Help me end the thumb sucking!

[okiedokiemama]

Anyone have some advice on how to get my 4 year old to quit sucking his thumb? He started sucking his thumb a year ago when he went through a bout of bad dreams and waking up at night. It went from him just sucking at night to sooth himself I think, to now every time I turn around he has his thumb in his mouth.
So far I have tried limiting the thumb sucking to bed only, if he wants to suck then he has to go lay down in bed. That didn't work because he started just hiding to suck his thumb.
I have tried distracting him when I catch him sucking, giving him something to do with his hands. So he did everything one handed with his thumb still in his mouth.
I have tried charts with rewards for not sucking his thumb, he could care less, he can't be bribed.
I have tried having him wear mittens when I catch him sucking, but that is like punishment and I hate to punish him for it. I am just out of ideas of what to try, I know he will eventually quit, right? But I really want to encourage him to quit now, Jordan watches him do it and now she is starting to put her fingers in her mouth and I'm worried she will start with it too. Neither of them were thumb suckers as infants, they both took a binky and gave that up when they were a little over a year old.
Any advice? I'm worried he is messing his teeth up, he already has a pretty good sized overbite. Help me stop the sucking!

[Rhonnie]

Cameron is my only thumb sucker. He took a paci til he was 4 months and then he gave that up for his thumb. He's 4 and still sucks his thumb but only when he's very tired. When I see him do it I just casually push his finger out of his mouth or just quietly say "Cameron take your thumb out of your mouth" and leave it at that. I don't make a big deal about it.
I haven't really pushed hard. Each dental check up I make sure that it isn't affecting his teeth/bite and it isn't so I don't push really hard.

[Miles]

I cant help because mine only does it at night time and is only 8 mos old. But Ill let you know what my dad did with my sister, and please dont look down on him. He put hot sauce on her thumb. She did stop sucking it. After trying everything in the book, he decided to take things into his own hands and it did work. Im not saying do it but letting you what he did. Good luck hun.

[redrage]

4 isn't too early to work some science into it. We are talkin GERMS! AUGHHHHHHHHHHHHH. All kinds of really cool kids books on them. Make up a bottle of "germ killer" (a cap of ammonia to a 16 ounce bottle of water, with your favorite color food coloring for affect) Label the bottle that you must be 4 or older to use it. Label "Must not get into your mouth" Get the hand sanitizer too. I promise it tastes like crap. But it helps kill the bad guys. Before you know it, you will have a cleaner kid, cleaner house, and one less fist hanging off the face of that beautiful boy! Great time to instill lifetime hygiene and cleanliness habits! Good luck!!!

[kmleo07]

they sell a nail polish called thumb at the drug stores you may have to special order it. i have heard it works.

[Rhonnie]

I cant help because mine only does it at night time and is only 8 mos old. But Ill let you know what my dad did with my sister, and please dont look down on him. He put hot sauce on her thumb. She did stop sucking it. After trying everything in the book, he decided to take things into his own hands and it did work. Im not saying do it but letting you what he did. Good luck hun.

My parents did the with my sister. She sucked her fingers. It didn't phase her! She went to the fridge, held out her fingers and said "smore".

4 isn't too early to work some science into it. We are talkin GERMS! AUGHHHHHHHHHHHHH. All kinds of really cool kids books on them. Make up a bottle of "germ killer" (a cap of ammonia to a 16 ounce bottle of water, with your favorite color food coloring for affect) Label the bottle that you must be 4 or older to use it. Label "Must not get into your mouth" Get the hand sanitizer too. I promise it tastes like crap. But it helps kill the bad guys. Before you know it, you will have a cleaner kid, cleaner house, and one less fist hanging off the face of that beautiful boy! Great time to instill lifetime hygiene and cleanliness habits! Good luck!!!

Don't use sanitizers with alcohol!

[merandus]

my mom tried hotsauce with my brother, and soap..didnt work though..i cant offer advice on this cause my kids dont do it. but i know my brother did for a very long time..

[Snangel]

All right I am slowly going to walk out of my closet.....I still suck my thumb....I only do it when I am sleeping though, so it is not something I can control...please don't make fun of me, it's not funny. I stopped sucking my thumb during the day when I went to school, so peer pressure works for sure. Have you asked him why he sucks him thumb...perhaps he does it for comfort and you can replace it with something else...or he still has suckling needs, I like straws as they give me the same effect...mittens don't work, I would just take them off in my sleep, the nail polish didn't work, it only tastes bad for a minute...hot sauce same thing...Maybe try a straw, or sippy cup, it may give him what he is looking for...or tell him my crazy story....btw...my teeth are perfect, always have been, so i don't know that suckling causes tooth problems, my dentist knows my secret, and obviously thinks it's weird, offered me a bite thing to go in my mouth, but I would just yank it out....anyhow I'm ramling now cause i am kinda nervuous about hitting the submit button....

[Rhonnie]

Ya know, the next person that says to me "well he won't be sucking his thumb when he goes to college" I won't listen to. ;)
I think we all do something or another that soothes.
I tend to rock myself in bed at night, lol. Used to drive DH nuts when we had a waterbed :D

My best friend's little girl is C's age and she sucks her thumb also, her teeth were starting to mess up with it a little. I wonder if it's just dental genetics that make more of a dif.

