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How can I get my daughter to stop sucking her thumb?
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amother
OP


 

Post Thu, Sep 17 2020, 2:45 pm
She's 4. She usually only sucks it at night which I'm kind of ok about. What bothers me the most is that she needs to mess with her (stunning long hair) when she's sucking so she wakes every morning with tangled, knotty hair! I'm having to spend a good few minutes every morning detangling it and putting it up in a pony. Either way she needs to stop at some point. Any tips please?
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rachelle613




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Sep 17 2020, 2:51 pm
We're going thought this too Smile try a nail polish to stop nail biting- it has a gross taste and should put off the thumb sucking, at least for a while.

We also talked about it a lot, especially since after a visit to the dentist where he mentioned she'll do serious damage if she keeps sucking. Offer her a prize to keep her going...its not an easy habit to stop!!!
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amother
Brown


 

Post Thu, Sep 17 2020, 2:52 pm
I started with nail polish on my DS's thumbs (at this point he was also only sucking at night). It's the polish that tastes disgusting (I tried it, it's horrible). I think I bought it on Amazon.

The first few nights, he had a very hard time falling asleep, and after that, there was no looking back.

Of course, lots of praise, and I would probably also buy a big prize for her if she keeps it up for x amount of days.

You also may want to offer some sort of stuffed animal or something for her to snuggle with instead of using her thumb as comfort.

Also keep in mind that during the night she may put her thumb in her mouth by mistake, so keep a water bottle next to her bed so she can wash out the taste.
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amother
OP


 

Post Thu, Sep 17 2020, 2:55 pm
rachelle613 wrote:
We're going thought this too Smile try a nail polish to stop nail biting- it has a gross taste and should put off the thumb sucking, at least for a while.

We also talked about it a lot, especially since after a visit to the dentist where he mentioned she'll do serious damage if she keeps sucking. Offer her a prize to keep her going...its not an easy habit to stop!!!


Thanks. I'd feel so bad to do that though! Maybe I'll wait until she's 5. She's only just started reception after being off school for 6 months so I'd wait.
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amother
Brown


 

Post Thu, Sep 17 2020, 3:26 pm
My dentist told us if you don't want permanent damage from thumb sucking, you have to stop it by age 4. Also, I think the older she'll get, the harder it will be. She's old enough to understand at this age. I say go for it.
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amother
Cerise


 

Post Thu, Sep 17 2020, 3:35 pm
Just realize that if she sucks her thumb and plays with her hair to self soothe, if you take away the thumb sucking she’s likely to play with her hair even more.
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amother
OP


 

Post Thu, Sep 17 2020, 4:03 pm
amother [ Brown ] wrote:
My dentist told us if you don't want permanent damage from thumb sucking, you have to stop it by age 4. Also, I think the older she'll get, the harder it will be. She's old enough to understand at this age. I say go for it.


Sad good luck to us! Thanks
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amother
OP


 

Post Thu, Sep 17 2020, 4:05 pm
amother [ Cerise ] wrote:
Just realize that if she sucks her thumb and plays with her hair to self soothe, if you take away the thumb sucking she’s likely to play with her hair even more.


It seems to go hand in hand but could be. Like she can't do one without the other but I guess we'll see. I can't cut her hair off, or her thumb for that matter! So I'll start with the root cause which is the thumb. Her speech isn't great either although its drastically improved lately bh.
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amother
Honeydew


 

Post Thu, Sep 17 2020, 7:33 pm
supplementing with NAC can help

Also maybe craniosacral vagus nerve work to help integrate the sucking reflex
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amother
Powderblue


 

Post Thu, Sep 17 2020, 7:37 pm
My daughter is 4 and also sucks her thumb at night. My dentist actually said we are OK until she starts getting in her adult teeth (around age 6). My daughter is not motivated at all to stop and I am just going to wait until her teeth start falling out to start working on it.
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amother
Silver


 

Post Thu, Sep 17 2020, 7:53 pm
My dd was able to stop permanently at 5. When we tried at 4 she regressed.

What helped:
Peer pressure - she realized it was babyish (I think most important)
Bitter Nail polish
Promised a major prize she really wanted. (At 4 that worked, but she went back to sucking soon after).
Wearing gloves on her hands a lot - especially at night and bedtime.
Wrapping something around her finger when not wearing a glove like rubber band or string so the feeling reminded her to stop.
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amother
Lilac


 

Post Thu, Sep 17 2020, 7:57 pm
My daughter didn’t stop ducking her thumb until she was 11 years old and I think I caught her one day with her thumb in her mouth and she’s over 18 Can't Believe It we tried everything when she was younger. Hopefully your daughter stops soon!
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amother
Bronze


 

Post Thu, Sep 17 2020, 11:13 pm
I still suck my thumb! Anyone else?!
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amother
OP


 

Post Fri, Sep 18 2020, 2:51 am
amother [ Lilac ] wrote:
My daughter didn’t stop ducking her thumb until she was 11 years old and I think I caught her one day with her thumb in her mouth and she’s over 18 Can't Believe It we tried everything when she was younger. Hopefully your daughter stops soon!


Oy! At least you did what you could.
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amother
OP


 

Post Fri, Sep 18 2020, 2:51 am
amother [ Bronze ] wrote:
I still suck my thumb! Anyone else?!


My Aunt does apparently but not in public, only at night.
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amother
Salmon


 

Post Fri, Sep 18 2020, 3:21 am
I stopped myself at age 11 when I realised it’s gross.

But im just wondering what the dentist is concerned about- I have never needed any orthodontic treatment- what other permanent damage could they mean?
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FranticFrummie




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Sep 18 2020, 6:11 am
amother [ Bronze ] wrote:
I still suck my thumb! Anyone else?!


We had this thread several years back, and I was amazed at how many grown women admitted that they still suck their thumb every night. Apparently their husbands aren't bothered by it at all!

I'm not going to judge. I still sleep with a stuffed animal, and I'm 55.

(I tell everyone it's for back support, which is somewhat partially true. Wink )
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piece




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Sep 18 2020, 6:25 am
I tried when my girls were around 7 yrs old & bribed them with earrings. BH it worked
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Elfrida




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Sep 18 2020, 6:42 am
I think that bitter tasting nail polish helps as a reminder if someone wants to stop, but won't make them stop otherwise. My mother tried using it, and I would suck intensively for a few minutes until the flavour wore off, and then go back to my regular habits. When I wanted to stop, I stopped without any external aids.

To solve the hair problem, how about braiding her hair at night? If it is long, it might be more comfortable than having hair all over the place, and it will only take a minute to brush out in the morning.
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amother
OP


 

Post Fri, Sep 18 2020, 11:59 am
piece wrote:
I tried when my girls were around 7 yrs old & bribed them with earrings. BH it worked


That's good. My dd has earrings already but I guess something else may work in the future when she is a little older. Gives me hope. Thanks
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