Thumb Sucker - Columbus,OH

My daughter will be 5 in June. She will suck her thumb when she is tired. I know my dentist is not totally pleased with it, (but my pedi really isn't concerned) but I would rather let her grow out of it on her own than to give her a contraption or some liquid on her thumb to make her quit. I know she will quit before college :).
3 months old - that's just a comfort thing.
FYI - I was apparently 'addicted' to binkys when I was little - my mom told me I had at least 4 in my crib. Drop one, pick up another :) Binkys are easier than thumbs. Can't throw away a thumb!

I was a thumb-sucker.
For awhile.

Nothing could stop me.

I was fine.
My teeth did not get affected by it.

Not all kids will take a Binky.

Your baby is young.
They are quite oral.
Needs for 'sucking.'

Make sure she is not hungry though, instead.

I'm not sure what the best answer is, but my daugther who is 5/12 still does this daily. Her teeth are totally messed up! She has a huge gap and because she sucks her thumb this gap is larger than it should be and it's pushing the gap and all her top teeth forward. I've already been told that I should start saving for ortho work. Ugh!

My daughter was also a thumb sucker. We tried and tried to get her to suck a pacifier but she didn't like them from the very beginning. Any time we put a pacifier in her mouth she would get so angry and immediately spit it out. She was pretty hard core and sucked her thumb like crazy even when she slept. If I tried to pull her thumb out of her mouth while she was sleeping she would stick it right back in.

She stopped sucking her thumb on her own about 3-4 months before she turned 4. She had a nasty callous on her thumb that used to hurt her sometimes. We had a little talk about it and I asked her if she wanted to try to stop sucking her thumb. I told her that I wasn't going to try to make her and that it was completely her decision. She agreed to it and I told her that when she stopped I would paint her fingernails for her. I also put a bandaid on her thumb to help her remember if she did try to suck it. She completely stopped sucking her thumb during the day within one or two days and she stopped sucking at night within a week or so. It was a piece of cake to get her to stop sucking once she was ready. On the other hand, I have a 7 1/2 year old nephew who still sucks his thumb when he's watching tv and when he's tired.

My first two, both girls, are thumb suckers. I am in the minority in that I think it's no big deal. Their thumbs were a Godsend when they were babies and have brought them countless hours of soothing! My oldest turned 7 yesterday and still sucks hers at night, and my almost 4-year old sucks hers often. The dentist has no concerns - the dental hygenist even joked that that is what orthodondists are for if it comes to that! My doctor feels the same way that I do - it's not a big deal and he doesn't agree with forcing them to quit by putting awful stuff on the thumb - they'll give it up when they're ready. I have a co-worker who duct taped her daughter's thumb to her hand (!!!!), which I thought was extremely traumatic and unneccessary. I'm not sure what people have a problem with -the threat of braces? I know of lots of people who have had to have braces who were not thumb suckers. My oldest is well aware of the teasing threat, so she makes sure to hide her thumb-sucking. The younger one hasn't reached that point yet! So, that's my two cents :)

My first was a thumb sucker. It's cheaper than a binkie and they can't lose it. when i felt it was time to ween her off of it, I just painted that no nail bite polish on her nail. I did it while she was napping so she wouldn't know I did it. She hated the taste so much that she stopped sucking her thumb that same day.
Good luck with whatever you decide.

you don't need to worry unless she doesn't grow out of it by the time she's like 4 or so. Its actually better than a bink, cuz they have it everywhere with them. :) My first didn't use anything, my second sucks 2 fingers. I was a little upset at first too. :)

I love that my kids were thumbsuckers. Can't get lost, good self soother, etc. It's hard to get them to stop, but there is good nasty tasting stuff that you can spread on her nail if she doesn't give it up on her own. We made my daughter quit at age 5 and her teeth are perfectly fine.

You can try to encourage the binky, but it may not be worth the effort. I tried everything to get my son to stop sucking his thumb because I had the same fears. (My sister was a thumb sucker until she was almost 9...somehow she managed to come out of it with perfect teeth). After a few weeks I realized my attempts were completely futile...he was a thumb sucker. My BIL is a dentist. He says the majority of kids stop by the age of 5 all on their own. And that it can cause damage, but there are many kids who are not affected. We noticed it tapering off with our son. He went from all the time, to times when he was stressed, sleepy, upset, etc. Then we noticed it just before bedtime or nap time. And then it was just when he went to sleep. At four my BIL noticed that he was starting to have some damage and we had to break the habit. It took about 3 weeks. We bought him a soft thumb guard on amazon and (I hate to admit it) bribed him. He was old enough to understand, but we managed to quit rather easily.

No advice, I have a 3 yr old ( who will be 4 this summer) who is a thumb sucker, he rarely does anymore. He has basically weaned himself.

My daughter is 5 yrs 4 months and still sucks her thumb. We try so hard to remind her to no sucking, but she says she forgets, it's hard to quit, and it makes her happy. I told her I was going to get her a sucky and she said, "Oh Yeah!

Both my boys were thumb suckers. One needed braces, one didn't. They both gave it up on their own.
My biggest frustration was the other moms who would comment on my son sucking his thumb, apparently feeling for some reason that their child's binkie was a superior choice.
You know your baby better than anyone else, and you can make the best informed choice for her.

My daughter was a thum sucker. While it was very cute in a baby I was very worried about how I would get her to stop. This is what worked for us. She started pre-school at 3 years old. Every morning when I would take her to school I would remind her that we don't suck are thumbs at school. I would also start paying attention when she sucked her thumb in public and asked her to stop. From there, it would be only in the car, and when she was tired. And then I would start watching in the rear view mirror and would tell her to stop. This whole process went on till probably Kindergarten. At that point, she was only sucking her thumb at bed, and by 1st grade only when she was really upset. She is now a second grader and I couldn't tell you the last time I saw her thumb in her mouth.

I am laughing because, I have been wishing my newest (4mos) would START sucking his thumb! lol My 3rd child was a thumb sucker and I loved it. It didn't get lost, she could get it herself and it didn't drop on the floor in the most disgusting places! ;) When it came time for her to give it up, I told her that if she wanted to be a big girl, she could only suck her thumb while she was in bed sleeping. It took a couple of reminders, but she did give it up during the day. Just have to time it for the "big girl" stage.......watch her when she starts wanting to do more things and help you more.

Good luck either way and let her choose! ;)