Weaning off of thumb sucking...
We just went to the dentist for our first visit and were told that we need to wean our daughter off of her thumb sucking...she is mostly a night thumb sucker, but will do it occasionally during the day too. Does anyone have any tips that have worked for this? I've read a lot on the internet and have some ideas, but I thought I could maybe get some real life tips from those of you that have had this issue.
Thanks.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Beth G on -
How old is she Molly? I just had my 14 month old - who also thumb sucks at the dentist and he said not to worry about it until she is a little older!
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Permalink Reply by Molly H on -
22 months - her teeth are starting to show movement and a pretty bad overbite. I think we need to start the ball rolling in that direction as I am sure it will take a while....
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Permalink Reply by Cathy on -
Go to the "Thumbuddy To Love" website. We used a product for our child and she stopped in a week. They have a lot of good insight as to why you dont want to use bitter polish (chemicals) and why it is important to stop early because thumb sucking pushes out teeth and changes the roof of the mouth so it can affect speech. You can get it on Amazon too but the website has all the info.
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Permalink Reply by Molly H on
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Thanks, Cathy! This is why I love OCmommies - I would have never found this suggestion...at least not without a lot of hours searching. I am going to get this. How old was your daughter when you tried this and she stopped?
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Permalink Reply by Miko Y on -
hi molly - we had the same issue with our now almost 4 yr old. we didn't really try any major interventions because she only sucked her thumb at night, but recently when she had some injuries to her front teeth he said the thumb's gotta go. so we did a reward sticker chart and at the end of that week, she got something she had been asking for, for a loooong time. it worked wonders now and we haven't seen her do it since, but i imagine for her it wouldn't have worked when she was younger.
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Permalink Reply by Molly H on
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Thanks, Miko. Yes - I am wondering what will work for my daughter b/c she is only 22 months....she had teeth really early, so she has a full set now including 2 year molars....this is why I am starting early b/c we can already see movement in her top and bottom front teeth. The dentist also said that thumb suckers are at a much higher risk for front teeth injuries when they fall b/c of the way the teeth protrude out. She is a pretty aggressive sucker too - it isn't that she actually just puts it in her mouth - she focuses on it.
Thanks for the advice - it is helpful. I think I am just going to ease into it - we have begun gently talking about it with her...I will just take it one step at a time and try not to make it negative. If I am successful, I will post my method on here in case anyone else needs the advice. If only she would have just taken a pacifier instead, I could just get rid of it - LOL :) I am sure that isn't easy either, but at least it isn't attached to her body :)
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