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How to stop my 7yr old kid in thumbsucking!?

rizzagb - 2006-04-25 22:50:43 - Parenting

Най-добър отговор:

Soak his thumb in bitter tasting fluid.

Други отговори:

It is the hardest thing to do... Don't force him stop.. he will more rigid.. Just make him understand that what he is doing is a bad habit.

Soak his thumb in bitter tasting fluid.

Sour apple spray. Like the stuff to make your dog stop biting himself. LOL! That is the only thing I can think of!

Show him a picture of teeth that caved in from too much thumb sucking. Scare him into action.

thumbsuckiun is due to fixation in his infancy the kid was not breast feeded properly and thats y its sucking his thumb.make a paste of greenchilli and apply it on his finger wen he puts it again he'll know the real taste will never do it again

A little tabasco or there's a product called Thum (I think) specifically designed for this. Ummm...is there a specific time or set of circumstances that cause him to suck his thumb. If so, helping him find other ways to cope might help. Also, take him to the dentist to see if it's causing any problems. If it is, there might be something he can do to help.

Find the reason for his or her insecurities and you will solve this problem. Have patience!

Does your baby or child suck their thumb? Some children suck their thumbs while others do not. Why? What are the consequences of thumb sucking, healthwise? How can you help your child stop sucking their thumb? Some infants begin sucking their thumb while in their mother’s womb. Many babies are born with calluses from sucking their finger, thumb or wrist. Other babies discover finger or thumb sucking after birth. This non-nutritive sucking is done for comfort. The sucking instinct in newborns is for survival. Sucking brings food and this food brings comfort. Seventy five percent of all babies in industrialized countries suck their thumb at some point. Babies that are born in countries where they have constant access to their mother’s breast have very little incidence of thumb sucking. The infant’s sucking urge is completely satisfied and they do not need to suck their thumbs. Most children stop sucking their thumb or fingers on their own without parental intervention somewhere around age one. But, some children continue sucking their thumb long after. Hereafter we will refer to finger, hand or thumb sucking as just thumb sucking to simplify the article. Estimates from studies done in the 1970’s indicate that at least 10 percent of children older than the age of five still suck their thumbs. No one knows exactly how many suck their thumbs because many do it in secret for fear of being ridiculed and embarrassed. Another study of children that were school age and in speech therapy classes found that as many as 50 percent of them had a thumb sucking habit. Research also indicates that 75 percent of prolonged thumb suckers are girls. The reason why many children continue to suck their thumbs long after toddlerhood has to do with the psychological needs of the child. Our brain has the ability to produce endorphins, or mood altering chemicals, in response to smells, sounds, actions or objects. The brain controls our emotions and feelings in response to these chemicals. Pleasurable activities such as thumbsucking, gambling, running, eating stimulate the brain to release these endorphins that stimulate a sense of well-being and pleasure. Thumbsucking triggers a calming, relaxing sensation to occur in the child. An infants first experience with pleasure which creates a calm feeling is sucking and getting food. As most infants develop independence they become more mobile and too busy to bother with thumb sucking and therefore quit. When a child continues to suck their thumb many parents start to use punishment, negativity, yelling and frustration to try to stop them. This only makes the habit more entrenched. Many times older children who suck their thumb have to endure pushy comments made by other children, teachers and complete strangers about this habit that brings them so much pleasure. They begin to feel ashamed and that they are a bad person because of all the ridicule and insults they receive. A child who sucks her thumb will have dental and speech problems. The top jaw begins to form a gap in the front where the thumb is always placed causing an open bite. Other problems include a cross bite,crooked teeth, malocclusions, lisps, or a tongue thrust. Prevention of prolonged sucking into childhood is probably the best defense that parents can take. First of all, a parent must meet their infant and toddler's emotional needs. Give your baby and toddler a structured day. Respond to their crying to soothe them. They are either tired, hungry, cold, bored or wet. Find out what it is and meet their needs. Give your child a feeling that they are safe with you at home or in a daycare they will feel safe at. If your child is still sucking their thumb after age five intervention is necessary. The timing of this intervention is important. Do not try any intervention when they are starting on a new endeavor in their life. This means a new school, home, sibling, parent etc. The first step is to validate your child’s feelings when you begin to talk to them about their thumb sucking habit. Make sure you tell them that you know it is hard for them but you are confident they can be successful at quitting. When your child is first trying to stop sucking their thumb keep their life on an even keel. Maintain a predictable routine in your home. Make sure the child is well fed and rested. Have them stay home from school and make it a three day weekend to work on the habit. Eliminate the blankie, or whatever they have that is associated with the thumb sucking. The first few days is the most difficult and emotional. The child may experience withdrawal symptoms. The child may be unable to fall asleep by themselves and may become irritable. You can talk with your child and eliminate only the daytime sucking if need be at first. Once this is mastered then work on the night time sucking. Create a progress chart of their small accomplishments; when they went one hour without sucking, then the day, then two days, and on up. Give rewards for accomplishments. Keep your child busy and distracted during these first few days or if they are relapsing. Let your child munch on food or chew gum to keep their mouth busy. Remember this hard time is temporary. Rarely does another bad habit replace the thumb sucking habit: your child can be successful with your support, love and encouragement.

the one thing that stopped me from sucking my thumb when i was 8 was hot sauce under the finger nails.

When I was a kid my parents tried everything. We tried bandaids on the thumbs. Also, they (I am not sure who they is) make this stuff called stop zit. You can find it in the finger nail polish section. I am sure it goes by a different name. When I finally stopped sucking my thumb I was ten. I had to get braces and they told me I couldnot get them with out stopping. well $2300.00 later my teeth are straight and my mom never lets me forget how much it cost to get them. Good Luck.

Spank his rear for doing so. MAKE IT CLEAR THIS WILL NOT BE TOLORATED! Duck tape helps also.

i was a chronic thumbsucker for years. My mom tried everything to stop me (yes, the hot sauce trick etc) and nothing worked... I just stopped on my own. i have no teeth issues from it nor speech problems so just know that not everyone will have those issues. I think if you ignore it your child will probably stop on his/her own.

Buy him a pair of totally cool gloves that he likes (they have great ones at target) and make him wear them an hour each time you see him suck his thumb. Also try to give him a less damaging comfort thing to replace it. Some kids really like rocking chairs...maybe one of those rockable video chairs? Want to know the secrets of 5 hysterical mothers? Check out Mama Drama ... http://blogs.chron.com/mamadrama/