My name is Red Dirt Mummy and my child sucks his thumb!
There, I said it! I have admitted that we have a problem and that is the first step to recovery. Can you tell I have watched way too many soap operas in my time?
Offspring #1 is a thumb-sucker. When he was little that was fine, it was even kind of cute. I thought it was better than a dummy (pacifier). At least when he crawled or played his thumb had to come out so he could use it to do other stuff. We knew other kids who had dummies firmly stuck in their gobs 24 hours a day. "No dummies for us!" we gloated, somewhat smugly. But somewhere along the way things changed. #1's thumb sucking took on a life of it's own and, if he sat still for more that 3.2 seconds, the thumb found it's way in. We started gently reminding him. Fat lot of good that did. Then we had a talk about how he was getting to be a big kid and big kids didn't need to suck their thumbs. Hmmpphhh! Next we put a band-aid over his thumb as a reminder not to suck it. It didn't remind him. He just worked the band-aid down so that he could suck the very tip. Finally we pulled out the big guns and bought some of the foul tasting stuff that you paint on fingers to stop thumb-sucking and nail-biting. This had some success but we (that should probably read I) stopped putting it on too soon and he went straight back.
Operation Cease That Filthy Habit (No, we don't really call it that!) has commenced today. #1's thumbs (yep both of them, I'm not taking any chances) will be painted every morning and every evening for three weeks. That is the time that I have set. At the end of three weeks I am hoping that he will have broken the habit of putting his thumb into his mouth. The thumb finds it's way in when he is worried, bored, happy, sad, in trouble, reading a book, any time at all. He does seem able to settle himself just fine so I am convinced it is the action that has become a habit rather than the act itself being comforting.
I am in no way suggesting that he doesn't derive comfort from it but at 4, and heading for pre-primary (full-time school) we need this habit gone. There are a number of reasons I think he should stop (1) I really don't want him to get teased at school because of it, (2) Who know what he has been touching and then sticking his finger in his mouth? and (3) because we know a couple of kids who are several years older and still committed thumb-suckers. It is playing havoc on their teeth and Mum and Dad are already footing the dental bills to correct the damage in one case. It also stops being cute and, to me, looks a little off once they get past a certain age/height/developmental stage.
So wish us luck and, without flaming me please, offer up any suggestions or advice you might have.
PS Yes #2 has a dummy, for bed only. I was adamant that she wouldn't get one and caved the first night home from hospital when she was still awake and screaming at midnight! About 4 minutes of gentle rocking later she was fast asleep and peaceful for the first time that day. No doubt we will have to fight our battles over that later but we have learnt a few things along the way.
4 comments:
Keep up the hard work! Those little teeth will thank you later. Encouragement for dummy with O2: I worked in a peditrician's office this summer and they (along with dentists) say that dummies are better than thumbs because when it's time, you can get rid of them (thumbs can't exactly be cut off!!!!). So, when you feel like it's time to get rid of it, just do it! My parents actually cut mine and told me it was broken. When I said get a new one, they told me they couldn't and that was that! Best wishes on the "free the thumbs" adventure!
Nick has an extreme binky addiction. He doesn't even use one for naps at school anymore but as soon as we leave the daycare he asks for it. I'm trying to limit it to just the car and bed but I'm not being strict enough. I take one away and he finds one somewhere else.
BTW - leaving comments on beta blogger is a PITA!
I hate to admit this but I was a thumb sucker and didn't stop till 4th grade! Of course, I didn't suck my thumb out in public just while watching tv or going to bed. And I didn't just suck my thumb but also stuck the corner of my pillow in there too. Can we say "Nasty"?! We moved when I was in the 4th grade and "somehow" my beloved pillow was "lost" (I can just imagine my mother seeing her chance to get rid of it and happily disposing of said nasty pillow!) I was sad for a while and tried the corners of other pillows but none were the same and I quit sucking my thumb. I did however start biting my fingernails~~another habit I had to break.
Good Luck with Ben. It does seem that thumb sucking is less tolerated for boys than for girls. (Less manly maybe?) Anyway, they say that any habit can be changed in 21 days so your three weeks sounds like a good timeline.
Hi Mandi,we too had a similar problem with Chloe sucking her 3rd and 4th finger. This sucking action left lovely callouses on her fingers from her teeth so this along with `Kindy kids don't suck their fingers' was the end to that, but it did take several months of constant action. But I may also offer some saddening news that if he's like his Uncle and at times looks remarkedly like him, he may carry the `filthy habit' with him ie. nail biting.
Good luck with it, it will be worth it in the end.
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