If you had a thumbsucker, and you didn't forcibly break them of the habit...

[melissel]

When did they finally stop? Please tell me they do finally stop! :001_huh:

 

DD5 is still a dedicated thumbsucker, and I can't even imagine what it would take to get her to stop. We're not going to force her, in spite of what the dentist says each time we go, but I'll admit that I have visions of her going off to college with her tattered wooby and still sucking her thumbie.

 

So how and when did your thumbsucker finally break the habit?

 

TIA!

[UmMusa]

I posted a question about this about two weeks ago b/c I saw my friend's 11 year old son sucking his thumb not only at night but when he watched tv or played xbox. He also had to have his shred of a blankie, too. And after the replies I read, I learned that thumbsucking can last into high school!! I was really shocked to see a boy of his age sucking his thumb. I'm planning the demise of the pacificier for my 2yr old.

[Elm in NJ]

My 15 YR old still does it, so does my 10 yr old and my 9 month old. My dh thinks it's genetic, I sucked mine till I was a teenager:blushing: and so did he.

[3lilreds in NC]

Mine was 5 also, and I wasn't going to force her. She always sucked her thumb while rubbing her satin-edged blanket. I took her blankets away, and she stopped sucking her thumb. It was really easy... almost too easy, LOL! I did giver her blanket back when she had surgery for her broken arm(s), and by then, she didn't suck her thumb and just rubbed the satin. She still has her favorite blanket at 11. :)

[melissel]

I posted a question about this about two weeks ago b/c I saw my friend's 11 year old son sucking his thumb not only at night but when he watched tv or played xbox. He also had to have his shred of a blankie, too. And after the replies I read, I learned that thumbsucking can last into high school!! I was really shocked to see a boy of his age sucking his thumb. I'm planning the demise of the pacificier for my 2yr old.

 

Oh boy! I knew the blankie thing could last into adulthood. My cousin still has scraps of her childhood blankies--I think she keeps them under her pillow. That seems kind of quirky but sweet. I really don't think I want her sucking into teenagerhood though! And this is my strong-willed child too :smash:

[melissel]

My 15 YR old still does it, so does my 10 yr old and my 9 month old. My dh thinks it's genetic, I sucked mine till I was a teenager:blushing: and so did he.

 

Elm, did you have any major trouble with your teeth (or your DS's teeth) as a result? What made you finally stop?

[grace'smom]

I HAD a five year old thumbsucker until one fine day when the American Girl catalog came in the mail. There was a page with a "slumber party" on it. One of the dolls had this strange looking metal contraption in her mouth. She asked what that was and I said it was a retainer of some sort that kids wear at night. She asked how your teeth get like that I told her that sometimes they just naturally do that and sometimes it was from sucking their thumb too long. She stopped sucking her thumb THAT day. Amazing what they can do with a little motivation.

[mytwomonkeys]

my niece is 10 & just stopped a few months ago. her mother had to make her stop though, as she had to get braces. i don't know that her case is usual or unusual... but i do know that she needed the braces due to thumb-sucking. it's a very hard habit to break, and i really do sympathize with "making" your child stop, as it is a comfort to her (i was a thumb sucker too & remember). my seven year old still uses a blanket to cuddle & sleep with & i'm definitely not about to make him stop sleeping with it. i think with thumb-sucking though, the issue is that there is a chance for it to cause damage. ykim? i hope you get good advice:)hugs.

[grace'smom]

BTW I was a late thumb sucker and had to wear braces for FIVE years. Yes, I was a college freshman with braces.

[mysticamethyst]

Sorry to say but dd sucked her finger right up to the orthodontist appt. to put appliance in her mouth to stop; she was almost 12. :o With the appliance in her mouth there is no room for finger or thumb. Now we are on year 2 of braces and its a huge committment for both of us.:glare: For us there was no other option, she wouldn't quit and I had tried many, many things till I just gave up and went the othordontist route, but I knew she was going to need braces her jaw formation was horrible.

 

Good luck its a tough battle or at least it was here.:001_smile:

[Carrie12345]

DD will be 9 in less than 2 months. She vows to break the habit on every birthday, but she's still at it!

[abbeyej]

Dd stopped around 7. I was worried it would continue, but she did eventually outgrow it. We did gently discourage it at times, but we never tried to "force" her to quit.

[jplain]

My younger daughter was a serious thumbsucker. I don't know if this helps, but here's her story:

 

When she was 3.5 we took a trip to Las Vegas where the air was very dry and she ate some fast food that triggered food sensitivity symptoms. She ended up with a nasty spot of eczema on the thumb that she sucks. It started to look like it was getting infected, so we suggested she should try to wait to suck it until after it healed.

