Thumb sucking can have advantages as well as some disadvantages in children.
My first born was a thumb sucker from a young age, It gave him comfort and would help him settle himself to sleep, sometimes he would stick his thumb in his mouth when he was tired, such as when he was sitting on the sofa watching television. It didn’t cause any problems and he simply grew out of it as he matured.
The disadvantages to thumb sucking are that a child can develop sores on the skin that is constantly being sucked and in extreme cases it can deform the mouth structure, by making the teeth grow at a strange angle.
My other 2 son’s didn’t suck their thumbs, but had a dummy as a soother instead. In some cases a dummy is a better option than a thumb as it can be taken away more on dummies here
When I was working as a registered child minder I looked after several children who were thumb suckers; one boy liked to cuddle on my lap when he was tired. He would place one thumb in his mouth and use the other hand to stroke my ear!
Another time I was looking after cousins, The baby was laid on my changing mat on the floor ready to have his nappy changed, when he suddenly began to cry his older cousin popped his own thumb into the babies mouth. I t had the desired effect and he stopped crying instantly.
Ideas for preventing a child from thumb sucking if it has become an issue are:
To talk about thumb sucking together and try to deter it this way.
Make a reward chart to give an incentive to not thumb suck,
Reward charts here
There are bitter tasting nail varnishes on the market that maybe effective and several different types of thumb guard which will prevent a thumb from being sucked.
As I have already mentioned a child may simply grow out of this habit when they are ready, or continue to be a thumb sucker into adulthood.
As always questions and comments are welcome.
Until next time.
Karen
x
Linked wth
Disadvantage, hard to stop and too many kids damage their teeth. I’m not a fan of dummies either, prefer a soft cloth or similar to snuggle in to. 🤷♀️
A soft cloth is a great idea, thanks for sharing, Margaret
The only disadvantage over dummies is you can’t take it away! Both my daughters had dummies and have perfect teeth, I guess it depends how much they have them, my eldest gave hers up at 4 years old 😊
Absolutly, Hannah, thanks for taking the time to leave your comment
Our granddaughter aged 2 and a half is a thumb sucker. Thanks for linking with #pocolo
It looks quite sweet when they are of that age, thanks for sharing
I didn’t use a pacifier with either of my children. One favored a blanket to snuggle with and the other expressed no interest in thumb sucking. On the other hand, both of my children were advocates of pacifiers.
That’s interesting, thanks for sharing
Neither of my children sucked a thumb or used a dummy, despite it being offered, but they loved a hug with their cuddlies. All children are different and as you say they often simply grow out of using the things that soothe them. #MischiefAndMayhem
Wonderful, thanks for telling me
Like with anything, all children are different aren’t they – interesting post. Thanks for sharing with #PoCoLo –
Totally agree, Stephanie. thanks for having me as always
Mine wasn’t a thumb sucker and didn’t want a dummy either. I completely agree that the little ones tend to grow out of needing that comfort, and then eventually just forget. Thank you for joining us for #mischiefandmemories xx
Glad to hear that you agree with me, Annette
My eldest was my only thumb sucker and it took a long time to train him to stop. I could completely sympathise with him over how hard it was as I sucked my thumb until 14! Thanks for linking up with #MischiefAndMemories
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences, Laura