thumb sucking

bridget0117 · December 2013

How do you feel about it?

sgautschi · December 2013

I don't see anything wrong with it as long as the child is still showing independence, it's not always in the kids mouth and it's not impacting their teeth development.

PandPMeant2B · December 2013

I did it til I was in kindergarten (and then only at night for a year or so after that), despite all the things my parents did to make me stop (gross tasting nail polish, telling me I was going to have buck teeth, etc.). I was the only one out of 4 kids in my family to do it and I just so happen to be the only one who DIDN'T need braces.. If a child is going to do it there's not much you can do to stop it. They will stop when they are ready, IMO.

bridget0117 · December 2013

Isis has began thumb sucking. I try removing it and giving her a pacifier but she hates the paci. She used to only suck her fingers to show she's hungry but now she kinda uses it to fall asleep.

I'm just kinda scared that I won't be able to stop it later.

Maybe I'm over thinking it lol she's only 3 months.

bridget0117 · December 2013

@pandpmeant2b. That's true. I guess I just worry since none of my nephews did it nor do I remember doing it and being a first time mom I worry I won't be able to stop it.

SILs son does it and he's like 6 I think. They can't get him to stop and I worry DD will have teeth problems later on.

cinderin · December 2013

My sister and I were both thumb suckers with no interest in paci.

DS is not interested in a paci. He sticks his thumb/fingers in his mouth, be he is teething. Not sure if he will be a thumb sucker or not.

If he wants to, it is ok with me.

Dh and I both had braces, so he is screwed genetically on that already.

bridget0117 · December 2013

@cinderin how old is your LO? Sorry I can't remember.

bridget0117 · December 2013

Yeah I guess I'm not gonna worry anymore. She's only 3 months and only does it when she is tired. I just wanted some input from other moms

Thanks ladies

alexisanna44 · December 2013

Lucy sucks her thumb to go to sleep. For now it's fine. My plan is to make sure she doesn't do it more than that and hopefully she will naturally no longer use it to fall asleep.

PandPMeant2B · December 2013

I did it to self-soothe. I also hooked my index finger around my nose while I was sucking my thumb (I bet I looked pretty darn cute, actually!) and had no problems with my teeth or my nose. That could be more the exception than the rule, but, either way, I agree that it's probably too early for you to be worried about it.

cinderin · December 2013

bridget0117 said:
@cinderin how old is your LO? Sorry I can't remember.

He is 20 weeks/4.5 months. He got one tooth at 4 months (for real).

But this has been his behavior pretty much his whole life.

Venti29 · December 2013

E is a thumb sucker, I'm okay with it. Self soothing. V will SCREAM for a binki.

Whippet8 · December 2013

ehhh whatever. I sucked my thumb. I got over it. I also had braces. Not necessarily from that.

bobcee · December 2013

I used to think it was the devil, but neither of my kids would take a pacifier. Delilah never sucked her thumb though, but would need me to put/nurse her to sleep all the time. You could never lay her down drowsy, she needed to be totally out. Zack however, sucks his thumb to self soothe when he's trying to sleep sometimes. I'm ok with that now because it makes it way easier for me.

bridget0117 · December 2013

@cinderin, wow tooth at 4 months was that rough?

bridget0117 · December 2013

But yeah I'm okay with it now. I just didn't know to much about it lol.

@bobcee, oh I bet a paci is much easier. Nursing for comfort must be hard.

Thanks for all the input ladies

MRads · December 2013

How can this be anything but cute!

liall09 · December 2013

A's a big thumb sucker when she's going to sleep. Since she mainly uses it to self-sooth to fall asleep or go back to sleep in the MOTN, we're fine with it. We were lucky in that when she discovered her thumb, she started STTN. She doesn't use a paci.

vitan · December 2013

When I caught DD doing it when she was an infant, I freaked. I'd rather her not suck her thumb but purely for selfish reasons. I sucked my thumb longer than I care to admit. It was a bad habit to break and I was given so much heat from my family growing up. She never did take up sucking her thumb so it was a moot point but if I had caught her doing it, I probably would have tried distracting her from doing it.

brij2006 · December 2013

I too sucked my thumb as a child, and like @vitan it lasted for longer than I care to admit. But I never needed braces, and never had any issues from it. Except being made fun of by family for it.

But if she only does it in certain situations, then I wouldn't be concerned.

cinderin · December 2013

bridget0117 said:

@cinderin, wow tooth at 4 months was that rough?

if I am being super honest - we didn't know until we *saw* the tooth.

I didn't get a tooth until after my first birthday, so I wasn't looking for one.

He has basically been "teething" his whole life. Lots of chewing and drooling. We would say "it seems like he is teething" but dismiss it because it seemed too early.

Also (still being super honest) he is a fussy/high maintenance baby. so sometimes he is just plain fussy.

AND it was my first week of work/his first week of daycare - so we were all adjusting.

ahhhh... motherhood!

thumb sucking

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