 

Just like that, she quit, nearly cold turkey. I was flabbergasted. She seemed a little sad, but that was it. A few times I saw her move her hand toward her mouth and then she'd catch herself. Even in her sleep she'd start to put her thumb into her mouth and then take it out. After it had healed she had no interest in sucking it again, though we wouldn't have stopped her. She did continue nursing at naptime, bedtime, and when she needed comfort (ie. after a hard fall) for about 6 months more, but she also gave up breastfeeding just before turning 4.

 

Personally, I know I sucked my thumb until at least age 5. I don't remember why or how I gave it up, but I do know that by the end I was only sucking my thumb at bedtime. I think my parents and dentist were concerned about my teeth. I did end up with buck teeth thanks to my thumbsucking, and have gawd-awful school portraits to show for it. *sigh* :tongue_smilie:

[Susie in SWVA]

I had one daughter who sucked her thumb probably until she was 10 (at least at night). It never affected her teeth. My mother-in-law always comforted me when I was worrying about it by saying that she wouldn't be sucking her thumb when she walked down the aisle at her wedding and she wasn't.

[Free]

Hi Melissa,

 

My son was a dedicated thumbsucker for a looong time and nothing we did really helped. We unfortunately even tried scolding, threatening and shaming him which did nothing to stop the thumbsucking and only ended up making him feel generally insecure and inadequate.

 

I really thought he would never stop. But then he reduced his thumbsucking to "only when sleepy or tired" by the time he was 7 and finally stopped completely by 8.

 

At the time he finally stopped, his teeth were protruding out because of all the thumbsucking over the years and we felt sure he would need braces. He is 10 now and his teeth seem to be going back to normal. The dentist has asked us to wait a while before we finally decide about the braces.

[Tess in the Burbs]

Mine finally stopped just before 9 using Mavala. It was $10 at the dentist but I think you can find it online. it works!!!!!

 

We had tried the other stuff you get to paint on the nails.

We had tried the thumbguard...twice. he literally chewed it off. twice.

We had tried duck tape. He spent all night working at it until it came off. :001_huh:

 

We had asked for an appliance but the dentist thought with the chewing off of the thumbguard he would break the appliance somehow and cause other damage.

 

So we are now at an orthodontist fixing his jaw which had moved from the thumbsucking. But he had to stop sucking first....enter MAVALA. You paint it on the nails. it works so well...he cried himself to sleep the first two nights. the taste was in his mouth all day. He was so upset. but it worked. Highly recommend the stuff and had I known about it earlier I would have paid way more .....the orthodontist is costing us thousands...

[Chris in VA]

My story is on the other thread--I'd prefer not to rehash it! LOL

 

But my SON--he quit when he was 5 because he didn't want to go to Kindergarten still thumbsucking. He weaned himself and was so proud. He's an Aspie, so it was difficult, but he has a lot of determination and can put up with discomfort if he wants something bad enough. It's carried throughout his life so far--hates the college milieu, but puts up with it to get the education he wants! :001_smile:

[BlsdMama]

They were each eight and we offered them something they couldn't refuse. Ana got to go to a horse farm and have a lesson and be with the horses. CJ went on a weekend camping trip with his dad. They each were just told what the reward was and then the pressure was entirely on them to quit when they felt they were ready to quit. ;)

[Peela]

My kids never thumb sucked but I did- I think I was about 12 when I finally gave it up. I remember it being very comforting, but my mother drawing the line at me sucking my thumb walking dow the street by a certain age (cant remember when!) :)

 

I never got buck teeth- but my brother, a non thumb sucker, did- he needed braces and I didnt.

[Elm in NJ]

I had awful teeth( I think I still do), but remember this was a different culture. Cosmetic dentistry was not very common and braces were extremely rare. The thing is my older thumbsuckers are probably not going to need braces but my 12 year old who is not one will.

[melissel]

My kids never thumb sucked but I did- I think I was about 12 when I finally gave it up. I remember it being very comforting, but my mother drawing the line at me sucking my thumb walking dow the street by a certain age (cant remember when!) :)

 

Thankfully, she only sucks when she has her blanket, so if we can subtly reduce the blanket use, we can reduce the thumbsucking. And she only uses her blanket in private (car, home, bed). Maybe we'll start working on keeping the wooby at home--we could knock out the car usage that way!

