Tess in the Burbs Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 I have tried since my son was 3 to get him to stop. He's 7 now and you can't see some of his front top teeth b/c he has pushed his gums out of whack from thumb sucking. I tried to get his friend to tease him about it, but he refused:lol: So he has bottom adult teeth coming in. I had a dentist promise a device years ago but we moved. So two more dentists said to wait. I was told this time she would do it. ugh, now she says the molars need to come in first and then she will do a device. yet he is now affected by this. he has a horrible smile. so he rarely smiles now. he hates his teeth. :-( since the 5 year old also sucks her thumb I thought a little group effort would be better. here's what we are doing.... both kids wear a bandaid in the day to remind them not to suck their thumbs. at night it's duct tape or the thumb guard(but my son can pull his thumb out no matter how tight it is). my dd(5) has gone 2 nights!!! my son only 1. So how long do you think it will take for them to truly stop? is it like a baby and the pacifier? (that took 3 days to wean my son off and honestly I regret it now) how long do I keep taping it? Trying to figure out how long to keep an eye on it...especially at night. I hate duct taping my kids :001_huh: their reward is a night at the Great Wolf Lodge with the first one getting $25. although my son prefers a $100 prize I think the water park is better so we can all celebrate. anyone get their older child to stop? how long until they truly no longer did it? I notice both kids putting other fingers in their mouth during the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SquirrellyMama Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 I don't have any advice but I can sympathize with you. I have a 5 year old who has just started sucking his thumb. He said it makes him babyish. I think he misses being the baby. He hasn't been the baby for almost 4 years now. I'd like to know how to get him to stop before he screws up his teeth too. Kelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafiki Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 (edited) My oldest was 9 when he finally stopped. Late, I know, but we had al lot of family turmoil with other priorities. Basically we worked with him to determine what the triggers were and figured out alternate behaviors to deal with those triggers. I didn't do any kind of reward or anything, but just worked with him on why this needed to stop and how to deal with it. It took about six months with me reminding him and talking with him about it, but it ended. I was very loving and supportive the whole time, and he told me some years later that he appreciated how gentle I was. Prior to that we did the band-aids and yucky tasting stuff on his thumb, but I'm afraid that we weren't real consistent. Edited January 7, 2009 by GVA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twinmom Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 My 9 yr old DD had so much trouble sucking her thumb that she was changing the shape of her mouth. Her orthodontist put a special applicance on her upper teeth that stretched over her palate and made it almost impossible to suck her fingers. Nearly 6 months later, she's cured! It comes out next month, I believe. Cost was around $250. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted January 7, 2009 Author Share Posted January 7, 2009 yes, well, we don't have dental insurance. trying to change that this year. his mouth has changed shape. his gums in front aren't straight across anymore. :-( not for lack of trying. he liked the stuff you paint on the nails he can get out of the Thumb Guard, even when we used zip ties that don't stretch... tape he can pull off I regret weaning the paci but at this point I just need him to stop! we have other issues too. he may have that surgery next month to correct his p*n*s opening. so there are potty problems. and I did have a dentist tell me a thumb was better than what he will probably put in his mouth if I weaned him.....that people who have a sucking habit so strong always have it. *sigh* thanks...I am going to call the orthodontist and ask about a free consult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmkclscroggins Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 We had the same problem except it was her middle two fingers. I think she was about 7. There is an appliance that the dentist can put in the roof of their mouth. It has some prong things that makes it uncomfortable if they try to suck their fingers. I don't remember it being terribly expensive. I don't remember if insurance covered it though. She wore this appliance for about 3 months and never sucked her fingers again. You can't see it unless they lift their head. Hope this helps! Melissa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 7yo is late? I thought we were going to be discussing teens. Don't feel bad about a 7yo. I know someone who is 29 yo and still sucks at night. :iagree: I have a friend who says she sometimes *still* wakes up with her thumb in her mouth. She's in her 50s.:blink: Hope you can get the appliance thingie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 I gave my boys something else to suck during the day. That seemed to slowly change their night-time habits too. We used these. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkacademy Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 WOW I wish you the best of luck I thought my daughter was late in losing the paci at 4. I really hope you can get this under control but making fun of?? I don't think shame and humiliation is a great idea. I am sure it will all work itself out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 This is not going to be what you wanted tyo hear. I am posting as an adult who sucked her thumb into double digits. All efforts, even those that were "encouraging" to help me stop backfired into a larger need. When they finally gave up, I stopped. It wasn't defiance or obstinance. The kind of role thumb sucking played in my life was routine, habit and comfort; I needed those *more* under stress and anxiety which pressure to quit created. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 I sucked my thumb until I was 9. Everything my parents did to make me stop did not work. I became a closet thumb sucker. They had me wear mittens to sleep, bandaid on my thumb, shaming me. Shame was a big one for them. It only made me feel worse and made the habit worse. Truthfully, I can't even tell you why I finally stopped but it was probably when my parents stopped harassing me about it. I hope you were only kidding about asking his friend to tease because that seems downright mean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 I have tried since my son was 3 to get him to stop. He's 7 now and you can't see some of his front top teeth b/c he has pushed his gums out of whack from thumb sucking. I tried to get his friend to tease him about it, but he refused:lol: So he has bottom adult teeth coming in. I had a dentist promise a device years ago but we moved. So two more dentists said to wait. I was told this time she would do it. ugh, now she says the molars need to come in first and then she will do a device. yet he is now affected by this. he has a horrible smile. so he rarely smiles now. he hates his teeth. :-( since the 5 year old also sucks her thumb I thought a little group effort would be better. here's what we are doing.... both kids wear a bandaid in the day to remind them not to suck their thumbs. at night it's duct tape or the thumb guard(but my son can pull his thumb out no matter how tight it is). my dd(5) has gone 2 nights!!! my son only 1. So how long do you think it will take for them to truly stop? is it like a baby and the pacifier? (that took 3 days to wean my son off and honestly I regret it now) how long do I keep taping it? Trying to figure out how long to keep an eye on it...especially at night. I hate duct taping my kids :001_huh: their reward is a night at the Great Wolf Lodge with the first one getting $25. although my son prefers a $100 prize I think the water park is better so we can all celebrate. anyone get their older child to stop? how long until they truly no longer did it? I notice both kids putting other fingers in their mouth during the day. --not reading other replies -- I have no advice from the parental side. . . But, I know what "device" they are talking about. Or, at least when I was 8 I learned it well. (Hopefully, they changed their techniques.) The device I was given was similar to an upper retainer. It had a wire that slanted down and forward. It did not interfere with anything, like your tongue, unless you tried to put a thumb in your mouth. Effectively "poking" yourself each and every time. It hurt and I remember crying a lot. At 7, your child may be able to hear / understand this viewpoint and suddenly come up with the willpower to control himself at least during the day. And, it's the reason why, as cute as they were as babes, when my babes first started sucking their thumbs, they had pacifiers popped in real quick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaof2andtwins Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 I have had FOUR thumb suckers. Yep, that's right all four of mine sucked their thumbs. The first one stopped just prior to turning 10 on his own. The second one stopped just after she turned 7 after a visit to the dentist. Apparently that motivated her. The twins stopped when they were six as one of them was in need of orthodontia. This is how we did it. We set up an incentive chart. The chart was to go back to the orthodonistist at the end of 30 days. For every day that there was no thumb sucking they got a smiley face. If there was a day were they sucked their thumb, they got a frowny face and we had to start counting all over again. The goal was 30 days with no frowny faces. If you got one you had to go back to the beginning. They also picked out a reward for going 30 days. We set this up on day 1. The other thing is that the reward for going 30 days must be something that can be taken away if they go back to thumb sucking. So, going to MacDonald's, having a friend over, going to the park, are not good rewards. It needs to be something tangible and meaningful. So, a new game, a doll, a toy, etc. would all be appropriate. One tip we were given was to put an ace bandage around the elbow of the arm with the thumb they suck. This reminds them when they are about to put the thumb in their mouth that they should not be doing that. It gets it before the thumb actually enters the mouth. Another thing my girls did on their own was to bury their hand under their pillows before they went to sleep to keep them from putting their thumbs in their mouths. This worked well with my daughters. Some kids need more time and more persistance. That is why the tangible rewards are so important. I hope this helps some. Jennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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