there in the first place. Maybe it will lead to less time-outs.
- Offer plenty of praise when your child goes without thumb sucking during an activity that normally would have included that habit. Do not shame or punish your child for thumb sucking; this will only lower his or her self-esteem.
* We do this all the time. We shame and punish him for sticking that sloppy wet digit... I mean, we praise him all the time when he goes without sucking his thumb!
- Throughout this process, provide empathy and encouragement, and be available for your child. Acknowledge that this is a difficult habit to break. If you are consistent, patient, and positive, your child will be more likely to succeed. Remember this is your child's habit to break, and he or she must be willing to cooperate. Do not force your child to comply.
* Are you sure we shouldn't force him? I heard of a great hot sauce trick and another where you tape the thumb to the palm of the hand. I have a ton of packing tape lying around. It could be our ticket to no braces and maybe he won't end up on this site later in life.
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