[ereks mom]

She sucked her thumb from infancy until age 11. When she got to about age 5 or 6, I continually reminded her to take her thumb out of her mouth, and she soon broke the habit of sucking her thumb during waking hours. However, she still sucked her thumb at night while she was sleeping. We tried painting her thumb with that nasty-tasting "anti-thumb-sucking stuff" that you can buy at Walmart, we tried putting a glove on her hand before bedtime, etc. But nothing worked--she was sound asleep and didn't notice the taste of the "stuff", and she pulled the glove off while she was sleeping--but FINALLY, she stopped on her own just about the time she entered puberty.

 

ETA: I was always concerned that EK would have problems with her teeth, but that was not the case. She has PERFECT teeth. No braces, ever, but perfectly straight teeth.

Edited April 12, 2011 by ereks mom

[Kim in Appalachia]

When I was pregnant with her I had at least 10 ultrasounds (my dh was in residency, and we had free access to one. He liked the practice :D) Every ultrasound showed her with her thumb in her mouth. It took her less than 2 weeks to find that thumb. When she was a toddler we tried that stuff you put on the thumb so it burns when the child sticks it in her mouth. It didn't work. She wanted to quit when she was 8 or 9, and tried hard. She put socks on her hands at night, but it didn't work.

 

She is now 13 and I haven't noticed her thumb in or near her mouth. She has been determined to quit, and she is a very strong willed person. :D

 

While growing up I had a friend who never did quit. She wanted to quit, but just could not. She only did it while watching tv. It's hard habit to break, and it has to be up to the individual to do it.

 

I will say that there are much worse habits in life.

[teamturner]

One of my twins (boy) was a devoted thumb sucker. We put an appliance in the roof of his mouth to help him stop when he was almost 7. He managed to suck his thumb w/it in anyway but the result was he bent the appliance and it was cutting the roof of his mouth. The dentist had to take it out to allow his mouth to heal and he begged me not to put it back in. He quit just like that.

 

Well, then when I gave birth to my youngest 6 months later, he started sucking it again. We decided since he was motivated by money that we would pay him a dollar everyday and if he sucked his thumb that day he lost a quarter each time he did. (We went w/positive motivation ;)) I thought we'd just do it for a month so the habit would be broken but my husband decided to do it all the way to Christmas which was almost 4 months long. And my mother and father-in law decided to match half of what we paid. He had his Lego catalog out and had already picked out what he was going to buy with his load of cash and has highly motivated. It worked!

 

Flash forward to last fall, and my youngest dd who was 4 yo at the time is happily sucking her thumb. Older brother lets her in on the wonderful idea of cash for not sucking her thumb. She comes into the kitchen and announces that she is not going to suck her thumb any more so she can get money. I quickly put the stuff on her thumb nails while she is begging me not to and says she has changed her mind. I talk her down each time she asks me to take it off. Before we know it, she's stopped asking and isn't sucking her thumb. We praise and go shopping for a few toys. It was that simple with her I could hardly believe it.

 

Sorry this got so long.

[melissel]

When I was pregnant with her I had at least 10 ultrasounds (my dh was in residency, and we had free access to one. He liked the practice :D) Every ultrasound showed her with her thumb in her mouth.

 

How funny! When DD5 was born, she had sucking blisters on both her wrists. We knew it was only a matter of time before she found it, and she was about 4 weeks old when she did. We figured it was destiny!

[vonfirmath]

Oh boy! I knew the blankie thing could last into adulthood. My cousin still has scraps of her childhood blankies--I think she keeps them under her pillow. That seems kind of quirky but sweet. I really don't think I want her sucking into teenagerhood though! And this is my strong-willed child too :smash:

 

I had a blue bear my mom made for me that I continued to sleep with until the seams literally shredded apart -- I was 16 or 17.. Then I saved it in a box and it was one of the few things I moved out with me when I moved to WA. I know I still had it when I bought my condo at 26. I think I've gotten rid of it since...

[tammyw]

When our son was in his threes (maybe early four?) the dentist advised his concerns about our son sucking his thumb, because they were starting to come forward on the top and backward on the bottom. My husband showed him some pictures on the computer of people with really problem teeth, and my son quit cold turkey right then and there.

[zimom]

My daughter did not stop until age 9 when she had a 'tongue crib' appliance placed in the roof of her mouth by the orthodontist. She wore it for six months. Of course, at 13 she is now undergoing full orthodontic care due to a considerable overbite.

[Princess Peach]

My DD was 8 when she stopped. We did not have to do anything. She stopped on her own when she was ready. She really wanted to stop before that, but it was a habit and it was hard for her to stop.

 

The dentist always bugged us about it. Said she would need braces, blah, blah, blah. Her teeth are beautiful so far and if she needs braces it will be because of the bilateral crossbite she inherited from me, not the thumbsucking.

