Thumb sucking - Yay? or Nay?
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Forum Name: First baby? Second or more?
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Topic: Thumb sucking - Yay? or Nay?
Posted By: Basil_brush
Subject: Thumb sucking - Yay? or Nay?
Date Posted: 28 August 2009 at 3:34pm
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Hi girlies,
Just looking for some tips from mummies who have been there... Our wee girl is nearly 6 months and although she has never taken a dummy, she has recently taken to sucking her thumb with great passion. Always the same one, her right, probably because she is wrapped with the other arm out. So far I haven't bothered about it. her dad hates it, and takes it out, but she usually sneaks it back in before long. So, have you been there? What did you do? Did it work? regrets? I sucked my thumb till I was 9 and subsequently had braces, so I would love to avoid this expensive pitfall if possible!!! Thanks in advance. |
Replies:
Posted By: RBsMama
Date Posted: 28 August 2009 at 3:38pm
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Sorry, I don't really have any advice, but didn't want to read and run. My 8 month old has started to suck his thumb off and on too, but I think it could be in relation to teething. Any chance that's what your little one is doing? ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">  http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: AandCsmum
Date Posted: 28 August 2009 at 4:52pm
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Dunno....Cooper has a dummy cause he sucks on anything he can get near his mouth & it was tidier with a dummy...less drool.
I also sucked my finger til about 9 or 10 & figured it was easier getting rid of a dummy than a thumb or finger. ------------- Kel http://lilypie.com"> 
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12 |
Posted By: Tastic
Date Posted: 28 August 2009 at 6:50pm
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Aidans just started sucking his thumb or finger :( he is going to be 3 in november
Any Ideas how to get him to stop? |
Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 28 August 2009 at 7:31pm
| I sucked mine til I was 12 and needed braces, not because my teeth were crooked but because I had pulled my whole top set of teeth forward and had an overbite. I had to have 2 premolars up top removed and the front teeth pulled back to fill in the holes. I freaked one of my friends kids out telling them about that and the injections I had to have to get the teeth pulled and showed them the wire retainers I still have behind my teeth. But I'm guessing that trick wouldn't work on a 3yr old |
Posted By: whitewave
Date Posted: 28 August 2009 at 9:10pm
| I don't reckon its a problem while they're little, especially if its helping them to self-soothe. Not sure how easy it would be to stop when they're older though.... |
Posted By: porcelina
Date Posted: 28 August 2009 at 9:18pm
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I would like some advice to curb the problem too, it is especially bad when paying for swimming lessons and Ruby tries to paddle with one arm while sucking on the other thumb! -------------   
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Posted By: Manda08
Date Posted: 28 August 2009 at 9:27pm
I was so against it before DS was born, i tried with a dummy but he just wouldnt take it, he only sucks his thumb when he is tired or sick. He has slept through the night since he was 9 weeks old, i think mainly because when he does wake he sucks his thumb back to sleep. Im not sure how things will be later on down the track but for now we only let him do it when he is going to bed, although he is only 5 months if he sucks it for no reason we ask are you going to sleep? and then take it out... bit crazy i know!  ------------- 
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Posted By: Mamma2N
Date Posted: 28 August 2009 at 11:35pm
I sucked mine till I was 9 and my teeth are fine, in fact so did my bro & sis and we've never had problems with our teeth  DD sucks hers all the time, doesnt worry us at all, she settles herself that way and I couldn't bring myself to pull it out.. Shes happy with it.. I'm happy with it
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Posted By: pepsi
Date Posted: 29 August 2009 at 6:42pm
| My youngest doesn't suck her thumb..she sucks a little chubby spot on her wrist so it has a constant hicky mark! Not sure when that will ever stop either, but it definitely helps soothe her for now.. |
Posted By: tishy
Date Posted: 29 August 2009 at 7:39pm
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I sucked my thumb until I was about 6. I just grew out of it.
Tastic, maybe some 'anti-nail biting' stuff for his thumbnail?
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Posted By: mumtooboys
Date Posted: 29 August 2009 at 8:05pm
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I'm not sure that thumb sucking will have that big an impact, especially as we aren' t talking about permanent teeth. My sister didn't suck her thumb and she still needed braces and a bucketful of orthodontic work. I won't tell you how long I sucked mine for, but I do know that the MORE my mum tried to get me to stop, the worse I was.
Most kids, if let alone will grow out of it before they turn 4 or 5 when it starts to become an issue with their teeth and jaw line. http://www.drgreene.com/21_856.html - This explains it better than me. DS2 sucks his, mainly when he is tired or bored but we're not really making an issue out of it at the moment. If he's bored we try and engage him in activities that require the use of both of his hands so he can't suck his thumb........but he is that bit older now so kinda hard to do with young baby. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: BlaBla_152
Date Posted: 29 August 2009 at 9:03pm
| I think thumb sucking is a realy bad habit. You can't take it away like a dummy and it can cause teeth, palete and speech problems. |
Posted By: Mamma2N
Date Posted: 30 August 2009 at 12:12am
Hmm yes it can, but then alot of other factors can cause those problems as well, not necessarily just thumb-sucking. All the thumb-suckers in my family (and there are alot of us  ) have never had any orthodontic or speech problems.
