How to prevent baby from sucking thumb

Thumb Sucking In Infants – Reasons & Ways To Stop It?

Ever had your infant aggressively suck their thumb for no apparent reason? Or are you the parent of a kid who unwittingly sucks his thumb? You may wonder if it is safe and hygienic for babies to suck their thumb and how to make them stop this habit. Below we’ll discuss why they do what they do and how you can help them kick the habit.

Is the Habit of Thumb Sucking Normal in Babies?

The act of thumb sucking is natural and there are many kids out there who do the same. In fact, some ultrasounds reveal that the act of thumb sucking may start in the womb!

Why Do Babies Suck Their Thumb and How Long Does It Last?

There could be numerous reasons for a baby sucking their thumb. From beating away boredom to keeping anxiety at bay, it helps your child cope with the environment. While many parents look down upon it, it is actually an act of emotional maturity. It is a sign that the child is asserting independence. Rather than crying or seeking you out, they have used their own resources to adapt to their surroundings.

There is no right answer for the duration of thumb sucking as every child is different. As a rule of thumb (no pun intended), most kids stop it on their own after they are five years old.

Can Thumb Sucking Cause Any Problems?

During infancy, thumb sucking isn’t a problem. In fact, it gives you as a parent enough breathing room to pursue other activities. There are some misconceptions such as the belief that thumb sucking can cause speech disabilities. This is nothing but an unsubstantiated claim without any facts to prove it.

However, thumb sucking starts becoming a problem later as the child’s milk teeth begin to fall off. One of the thumb sucking effects includes its potential to interrupt the correct alignment of the teeth. It can also lead to an oral fixation later in life where they may replace the thumb with cigarettes, alcohol or binge eating.

When Should Parents Intervene?

As the main danger of thumb sucking is improper teeth alignment, parents should intervene when their kids begin to get their permanent teeth. The best solution is to follow a wait and watch approach. If they have not grown out of the habit even after they are no longer infants, you can use subtle ways to try to wean them away from the habit.

Effective Ways to Stop Thumb Sucking In Infants

Here is a list of approaches that can be used to kick the habit:

Don’t Be Harsh: One of the biggest mistakes that parents make is getting upset about thumb sucking. As the behaviour is prompted due to anxiety, adding negativity is only going to increase the stress level for the infant.

Finding Their Own Path: Most infants eventually grow out of the habit without any intervention being needed.

Distractions: Find out when your baby starts sucking on his thumb. These should help you identify the triggers for thumb sucking, such as watching television or being left alone in a room. You could distract your child using words or actions when you are in the room. In case you need to go out of your baby’s field of vision, get a toy that you know would keep him engaged.

Talk to Them: Use baby-talk to help him understand that thumb sucking isn’t good for them. Though it may seem like a futile exercise, research has shown that infants are able to understand words better than previously thought.

YouTube Videos: Technology has helped parents access information easily. You could try the same on your infant by showing him videos of the dangers of thumb sucking. As a precaution, you could screen the videos that you feel are appropriate and build a playlist around it.

Praise: A study conducted on infants showed that they are well-aware of the concept of praise. Be sure to make your baby feel good about not sucking their thumb every day. However, avoid any kind of negative criticism as it could make them anxious.

Alternatives: Due to some of the dangers associated with thumb sucking, you could try alternatives such as a blanket or cuddly teddy bear.

Pacifiers: One can use pacifiers to wean their infants away from thumb sucking. Choose specific times during the day when they can use the pacifier and gradually reduce the timing till they don’t require it anymore.

Mittens: You can try to physically cover the hands with the help of some soft gloves, mittens or a thumb guard.

Bitter Medicine: Apply some bitter ointment (that is safe to consume) on your child’s thumb to wean him away from the habit. Avoid making it a punishment by showing constant affection.

Thumb Sucking Vs Pacifiers

Below are the pros and cons associated with the two approaches used by parents to control baby finger sucking:

Thumb Sucking:

Easy Access
Teeth problems later in life
Emotional independence
Quicker sleep compared to pacifiers

Pacifiers:

Reduction in breastfeeding
May cause ear infections as it opens the auditory tubes
Control over the sucking by parents
Sucking in sleep reduces risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

While parents being worried about their kids is understandable, you must realize that thumb sucking is natural to most infants. Though there are some inherent dangers to it, a gradual approach of weaning your kids over time is enough for them to kick the habit.

Also Read:

Baby Putting Hands in Mouth
Sleep Training For Babies
Ways to Train Your Baby for Self Soothing

How to Stop Baby From Sucking Thumb

As parents, we often wonder if these thumbsucking habits will affect our child’s development.

While it’s completely normal for babies to suck their thumbs, parents should still carefully monitor their child’s teeth development.

Consider these factors and tips from the board certified pediatric dentists at Jenkins & LeBlanc.

When Will My Child Stop Sucking Their Thumb?

Children typically stop sucking their thumb between the ages of two and four years old, or by the time the permanent front teeth are ready to erupt.

However, if your child continues to suck on their fingers or thumbs beyond this age, it might affect the shape of your child’s mouth and teeth.

Effects of Thumbsucking on Baby Teeth

Children who passively rest their thumb in their mouth may be less likely to experience dental issues than those who actively do it.

Prolonged and excessive thumbsucking can affect your child’s growth and teeth development. Some children may develop problems with their baby (primary) teeth, which hold space in the jaws for permanent teeth that are growing under the gums.

Problems that could affect your child’s physical health include:

Crowded, crooked teeth or overbite issues
Speech development issues
Misaligned jaw
Changes in the structure of the roof of the mouth

If your child sucks their thumb, consider have your pediatric dentist examine the mouth to make sure it’s developing correctly.

Are There Benefits to Thumbsucking?

Thumbsucking or fingersucking is a natural reflex for children and can make them feel secure or soothe them while falling asleep.

Thumbs provide your baby with a built-in way to calm themselves down any time they’re feeling cranky or need comfort. In fact, many babies begin to suck their fingers or thumbs while still in the womb.

What about Using Pacifiers?

Pacifiers can affect the teeth in the same way as thumb and finger sucking, although pacifier use is often an easier habit to break.

Never dip your child’s pacifier in sugar or honey. Avoid cleaning the pacifier in your own mouth because it can pass cavity-causing bacteria to your child.

How Can I Help My Child Stop Sucking Their Thumb?

Different techniques work for different children, but here are some easy ways to help you child stop sucking their thumb.

Children often suck their thumb for comfort or when they are feeling insecure or anxious. Focus on addressing the cause of their anxiety and provide alternative comfort.
Praise your child when not thumbsucking. Create a chart and reward them for a change in behavior.
If your child sucks their thumb when they are tired, comfort them with an alternate security item.
You can also try reminding them of their habit by bandaging the thumb or putting a sock or glove on their hand at night.
Consider a baby thumb guard.

Have Questions?

For more information about developing your child’s healthy smile, browse our pediatric dentist blog.

We explore a variety of topics about your child’s oral health, including cavities, teething tips, and baby bottle tooth decay.

If you have any questions about thumbsucking or your child’s dental health, our dentists at Jenkins & LeBlanc are here to help. We can examine your child’s mouth and help explain how thumbsucking may affect their teeth development.

How to wean a child from sucking his thumb: a step-by-step instruction from psychologists

First, let's figure out why this happens at all? Why does a child suck his thumb? Indeed, in fact, this is a fairly common occurrence, not only in families with kids, but also where there are preschoolers. At what age is thumb sucking normal?

— At the age of 2-3 months, the child finds his hands and immediately puts them into his mouth for examination, says child psychologist Ksenia Nesyutina . - This is absolutely normal, and if parents, worried that the child will suck their fingers in the future, do not allow sucking and put a pacifier in their mouth, then this harms the development of the child. Indeed, in order to start using the hands, in order to develop motor skills, the hands must first be found and examined by the mouth. nine0003

Well, if the baby has grown up, but the habit has remained, you need to figure it out. There are many reasons for thumb sucking.

- At about 1 year of age, thumb sucking may indicate an unsatisfied sucking reflex. As a rule, at this time, children are actively transitioned from breastfeeding or formula to regular food. Not all children easily adapt to this and sometimes begin to express lack by sucking their fingers, explains Ksenia Nesyutina. “At the age of 2 years, thumb sucking is usually a sign that something is bothering the child. Often these anxieties are associated with separation from the mother: the mother goes to her room for the night and the child, experiencing this, begins to calm himself by sucking his finger. But there may be other more complex anxieties. In the future, this may transform into the fact that the child will bite his nails, pick at wounds on the skin or pull out his hair. nine0003

Thus, we understand: if the baby is just beginning to get acquainted with his body and the world around him, then let him calmly suck his fingers. Nothing will fade. But if time passes, the little person grows up and has been going to the garden for a long time, and the fingers are still “hiding” in the mouth, measures must be taken.

But weaning a child from sucking his thumb is not an easy task.

Photo: globallookpress.com

Find the moment

It turns out that finger-to-mouth is not just a habit. According to our expert, thumb sucking can be psychologically an established compensatory mechanism. nine0003

“In other words, thumb sucking gives the child (compensates) something that he cannot receive emotionally,” says Ksenia Nesyutina. - For example, we are talking about an anxious mother - it is difficult for her to calm the child, give him support and confidence. In order to somehow calm himself, the child does not use “mom's calmness”, but sucks his thumb. That is, the child is already 3-4-5 years old, and he is still calming down like a baby of 3-4 months - with the help of sucking.

To wean a child, you need to find the root cause. That is, to understand why the child puts his hands in his mouth, what he replaces in this way and how he can provide this need on an emotional level. nine0003

— It is important to pay attention to when the child puts his fingers in his mouth: for example, before going to bed, when he plays with toys himself, in the kindergarten. Most likely, these are stressful moments for the child. It is important to help the child adapt to this activity so that it does not cause so much anxiety in the baby, the psychologist recommends.

Through the game

It's probably not a secret for you that the game for children is not only an option to pass the time, but also a way to get to know the world around, help in development and sometimes even therapy. nine0003

Play can help a child deal with anxiety.

— If a child is older than 3 years, then from the point of view of psychology, it is possible to wean a child if the very need to suck his thumb goes away, — notes Ksenia Nesyutina. - That is, the child is anxious, and compensates for the anxiety by sucking his thumb. And here parents should be included: you can help to cope with anxieties, fears with the help of games, conversations, lullabies, reading fairy tales. It is much better if the child plays with toys or draws what he is afraid of, what he is worried about than just compensating for this tension by sucking his thumb. nine0003

Prohibit: yes or no

However, you must admit that it is very unpleasant to watch how a grown child slobbers his finger again. The parent is an adult, he understands that this is wrong, but not everyone knows how to respond competently. And what begins? “Remove your finger from your mouth!”, “So that I don’t see this”, “It’s impossible!” and everything like that.

But, firstly, such a technique does not always work. And secondly, it can be fraught with consequences.

“A direct ban on thumb sucking or other drastic measures, such as sprinkling pepper on fingers, lead to even more negative consequences,” emphasizes psychologist Nesyutina. - If earlier the child could not cope with psychological stress and compensated for it by sucking his thumb, now he cannot even do this. And what's going on? The tension goes inside, into the body and can subsequently manifest itself in even more “strange” behavior or even diseases. nine0003

Therefore, you should not solve the problem with a "whip" - it is better to re-read the previous two points again.

No stress - no problems

And there is also a story: everything seems to be fine, the child does not have bad habits, but suddenly - once! - and the child begins to suck his fingers. And the child, by the way, is already four years old!

Don't panic.

- In moments of stress, even a child of 3-4 years of age or even a preschooler may begin to suck his fingers. You can pay attention to this, but, as a rule, as soon as the stress is compensated, the habit disappears by itself, says our expert. nine0003

But stress can be different, and if you understand the reason (for example, the whole family moved to a new place or the grandmother scolded the child), then this can be said, consoled, reassured. And if thumb sucking occurs, it would seem, for no apparent reason, then it will not prevent the parent from “pricking up his ears” and trying to understand, ask the child what is bothering him or who scared him.

Pay attention to… yourself

No matter how blasphemous it may sound, it happens that the reason for the baby's anxiety lies in his… parents. Yes, it’s hard to admit it to yourself, but it happens that it is the mother who creates the stressful situation. nine0003

— Among other things, it is often helpful for a parent to see a psychotherapist himself. This helps to remove the emotional stress from the parent, which anxious mothers tend to broadcast to their children, says Ksenia Nesyutina.

Frequently asked questions and answers

What is the risk of constant thumb sucking?

— If you do not go into physiological problems that may be associated with bite, speech, then at least this is a symptom that says that the child has difficulties in the psycho-emotional plan. These are not necessarily complex unsolvable problems, but it is worth paying attention to and, perhaps, the parent should change the way they care for and communicate with the child, the psychologist recommends. nine0003

When should you seek help from a specialist?

It is necessary to go to a specialist if this issue worries a parent a lot. The fact is that thumb sucking most often indicates that the parent cannot provide the child with a sense of stability and reliability. And if the mother herself is drowning in anxiety, then help from the outside will definitely not hurt here, moreover, the help of a specialist, says Ksenia Nesyutina. - If we are talking about a child, then it is better to start with a pediatrician. He will appoint an examination of the necessary specialists. But, as a rule, it is with this problem that psychologists work. nine0003

How to wean a child from sucking his thumb

The habit of thumb sucking is formed in a child in the prenatal period and reinforces the sucking reflex necessary for breastfeeding. However, from the age of two, thumb sucking gradually loses its significance, and by the age of 4 it completely stops ^{[1, 2]} . If this does not happen naturally, the baby has to be weaned.

Why a child sucks his thumb

Three large nerves located in the mouth are involved in satisfying the sucking reflex: vagus, trigeminal and nasopharyngeal ^[3] . For this reason, the process of sucking gives the child pleasure.

A child may suck his thumb if he feels hunger, lack of warmth and affection, desire to calm down. The baby thus directly signals the mother that he needs more time to satisfy the sucking reflex. In this case, with natural feeding, it must be kept at the breast longer, and with artificial feeding, it is necessary to pick up a nipple, from which it is difficult to quickly suck out the prescribed portion of food. It is also acceptable to use pacifiers if the parents are sure that the baby is full. Weaning from a pacifier should be gradual so as not to create a stressful situation for the child. nine0003

In teething period with discomfort in the gums, children suck, chew and bite everything, including their own fingers as the most accessible and understandable object.

The habit of sucking or chewing in a child may be associated with increased anxiety and stress. Therefore, first of all, parents need to find out the cause of the child's nervous tension and eliminate it. Pavlova, orthodontist of the highest qualification category, member of the Dental Association of Russia, member of the professional society of orthodontists Arkharova O. N. ^[4]

After the age of 4, the child has no objective reasons to suck his thumb, and this habit becomes harmful ^[4]

Why is thumb sucking dangerous in children

Bad habits in early childhood interfere with the normal development of the baby. Thumb sucking is a prime example of this. This is what happens if it drags on ^[5] :

Retarding the development of the adult swallowing pattern due to abnormal lip tone and the habit of holding the tongue between the front teeth. nine0003
Deformation of the teeth and the appearance of gaps between them.
Shaping open bite . The jaws cease to close completely, the child's mouth is constantly ajar.
Violation of posture due to a constant tilt of the head forward.
Mouth breathing leading to deformation of the upper palate, frequent diseases of the upper respiratory tract, cerebral hypoxia.
Habitual sucking movements of the tongue during speech. They lead to incorrect pronunciation of individual sounds, inhibition of speech development.
Increased stress on the posterior teeth due to impaired function of the anterior teeth. Leads to dysfunction of the temporomandibular joints .

By the time the baby teeth begin to be replaced by permanent teeth, the child should be able to stop holding his finger in his mouth

What to do if a child sucks his thumb

You should not reproach or tease a child, slap his hands and force them out of his mouth, smear his fingers with mustard or other unpleasant-tasting substances. With such a severe suppression of bad habits, the child feels an increase in internal tension and continues to suck his finger or other objects to calm down, but already secretly. It is also impossible to bribe a child by replacing a finger with a lollipop, because in this way, instead of one bad habit, he will acquire another and will constantly demand sweets. nine0003

4 steps to take:

Create and maintain a welcoming environment. If a child is upset about something, you need to talk to him affectionately, read a book, switch attention. Before going to bed, you can turn on quiet pleasant music.
Do not leave your little one unoccupied. Homemade products, mosaics, puzzles, designers will occupy children's hands and leave no opportunity to put them in their mouths. Show interest in the result of the work and praise it. Reassure your child that he can break this ugly habit, because adults like him do not suck their thumbs. nine0003
See a dentist. By the time thumb sucking can be considered a problem, the child is usually already familiar with the dentist, and he is an authority figure for him. Therefore, the explanations received in the dental office are often the most convincing. Parents ask the doctor to tell them why thumb sucking is harmful, and subsequently remind the child of what they heard. Such support from a specialist demonstrates that the demands of parents are due to more than just a whim. nine0003
Consult a speech pathologist to help prevent mispronunciation of sounds by your child. A speech therapist can prescribe a set of exercises that help the correct development of the maxillofacial muscles, coordination of articulation and breathing.

In cases where thumb-sucking threatens malocclusion, shield therapy is used. This method is based on the use of removable vestibular apparatuses (plates). Often they resemble pacifiers, only the rubber nipple is replaced by an arcuate plastic element, which, like a shield, does not allow the child to put his finger in his mouth. The plates are available in different sizes so that they can be adjusted to the width of the dental arches. nine0003

The goals of shield therapy:

formation of the correct bite;
ensuring uniform development of the oral muscles;
prevention of thumb sucking;
minimizing mouth breathing.

Often a child sucks his thumb in his sleep, and this is difficult to control, so it makes sense to install the devices at night. If the child is used to breathing through the mouth, a small hole is made in the plate for the first time. Then it is gradually reduced and closed completely. This is done using self-hardening plastics. Vestibular plates are used at the age of 3 to 8 years, the effect can be achieved in a period of 4 months to 1 year. With this treatment, the child should be examined by an orthodontist at least once every 3 weeks ^[6] .

If, despite all the measures taken, a child at 5 years old is still persistently sucking his thumb, it is recommended to seek help from a child psychologist.

List of sources

1. Bulgakova M. I., Simanovskaya E. Yu., Nyashin Yu. , 2003, // URL: http://vestnik.pstu.ru/get/_res/fs/file.pdf/2286/%CC.%C8.+%C1%F3%EB%E3%E0%EA%EE %E2%E0%2C+%C5.%DE.+%D1%E8%EC%E0%ED%EE%E2%F1%EA%E0%FF%2C+%DE.%C8.+%CD%FF%F8 %E8%ED%2C+%C2.%CC.+%D2%E2%E5%F0%FC%E5.+%C1%E8%EE%EC%E5%F5%E0%ED%E8%EA%E0+% E2%F1%EA%E0%F0%EC%EB%E8%E2%E0%ED%E8%FF+%E4%E5%F2%E5%E9+%F0%E0%ED%ED%E5%E3%EE+%E2%EE%E7%F0%E0%F1%F2%E0file.