Stop Thumb sucking

Why Do Kids Suck Their Thumbs?

It’s completely normal for babies to suck their thumb as a part of a comfortable routine. Some babies discover their thumb in the first few months of life, while others can be seen thumb sucking in sonograms. Every child is different, but most will thumb suck to:

  • Fall asleep and feel secure
  • Comfort and calm themselves
  • Feel better when they are sick or bored
  • Adjust to changes, such as a new school or a move

Thumb sucking in infancy is not only considered common but how long should it go on?

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How to Stop Your Child from Sucking Her Thumb

The Consequences of Long-Term Thumb Sucking

It’s one thing to take away a pacifier. Kids may fight and scream, but once it’s gone they cope and move on. How do you take away a thumb?

Many parents mistakenly believe that as long as their child stops by the time permanent teeth arrive, that there won’t be any problems.

However, thumb sucking has an impact on your child’s dental health as young as age 2. Because children’s jaws are soft and flexible, prolonged thumb sucking can hinder the development of permanent teeth, as well as the cause:

  • Flared upper teeth (buck teeth)
  • Open bite and/or crossbite
  • Chewing difficulty
  • Tongue thrust could result in a lisp
  • Changes in the jawbone shape
  • Changes in facial appearance

Breaking the Thumb Sucking Habit

The intensity of thumb sucking plays a large role in the damage inflicted by the habit. Kids who simply rest their thumbs in their mouths are less likely to suffer from dental problems than children who have a more aggressive habit.

How to Stop Thumb Sucking in Kids

Your baby likely started sucking their thumb in the womb and perfected the habit as an infant. When a child is young, it’s normal to pop a finger or thumb in their mouth as a way to calm down, self-soothe, or fall asleep.

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Once a child reaches toddlerhood, thumb sucking often goes away on its own. However, some older kids replace it with other habits, like nail-biting

If thumb-sucking is used as a coping skill, a child starts to develop other methods between the ages 2 and 4. For example, developing language skills often naturally ends the practice of sucking the thumb.

If the behavior continues into the preschool years, issues can arise with both thumb-sucking and pacifier-sucking. If a child doesn’t stop the practice naturally, it can lead to developmental issues, both in the mouth and with speech.1

Although peer pressure at school typically curbs the habit once a child reaches age 5 or 6, a parent might want to take measures to stop thumb-sucking long before that time.

Thumb and finger sucking can impact a child’s mouth and jaw as early as 2 years old. The sucking puts pressure on the soft tissue of the roof of the child’s mouth, as well as on the sides of the upper jaw.

Solve Thumb Sucking Habit In A Few Easy Steps

Thumb sucking is a behavior found in many children from a very young age. The reasons may vary from rest, hunger, safety and enjoyment.

Steps to prevent children from sucking thumb:

Step 1: It is important to find out why and when your child sucks his or her thumb. For the first week, keep a pen and paper, and every time you see your child's thumb in his mouth, write it down. At the end of the week, go to your list, and see if there is any consistency. You can also buy the best hand stopper thumb guard by visiting the Amazon Australia website.

Step 2: Identify what the payoff is for your child. For example, if you notice that she suck her thumb every time when she hurts, one conclusion would be that her thumb helps to deal with the pain. If you see that the thumb goes in whenever she is watching TV, then she is using the thumb while idle.

Step 3: A reward chart for a day without sucking can be helpful. If she is successful, you can give your child a treat or a small toy at the end of the day. I also find that the greater the reward, the better the result.

Remember that breaking bad habits is difficult, and it takes time and encouragement. I do not think that punishment works well when an attempt is made to discourage a habit. Children are notorious for a power struggle, and you don't want to turn it into a battle of the war.

Once your child sees that there are other things that can calm herself down, she will stop sucking thumb before you know it!