The thumb sucking habit is a very common one and many kids put their thumbs or fingers in their mouth or a pacifier. As many kids have this habit, there are double the number of people, telling parents what a horrible habit it is. I have been a parent, who went through this phase so I know the kind of questions and doubts that arise in the mind of a parent. Let us talk about the different aspects of thumb sucking habit in a child and the debate around it.
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Our Story
When Little Miss A turned 4 months old, she suddenly started developing the thumb sucking habit. From putting her thumb and hand to her mouth, she went on to putting her two fingers in her mouth and it became a big problem from that point.
Everyone who saw her including family told me what a bad habit she was developing. I tried my best to keep her hand away, made her wear gloves or mittens and holding her hand, but there was no success. This started the big debate on the thumb sucking habit in my life.
When I went to her pediatrician for her next checkup and vaccination, I mentioned to him hoping to get a solution. His answer stumped me. He asked us to not force her to stop the habit. This is good for her and she will leave it on her till she is 4 years old, if not earlier. And if she does, there are ways to handle it, but leave it for now.
(You may like to read our post, How to Choose a Pediatrician for Your Baby)
The Thumb Sucking Habit
Once we were back from the pediatrician, I was convinced that I will not force Little Miss A, but there was a battle to be fought to convince others. I remember reading up a lot and then we just let her be. People had issues and we got a lot of advice, but we had decided to do what the doctor had said.
Many experts say that it is natural for babies to suck their thumbs or habit. Some develop the thumb sucking habit in the womb and continue to do so later as well. Parents fret that this will carry on later in life and pose problems. What we need to keep in mind is that we have to first handle the present. There are some things that parents should know thumb sucking before they get stressed.
Things to Know About The Thumb Sucking Habit
It is Normal
It is normal for babies to suck their thumbs or fingers because sucking is a natural reaction for them. All babies get their food by sucking and thus, this is a reflect action for them. For a funny take on thumb and finger sucking from a kid’s perspective, you must read this lovely post by Surbhi Rastogi.
Good for Breastfeeding
As the babies develop the skill to suck it helps in breastfeeding as well. Babies start the thumb sucking habit within a few weeks of being born, and thus, this assists in natural breastfeeding.
Calms the Baby
As my pediatrician had told us, the thumb sucking habit is the child’s way to self soothe and this has a lot of benefits in their growth. The thumb or the fingers are always available and the sucking calms them down. The sucking action is soothing for them. Sucking always does not mean they are hungry as babies suck as ‘non-nutritive sucking’ helps them in calming.
Psychological Benefits
The habit of sucking thumb or fingers has psychological advantages for the babies and helps in their growth. Some of the benefits are:
- Keeps the baby secure and happy
- Helps in coping with separation and toddler anxiety
- Helps them to sleep on their own
As far as Miss A was concerned, she started sleeping through the night when she was four months old and when she woke up at night she went back to sleep on her own. Yes, she sucked her fingers but she did sleep better.
(You may like to read our post, 6 Tips to Handle Anxiety in Toddlers)
When and How to Stop the Thumb Sucking Habit
The thumb sucking habit is said to be natural reflex by the American Dental Association but they also say that this should be discouraged by the age of 4. Beyond this it has can affect the teeth alignment and also the thumb or the fingers.
We started telling Miss A about she needed to stop when she turned 3. We combined this with getting rid of diapers and told her she was a big girl now. It took time and we also had to apply a bitter liquid for 2 days, but she stopped in a few days and it was not so tough.
For parents struggling with the habit, I will list some ways which help.
- Talk to the child about the thumb sucking habit and why is it bad. We spoke about germs and fingers and teeth getting spoilt. She did not stop it, but it definitely rung the bell.
- Videos and books also have affect. YouTube has many videos which the child can see and these help them understand the disadvantages.
- Bad tasting nail paint is what worked at the end of all the motivation talks and praise charts. She was somewhere convinced that she had to leave the habit but was doing more out of an addiction. When the fingers tasted bad, she stopped in two days thinking, ‘the fingers are bitter on their own as I am a big girl’.
- Stickers and praise works for almost everything with kids and the thumb sucking habit is no exception.
- With Miss A she sucked her fingers more when she watched TV or was sleeping or was bored. Distracting her at these times was a good idea. Sleep was something I did not focus more on, but the other two times decreased the intensity and also helped her in getting less addicted.
- There are finger and thumb fingers covers available which are known to help. Our dentist had recommended the ones by T Guard but as they were not available in India, I never used them.
- When the child starts play school, the teachers talking to them has a lot of impact.
(You may like to read our post, Is Your Baby Already 2 Years Old)
Conclusion
Many parents struggle and none of the above work. My suggestion from my experience is start working on the thumb sucking habit when the child is 2-3 years old, and if they still do it at 4, you should take medical help. There are other ways as well which doctors can suggest.
The habit at a point can get irritating, but always remember it has benefits. Some parents prefer to use a pacifier as that is easier to get rid of. Each child is different and the way to handle them is different too. Kids have different habits which are weird, and this is not the only one. You can read about more strange habits here.
As parents, never feel guilty and this does not reflect on your parenting. Never set unrealistic expectations and using force will make it worse. Remember, it is like an addiction and will take time and most kids will let go of the habit on their own. So relax and go with the flow.
Great post Arushi and you had explained different aspects of thumb sucking so well in this post. I think as a caring parent, we often over react on minor issues..sometimes things get sorted on their own at suitable times. my little one had a nail biting habit, when she was 2 and I got so anxious..we had done some creative efforts like keep her busy in different things and slowly she had left this habit. and I think same thing applies to thumb sucking as well and most of the kids left it till age 4..in complex cases, taking medical advice is best step.
Completely agree with you. Thanks for reading and i am so glad you like the post
My both kids have never done thumb sucking but my daughter who is 9 year old has habit of putting anything in mouth like remote,clothes,pencil
I am sure she will outgrow it soon. Thanks for reading
Yes your Paediatrician is right buddy sucking is a natural pacifier for them and they outgrow it appropriately when the tome comes
Yes my daughter stopped when she was 3. Thanks for reading and I am glad you like the post
A very detailed and informative post on thumb sucking habit. I recently read in a psychology text book that according to one specific researcher thumb sucking is one way of babies providing sexual pleasure to themselves.Bizarre!
Oh that is really bizarre. never heard of it. Thanks for reading 🙂
I guess one should not fret about it in the initial years. However, may become a reason for concern when the child grows up. Don’t worry Miss A will soon outgrow this habit
She already left it last year. That is why i say dont fret they all leave the habit. If not there is medical help. Thanks for reading
Very interesting post Arushi. Wasn’t aware that thumb sucking had benefits too!
Haha you wont till your child does it and your doc said not to stop it. 😉
Very informative post Arushi. My son took the soother to sleep till quite recently. Once he turned 4, we told him he was to old to do it now and he gave it up almost overnight!
That works a lot of times with kids and eventually they all leave the habit. Thanks for reading
A must read for Moms who worry about this habit. Informative post.
Thank you so much. 🙂
Both my kiddos never did thumb sucking. But your post was was really very detailed. its good that that you pointed out its positive and negatives and talked about when it is alarming for the parents.
Thanks Alpana. Glad your kids did not do this. Thanks for reading
This is such a relatable post to most parents. I remember how my mom struggled with my sis thumbsucking habit. Luckily my daughter didn’t get this
Its a struggle for parents but we do not need to fret till a certain stage 🙂
So informative post-Arushi, Thumb sucking habit is very common among kids, I have seen my sister’s efforts to make my niece left-hand sucking, my mom use to apply bitter gourd juice on her thumb and finally, my niece get rid of this, the funny and strange part is now bitter gourd is her fav veggie,
Haha i know of few kids who develop a taste for the bitter medicine and bitter gourd. Hope she managed to get rid off the habit
A very detailed and well-researched post on thumb sucking. I had this habit in my childhood and always had fear for my kids but fortunately, both my kiddos didn’t have this fetish and I was surprised too. It’s a common habit among kids as they want to have everything in their mouth the best sense they explore in their age. Must read for moms struggling over this.
Yes moms worry a lot. I hope my post can help some. Thanks for reading 🙂
They by themselves get out of the habit once they see other kids, Very informative post! Thanks for sharing
Glad you found the post helpful. Thanks for reading
I didn’t know this habit had benefits. I always thought it was bad in terms of hygiene. Thanks for sharing this information. 🙂
Thanks. Glad you like the post 🙂
Well-compiled post Arushi. You have covered all aspects of it. My kids too sucked their fingers during initial months but they soon outgrew this habit once they were a year old. Informative post.
Wow you are lucky they left it in a year. Thanks for reading
Thanks for informative post. Actually i use to sleep with thumb in mouth till age of 5 but my son left sucking at younger age. It definitely is calming for babies.
Thanks for reading 🙂
[…] suggest to not force the babies to leave the habit as it has many benefits. My post on When and How to Stop the Thumb Sucking Habit is a very helpful for parents who have kids who suck thumbs or […]