[momof2stepmomof3]

they sell a nail polish called thumb at the drug stores you may have to special order it. i have heard it works.

I'll tell ya my story. I sucked my thumb until I was 13. YEAH I said 13 years old. My mom and dad bought the stuff that they put on my thumb and I kept on sucking it. :toofunny: I would seriously suck my thumb and twist my hair. My whole family made fun of me and lauged at me calling me a thumbsucker. They tried everything and it was only when they stopped I stopped. It was a security thing for me. I am 24 now and have no overbite. My teeth are straight. I do still twist my hair when I am upset or bored. I can't tell ya what to do maybe just keep trying to disencourage it.
~~~~~~~
All right I am slowly going to walk out of my closet.....I still suck my thumb....I only do it when I am sleeping though, so it is not something I can control...please don't make fun of me, it's not funny. I stopped sucking my thumb during the day when I went to school, so peer pressure works for sure. Have you asked him why he sucks him thumb...perhaps he does it for comfort and you can replace it with something else...or he still has suckling needs, I like straws as they give me the same effect...mittens don't work, I would just take them off in my sleep, the nail polish didn't work, it only tastes bad for a minute...hot sauce same thing...Maybe try a straw, or sippy cup, it may give him what he is looking for...or tell him my crazy story....btw...my teeth are perfect, always have been, so i don't know that suckling causes tooth problems, my dentist knows my secret, and obviously thinks it's weird, offered me a bite thing to go in my mouth, but I would just yank it out....anyhow I'm ramling now cause i am kinda nervuous about hitting the submit button....


I don't judge mama. I sucked mine till I was 13 and I still twist my hair literally until I can hear it breaking.

[okiedokiemama]

Well we have started trying to teach him about germs, especially since all 3 of my kids have RSV and rare just starting to get over it. We had several talks about how sucking his thumb can make him sick and catch a cold and how it is really important for him to remember to try and not suck his thumb.
It is helping some, I don't have to say anything when I catch him sucking now, he look sat me and says "I know, don't suck your thumb because it can make you sick and catch a cold so don't suck your thumb". It is pretty cute when he says it. So Im hoping we are getting somewhere and he will at least cut back on sucking.

[rJ6mommy]

My advice is let the kid suck his thumb. Me and my two brothers sucked our thumb or fingers untill we were 13ish too. The doctor said it is genetic and my daughter suckes her thumb too. The dentist said not to worry much about it alot of these kids have genetically bad teeth already andthe thumb sucking is not that bad. Not good ither. No matter what crap my parents put on my thumb I did not stop it is a habit i had to break on my own. Would you take you childs blankie or teddy away that is what a thumb is to thumb suckers. A thumb is never lost so less crying as a baby a binkie baby cries when the binkie falls out.

[AmyMarie]

I have no idea Jen, just wanted to say I know how you feel in a different aspect! Andrew didnt start sucking on a passy until he was almost 2! We never had them in the house until Gabe and I still catch him with a passy several times a day and he turned 4 in October. I have no clue- I have bribed,explained,hid them, put him in time out... I'm about to take Gabe off of them just so I can throw them all away and not have to worry about it anymore lol! But you can't take away his thumbs so I have no idea!!

[okiedokiemama]

Ah, yes someone who shares my frustrations! lol! I think the fact that Isaac didn't start sucking his thumb until he was 3 years old really bothers me, he did fine comforting himself before that with other things and then all of a sudden he was so attached to his thumb it was crazy. It really does seem to be messing up his teeth too which is driving me nuts, he has a top tooth that is really crooked now and his overbite looks worse to me, like maybe it is pulling his teeth forward a little or something. I really try and not let on how much it bothers me because I don't want him to be too bothered by it, I do want him to quit though. Oh how I wish it were a binky I could just throw away! I don't care if he sucks in his sleep, it is the sucking all day that I want to stop. I am pretty darn sure he is the one who caught RSV and gave it to all the rest of us and I imagine he got it from sucking his thumb after touching something contaminated. I don't want to go through that again.

[AmyMarie]

I just put Andrew down for a nap and AGAIN he had Gabe's passy. Gabe has had a passy from day 1 and he has got a really bad overbite. And his teeth are all crooked but Matt has bad teeth and so Im sure he got them from Matt. I dunno, maybe put bandaids on the ends of his thumb LOL Im really just kidding, I have no clue on things to try!

[urchin_grey]

Well, my 3.5yo still has a pacifier and his teeth are still perfect (and I have horrible teeth, but I never sucked my thumb or took a pacifier) so I don't really believe the "thumbsucking causes crooked teeth" thing.

Maybe make a rule that he has to go wash his hands before he puts his thumb in his mouth? I'm betting it would become more trouble that its worth and would at least cut down on it some.

[Shaineinok]

I don't know. Hailey sucks her fingers and she is four also. I can't seem to break her of it and i have tried and tried, and tried. She took a passy till she was three months old found her fingers and never took another. Non of my others took a passy or sucked on there fingers.