[Lovin Learnin]

My favorite story is my bf from hs who was a closet thumb sucker THROUGH COLLEGE! She is now a high-powered CFO for a fortune 500 company making a bazillion dollars. She reluctantly gave it up when she left college and entered the work force. We still laugh about it.

[mom2att]

I have a 15-year-old niece who still sucks her thumb, and not just at night. She's even had the appliance thingy in her mouth and sucked right past it, despite it tearing up her thumb. She has some learning issues, though, and I truly think it is a coping mechanism for her. My sister doesn't even notice it anymore, but it really bothers some of the extended family to see DN with her thumb in her mouth all.the.time.

[Pretty in Pink]

My 5yo quit, cold turkey, when his dentist gently advised him that if he didn't he might end up needing to wear braces like Mommy. (I am 30 years old and in braces for the second time, though not due to thumbsucking ;)).

[littleWMN]

My 6 year old still sucks her thumb. The dentist told her that she would have to get an appliance put in her mouth if she doesn't stop. She's still going strong. I only allow her to suck her thumb in bed though so she only does it at night.

 

My 13 month old son sucks his thumb too. He seems to like his even more so...

[jannake]

Both my girls were non-stop thumbsuckers. One child even twisted her belly-button while sucking her thumb which I have learned that other children do as well. However, when I talked to the pediatric dentist about both kids he said he would have never known that they sucked their thumb because the teeth did not indicate it. However, they will still need braces just because of other dental issues. He actually advised me not to force them to stop as his research had indicated that it actually caused them to do it more. The stress of having to stop makes them want to do it more. He said peer pressure actually worked better and then I explained I am her peer pressure because she is home schooled. The pediatrician was also saying just wait it out and we did. Each child decided a goal and a prize. The really both quit overnight once they determined the goal. We prayed for God's help and they did it. I would occasionally catch them at night when they were fast asleep but I did not see the during the day. They were both about 6 when they stopped.

 

Janna

[Julie Smith]

I remember reading that the place in your mouth your thumb rubs actually releases something into your body that has a calming effect. That is why it's so hard to stop.

[Susan C.]

She eventually stopped, but had to have braces...... she sucked her index finger and really messed up her teeth.

[LibraryLover]

My oldest dd was a tremendous thumbsucker. It was obvious she got major comfort from it, so I didn't do anything about it. When she was 7, she went to the dentist, and was frightened about talk of braces someday. (I actually didn't know this frightened her, and I don't rememeber the dentist talking about thumbsucking at all...more on that later).

 

A few weeks after that apporintment, I noticed that dd was not sucking her thumb at all, and when I went in at night to check on her, she didn't have her thumb in her mouth. I mentioned that I hadn't seen her suck her thumb at all for a bit, and she told me about the appointment, and how she didn't want braces so she had stopped sucking her thumb. I was really surprised because that appointment didn't seem at all about thumbsucking. lol

 

I asked her how she gave up her thumb (it was gradual enough that I didn't even notice). She told me that she would suck her thumb for a little while at night, but just as she was falling asleep, she would take her thumb out of her mouth and put her hand under her pillow.

 

She gradually weaned herself.

 

Of course, she still needed braces...but not for an overbite. She had some jaw misalignment.

 

That's our thumbsucking story. DD sucked her thumb for a bit over 7 years, then painlessly weaned herself without my knowing.

[kokotg]

 

That's our thumbsucking story. DD sucked her thumb for a bit over 7 years, then painlessly weaned herself without my knowing.

 

DS was very similar. I think it was a combo of other kids making comments (not really mean ones, just noticing) and the dentist mentioning it...he decided on his own to stop sucking his thumb when he was 7, and did it without a word of encouragement from us...we didn't realize he'd stopped until it was done. He was very proud of himself (as he should have been!)

 

I never dared do anything to try to get him to stop, because, particularly at that age, he had a lot of anxiety, and whenever one tic went away a new one would pop up to take its place...and we never knew if it would be better or worse than the old one.

 

So far, his teeth are perfect, btw.

[Mrs_JWM]

My 5.75-y-o sucks two fingers, and it has pulled her lower teeth out of center. Our dentist said the same thing about peer pressure and I also pointed out the homeschooling thing; he said don't bug her and don't Google dental problems! I'm hoping that when her bottom teeth fall out, the suction will be lost and it will stop...we'll see!

[LibraryLover]

That's was exactly where I was with it. My dd was adopted, and there was no way I was going to take that thumb away from her. When she was placed in my arms, she was calm, but seriously sucking away. :D That precious face... when she first smiled at us...broke out into a grin and lost her thumb. Etched in my memory forever and ever.