And if it were a big problem, I'm not sure how I would go about keeping my DDs out of her mouth 24hrs a day
Like most things, it really depends what side of the argument you are on as there is alot of research for and against thumbsucking. |
BlaBla_152 wrote:Posted By: Natalie_G
Date Posted: 30 August 2009 at 8:07am
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Lots of thumb suckers here, I was also a thumb sucker till around 8 I think so long ago, I also had to have braces for an overbite.
Arianne has found her thumb and sucks on it a little bit but not long enough to get any pleasure out of it. We give her a dummy when she goes to bed, but I am not overly fussed if she sucks her thumb if she wants to she will and if she needs braces we will get them for her. (Also considering getting braces again to fix my gap in my front teeth  )------------- http://lilypie.com">  
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Posted By: Basil_brush
Date Posted: 30 August 2009 at 10:51am
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Thanks for all the answers girls! Has been really helpful.
I personally am not bothered by the thumb sucking. I agree with whoever said when you make an issue of it, they often get worse. It's been my experience, and that link to the Dr Greene article confirms it! She definitely does drool more than I imagine she would with a dummy, which I agree is a pain, but as she has always outright refused to suck a dummy that's kind of a moot point for us. Thanks again. FIngers crossed she's one of the 85-99% who give up on their own!
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Posted By: Rowsieair
Date Posted: 30 August 2009 at 10:40pm
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DS won't take a dummy at all....DH bought some as his neices and nephews and his older children had them but no-one in my family ever did (apart from my sister has given one to my neice).
I gave up around 4-5 and never had any problems (alart from a red mark on my cheek where I used to rub my index finger while sucking!) DH has sucks the side of his hand every now and again but other than that he just chews stuff, and going to bed he chatters a bit then hugs his teddy. |
Posted By: ButterflyMum
Date Posted: 31 August 2009 at 2:44am
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i am yah girl after one dummy baby and 2 thumb's give me the thumb they don't drop it six times a night and both great self settler's .
on anther note i never had any issues with speech or teeth and only stopped as an adult. -------------  
 
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Posted By: Pinkygirl
Date Posted: 31 August 2009 at 9:52am
| I sucked my thumb until I was around 9. My front teeth stuck out by 2.5 cms in relation to my bottom teeth, had thousands of $ on orthadontic treatment when I was a teenager. to fix them My teeth were not caused by my thumb sucking but because my teeth were in the wrong place (was very close to having my jaw broken and re-set). My son who is 3 months sometimes sucks his thumb for a few minutes but I am not worried. |
Posted By: mumtooboys
Date Posted: 31 August 2009 at 10:28am
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Apparently jaw and teeth problems are associated with the mothers oral health.
Now my mouth is atrocious(not sure I should admit that or not) but I've got about 8 fillings, an overcrowding problem that is apparently related to my jaw being longer on one side of my face than the other and generally just what seem to be non-stop issues. I could have had this all fixed years ago as a teenager, but as I was living in the US at the time cost was prohibitive as I needed braces AND my jaw broken, shaved off on one end, reset and wired shut for 6 weeks! I've come to accept that my teeth and my mouth is what it is and I can't be bothered trying to change it now, just happy I still have teeth; in fact I still have a baby tooth (with no perm one underneath) that I've been told for going on 15 years is going to fall out and hasn't. LOL I had DS1 who has WONDERFUL teeth and he had a dummy. DS2 on the other hand is a thumb sucker and a slight under bite according to the dentist, I don't blame his thumb sucking, I blame my genes. LOL He does have a couple of crooked teeth, the top two incisors that MIGHT be related to his thumb sucking, but he'll loose those eventually so we'll see if it is that or the genes. IF DS2 had taken to a dummy I might have been slightly more inclined to encourage that BUT he wasn't and I got to deal with the hand we got dealt. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Joscia
Date Posted: 31 August 2009 at 11:54am
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DS (13 weeks) is a thumb sucker. He has been doing it since he was in utero - we saw it on the scan (naw!) Personally I find it to be an absolute blessing - he can settle himself really easily and will often wake up and then go back to sleep just by sucking his thumb. I sucked my thumb until I was 5, when my parents undertook an elaborate system of bribes to get me to stop. I had to have braces when I was 13, but not for an overbite - I had an underbite and still do. TBH, I figure we're probably going to have to fork out for braces for DS at some point anyway (DH has pretty crooked teeth too) so the thumb sucking is only providing positive benefits at this point. JMHO though. |