Hi
I have had a lot of interest about this subject and many people looking forward to seeing what options are out there.
It can be seen as one of the hardest things to do.
Soothers and thumb/finger sucking provide a way for the child to settle themselves and provide comfort without the aid of a parent. Many babies find their thumb in the womb - think of the cute scans you have seen - and it is a natural reflex action. Then young babies use it to pacify themselves and toddlers use it as a security reflex as they grow and develop.
And boy are we grateful for these aids when we are trying to leave them for a rare night out, at nursery, or to sleep when they are restless.
Then children start to teeth and the jaw develops and if they are sucking hard on the soother or thumb they can start to move the position of the teeth. Children who suck their thumb or fingers after age 7 years can develop an open bite which is a real pain to deal with later in life. Aidan was well passed that.
Most children naturally start to reduce their time with either the soother and thumb/fingers around about 2 years of age. They are so busy and active, and are in company of others that they tend to only really need them when they get tired or at bedtime.
Somewhere between 2-4 they reduce it further and, easiest with the pacifiers, stop using them altogether. The majority of children who do continue tend to only do so in the comfort of their own home and in the evening. We should be supporting them stopping by age 4. Be careful of making it a "thing" as it can become a source of anxiety and control which can do more harm then good.
Tips for supporting the reduction and eventual stop of sucking between age 2 and 4:
Praise the positives, ignore the negatives
Try to complement them when they are not using there form of pacifier and don't pick when they are tired to try to remove it.
Do a bit of detection, distraction and where possible, reduction and elimination.
Children often suck their fingers and soother when feeling
insecure. Removing the cause of anxiety, and comforting the child about the cause can really help.
We all love a good sticker chart!!!
Make it easy to get a sticker to start, "look your not using your dummy, have a sticker", then grow the goal "wow you went out to the shops and didn't suck your thumb once, well done, have a sticker" to finally "you didn't take your soother to bed last night, have a sticker". Remember stickers add up to a prize so even having that visible can help.
Bin the soothers in a ceremony
Make a big deal that they are growing up and throwing away that symbol of being a baby. We threw the oldest boys out and had a wee party to celebrate, then went to the park (favourite thing to do at that age).
Top tips for those still thumbsucking at school age:
Been it, seen it, bought the T-Shirt
So you have read this so far and thought yep, tried all that. And not even a little bit near stopping. Do not fear, you are not alone. My lovely autistic boy is not easy to bribe or use rewards with so was still thumb sucking well in to secondary school - peer pressure has zero impact also. But we got there. Choose your time as it is usually us parents that cave and stop it from working.
Make it less enjoyable
The magic solution for us was to invest in a cool looking cover for the thumb. A lot of the sucking was subconscious, it had just become a habit. So we bought some great gloves, just for the thumb (I think you can get ones for fingers too) chose a holiday from school, and just made them wear it all the time. I checked once they were asleep that it was still on and they got a small toy for each night they didn't take it off. They didn't sleep to well the first 3-4 nights but it was fine after that. At the end of the holiday they got money - cold hard cash works well - because they hadn't sucked their thumb once. And the habit was gone.
Let the professionals do the work
The dentist and hygienist can encourage the child to stop
sucking his or her thumb and explain what could
happen to the teeth if it continues. You know they listen to everyone else apart form us!!
Make a chill out routine for your child
Life is stressful, for us all. And children all cope differently with stress or anxiety. Try to talk a bit about their day, what was good, what was bad; give them a chance to share their troubles. Have a hard stop on electrical stimulation, tablet, TV, games, at least 1 hour before bed. A nice bath can really help them unwind and get relaxed.
Tell them well done!
Remind them how proud you are that they are trying to give up something they love. Look how well we do with chocolate and wine!!(Or is that just me........)
I HAVE TRIED ALL OF THAT!!!!!!!!
Sometimes all the good planning doesn't work. Children are individuals.
So if the
thumb sucking persists, talk to your child’s dentist or an orthodontist. They can prescribe a
mouth appliance or advice on a medication with which to
coat the thumb to prevent the thumb sucking. Don't try the old mustard trick. It is so painful and negatives hardly ever produce a positive result in there situations.
Please note this is general advice and not diagnosis so if in doubt go visit your dentist.
Good luck!!
Next time - pre-school and junior school oral health.
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