 

As for braces...none of my other children sucked their thumbs for a second...all needed/will need braces. We're dentally cursed here. lol

 

]

DS was very similar. I think it was a combo of other kids making comments (not really mean ones, just noticing) and the dentist mentioning it...he decided on his own to stop sucking his thumb when he was 7, and did it without a word of encouragement from us...we didn't realize he'd stopped until it was done. He was very proud of himself (as he should have been!)

 

I never dared do anything to try to get him to stop, because, particularly at that age, he had a lot of anxiety, and whenever one tic went away a new one would pop up to take its place...and we never knew if it would be better or worse than the old one.

 

So far, his teeth are perfect, btw.

[gingersmom]

He was 10.

 

He just stopped on his own (thankfully).

 

We tried socks on his hand but even that did not work. He was self motivated to stop and he did.

[creekmom]

Haven't read the other replies, but I think it boils down to finding something she wants MORE than her thumb.... for my dd, it was a Barbie. For every hour that went by that she kept her thumb out of her mouth, she got a dime to put in the "Barbie jar". I didn't stress her out by also requiring her to stop sucking before bed. It didn't take many days to break the habit. BTW, after she stopped sucking during the day, it wasn't long at all before she was able to stop at night also.

[twoxcell]

I have no thumb sucking children, but I was a thumb sucker until about age 7. My mom tried making me quit. She even tried that nasty finger paint stuff, and I would suck it anyways. By the way it taste like nail polish remover:tongue_smilie:. I went down to only doing it at night when I was like 5-6, and quite when I was 7 because I caught on that other kids would think it was babyish. My sister sucked her fingers until she was about 7 also.

[lionfamily1999]

I have three adult cousins who were all thumbsuckers. Two of them still do (30 and 26). The older one is craftier at it, he is rarely 'caught.' The younger one, unfortunatly, still pops it in when he's stressed.

 

The one that quit, did because of my dad. He stayed with us for the summer when he was 18. When we went over so he could visit with my parents my dad was shocked he was still sucking his thumb. Dad heckled the living daylights out of him and then gave him a corn cob pipe (which he still has) and told him, "For pity's sake, at least suck on something that makes you look like a man." Now, he sucks on the pipe when the urge strikes.

 

Not much help, I know, but a cautionary tale. My uncle wishes now he'd put his foot down when they were little.

[Wee Pip]

disclaimer: I haven't read all the replies:)

My dd was 3 when she quit sucking her thumb. It was less of an age thing, and more that she had a simultaneous thumb-hair attachment (her thumb - my hair). I didn't realize it at the time, but when I cut my hair short and said "no more hair" that meant the thumb would go, too. I didn't realize the two habits were connected.

[Jesi4891]

We have three thumb suckers...7,5, and 3. Thankfully my baby takes the pacifier. Glad to know I am not alone. We are working with my 7 y.o. to stop. Rewards, finger paint. Nothing has worked so far! Glad to know I am not alone.

[newbie]

No thumb sucking, but hair twirler. I am trying to break her of habit pre college.

[Sputterduck]

My 15 YR old still does it, so does my 10 yr old and my 9 month old. My dh thinks it's genetic, I sucked mine till I was a teenager:blushing: and so did he.

 

Do you have any teeth problems from that? I've seen such terrible problems with mouth formation from thumb sucking that I was terrified that my son would take it up as a habit.

[momofgmd]

Mine was 5 also, and I wasn't going to force her. She always sucked her thumb while rubbing her satin-edged blanket. I took her blankets away, and she stopped sucking her thumb. It was really easy... almost too easy, LOL! I did giver her blanket back when she had surgery for her broken arm(s), and by then, she didn't suck her thumb and just rubbed the satin. She still has her favorite blanket at 11. :)

 

I did the same thing with my oldest! I just took away her blanket (the one she always held while she sucked her thumb), and she didn't suck her thumb anymore.

[Janie Grace]

I HAD a five year old thumbsucker until one fine day when the American Girl catalog came in the mail. There was a page with a "slumber party" on it. One of the dolls had this strange looking metal contraption in her mouth. She asked what that was and I said it was a retainer of some sort that kids wear at night. She asked how your teeth get like that I told her that sometimes they just naturally do that and sometimes it was from sucking their thumb too long. She stopped sucking her thumb THAT day. Amazing what they can do with a little motivation.

 

This was like my dd. Around age 5, I explained that the longer you suck your thumb, the longer you have to have braces, and the more they hurt. (That may not be totally true but I think it represents the general idea of causality!) She is a very logical kid and stopped immediately.

 

OTOH, I have a kid who is NOT logical but very emotional and physical. He is about to turn 8 and still sucks when watching TV and at night. He doesn't seem to be motivated by ANYTHING. :001_huh: