Thumb sucking is an issue
of concern for many parents right around the time that kids are entering preschool
age. As babies, it’s not an issue. In fact, many parents feel that it’s
good for their pre-teeth youngsters because it comforts them, helps them to
fall asleep and can ease the pain of teething. But as kids get older and those
teeth are coming in, it’s necessary for parents to intervene to deter
their children from sucking their thumbs. Continued thumb sucking in these older
years can cause dental problems and it is therefore recommended that you break
the habit entirely by the time that the child is kindergarten age.
Stopping your preschooler
from thumb sucking can be a difficult thing. For one thing, you don’t
want to take away what you know is a source of comfort for your child. For another,
you admittedly don’t want to listen to your child’s cries as he
or she adjusts to not sucking his or her thumb. But you also want to make sure
that you’re doing what is best for your child and the sooner that you
get him or her out of the habit of thumb sucking, the better it will be for
all of you.
Here are some tips for ending
the thumb sucking:
- Distraction. Neither of
you wants your child to be upset so instead of drawing attention to the thumb
sucking and making it a “bad” thing that you’re trying to
stop, actively distract your child from thumb sucking by giving him or her
alternative activities which require both the child’s attention and
the use of both hands. Doing this on a regular basis will diminish the thumb
sucking over time in a pleasant manner. - Educate. Explain why thumb
sucking is bad for your child as he or she gets older. Point out all of the
things that babies do that your child no longer does and describe why thumb
sucking is the same kind of issue. - Make it a game. There
are many ways that you can help turn the process of ending thumb sucking into
a game. You can make up a secret word that you and your child use for thumb
sucking so it’s fun to talk about. You can have signals that you use
to remind your child that he or she is thumb sucking so that the behavior
will be noticed and stopped. Anything that allies you and your child against
the thumb sucking in a fun way will work in your favor. - Make it unpleasant. One
of the most commonly used methods of stopping your preschooler from thumb
sucking is the application of products to the thumb which are unpleasant tasting.
There are household products (such as vinegar) as well as store-bought products
that can be used in this manner. - Relax. If you make this
an issue over which you battle with your child then you’re going to
increase the stress in the household and prolong the process of stopping thumb
sucking. - Reward change. Your preschooler
loves it when she’s rewarded, even if it’s just with your praise.
When you notice that he or she has stopped thumb sucking, comment positively
on the action. - Use steps. Start young
with ending the thumb sucking and you have more room to go slowly with the
process. Start with discussing thumb sucking with your child and point out
that he or she will do this less and less as time goes on and the child grows
up. Begin with working on not thumb sucking in public, then go on to reserving
thumb sucking only for nighttime and naps and finally you can end it all together.
Thumb sucking is a natural
part of your child’s development and will likely go away almost as naturally
as it started. With your help, the process can be done sooner in order to prevent
dental problems and other issues associated with late thumb sucking. Take the
process in stride and trust your ability to get through this stage and you and
your child should be fine.
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