Thumbsucking informationThumb sucking - What every parent should know Why thumb suck? Suckling is a reflex that is present as soon as a baby is born and lasts around about 4 months. A baby will suck anything placed in its mouth in this time and this helps during the first few months of breastfeeding. Thumb sucking however is believed to be a therapeutic and soothing practice and can begin from the time a fetus actually develops digits in the womb at about 15 months. Scientist have a range of theories but there is no solid explanation to why children thumb suck. Emotionally however it is believed that it makes a child feel secure, happy, and can even induce sleep. What is healthy when it comes to thumb sucking? Parents often worry that thumb sucking can cause their child permanent harm. This can be true, however as long as thumb sucking is stopped before their adult teeth start coming through, no lasting harm should occur. If you see any major shifting of teeth, consult a dentist. Most children stop thumb sucking between the ages of two and four, and if it continues to the age of six or seven (when ’big’ teeth come in) you should make efforts to break the child of the habit as this can cause permanent problems with skeletal development of the mouth and alignment of the teeth. If left unchecked, thumb sucking has been known to last well into adulthood How do I stop my child thumb sucking? -Pacifiers can cause the same problems as thumb sucking however children are often easier to wean off one. Try to make the switch well in advance of when you plan to try weaning. -Reward or praise the child for not sucking, try not to get angry when they do. Perhaps keep track of how many days they can go without and organise a particular event or activity when they reach various goals. -Get them involved. Often older children want to stop sucking as much as you want them to but the habit is so natural to them they do it sub-consciously. Ask them if they would like to try various techniques for example, ask them if you can temporarily sew shut their pyjama hands or if they could wear a sock over their hands at night. -Get the child to talk to a dentist. They will take it more seriously if the warning comes from an expert rather than the same mum that tells them that eating their crusts will turn their hair curly! This makes the consequences more real to them and they might be more eager to stop. -Go shopping with the child to buy some special gloves or mittens that they can wear. -Have toys available that will keep idle hands busy while watching TV etc. -Although expensive, if you are getting desperate, you can buy thumb/finger guards that kids can wear around all day. -If worse comes to worse you can get a dentist or paediatrician to prescribe the medication used to prevent nail biting. The medicine is painted onto the child’s nails and has a very bitter taste making it very unpleasant. -Most importantly, stay patient. It may take many tries to finally kick the habit, however nagging and fussing over it can have the opposite of the desired effect. 1 CommentFeedAdd Comment |
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Monday, 02 May 2011