So, dd is a thumbsucker, she has been since, well, since some of my early ultrasounds with her! Anyhow, it had dropped off considerably but recently, she is sucking her thumb all of the time. My mom has made remarks (it really bothers her) and today, at the freaking dollar store, this lady was giving me the 3rd degree about it. DD turned 4 August 20th. What (if anything) should I be doing about this? I have tried to discourage it, but nothing dramatic (or punishing), just comments like "you don't want you thumb to get icky" or "why do you need to suck your thumb, do you feel upset?" or "your nail polish will come off". I am a terrible nail biter so I understand bad habits. Thoughts?

Hmm, Jordan is still sucking her thumb and she is almost 8. She came out with a blister on her hadn from sucking in utero too. Pretty ingrained! We haven't been able to get her to stop at home, but at school she keeps a water bottle with a straw on her desk and hardly ever sucks it there. This was recommended by the OT, and I am so thrilled it works. We are still waiting to hear back on some ideas at home, but since your other little one is still pretty small, maybe she could carry around a sports bottle with water and try taking a sip when she feels the urge. I do know that it wasn't until the last year or so that Jordan wanted to stop, but it's such a habit that she just can't stop on her own.

my dh is a lifelong thumb sucker, yes he still sucks...and no there is nothing wrong with his teeth. he says that is because of the way he sucks. lol

he distinctly remembers being punished alot for thumb sucking and because he still needed it and he is a very stubborn person he kept sucking. he syas he doesn't think he would still be athumb sucker if his parents had jsut left it alone. or more positivly tried to offer alternatives. good luck but keep in mind that they will learn, if nothing else, not to suck in public. which is presumably a big reason people want kids to quit.

lol for obvious reasons we don't think it's a big deal around here but neither of my children are thumbsuckers...dh is sorta dissapointed about that actually lmao

I think the best thing is to just let it go. Ask your mom to stop making comments, tell her that you've noticed that it really bothers your dd to the point that she sucks even more afterward.

My dd2 was a pretty compulsive thumb sucker and decided soon after her 4th birthday that she was done. I asked her if she wanted help and she said yes, so dh and I reminded her and after a short while we took her to pick out a "prize" to replace her thumb. The one thing she really like was wearing gloves, like Easter gloves. She wore them almost 24/7 for the first day or two, but after that just at night. I don't think she needs them anymore, but she does, so we let her wear them.

I talked to a lot of people after her first dentist appointment, where the dentist took one look and advised us to start saving money. The general consensus is that you can make it a power struggle, but you can't make her quit. It has to come on her own. Oh, FTR, since quitting her teeth have gone back to where they should be, but she'll still need a lot of orthodontic work :(

Both of my daughters are thumbsuckers. One is six and a half and the other is 15 months. They both only suck the right thumb! I was a thumb sucker, had to get braces. My older sister and my brother did not suck their thumbs, still had to get braces. A doctor I spoke with about the older dd's thumb sucking said not to pressure her about it- increase stress, increase thumb sucking. She doesn't do it at school, just at home when she is tired or nervous. I don't care too much, actually. Although I have had people bug her about it and when she was very young someone we didn;t know tried to take it out of her mouth.....:nono:

My mom doesn't say anything mean, lol her comments don't bother dd in the slightest. She just comments on it. I think I am so used to it.

DD is already in for a ton of orthodontics. The dentist who saw dh and I when dd was a baby said that with our oral genetics, get ready!