How Your Little One Stop Sucking Their Thumb?

Thumb sucking is cute and can be a great self-soother for children, but as they get older it can interfere with their speech development, cause orthodontic issues, lead to bullying and increase the risk and spread of illness. Breaking the habit can be hard, but here are six products that might just do the trick.

You can also buy thumb sucking gloves from the amazon Canada website in order to stop thumb sucking.

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1. Thumb Guard

This plastic shield worn over the child’s thumb and held in place with a bracelet is designed to stop the suck motion from happening when they pop their thumb in their mouth and therefore takes away the pleasure from the activity. Made from BPA and phthalate-free plastic, it claims to stop thumb sucking in less than four weeks with most parents seeing results after just one. It comes in three sizes with 30 different colored bracelets so kids can mix it up daily, plus includes a reward chart and stickers.

2. Mavala Stop

Designed for children aged three and up, this clear enamel is put over the thumb or nails to prevent sucking or biting thanks to its bitter, yet harmless taste. Needs to be reapplied every two days, with the original layer removed prior to nail polish remover. The reason it’s not recommended for kids under three is that their taste buds aren’t developed properly yet and they might get used to the taste.

Why Does My Child Suck Their Thumb?

Many children begin their ‘sucking’ journey in utero. Suckling is a natural reflex that infants are born with, essential to their survival. It is part of the Suck, Swallow Breathing mechanism, which develops in infancy during feeding and is responsible for supporting and developing many human functions and behaviors. These include posture and motor development, visual motor skills and development, speech and language development, and social/emotional development.

Many babies enjoy a dummy or thumb to self soothe when they are upset or tired. Just behind the top front teeth, there is a nerve and blood supply. This specific area is stimulated upon thumb, finger, or dummy sucking. Studies show that when this happens, neurotransmissions reduce in the brain as hormones such as dopamine and serotonin are released. These hormones induce a sense of calm, comfort, and relaxation. You can also buy thumb sucking guard if you want to stop thumb-sucking habits of your child.

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As they get older, many children continue to suck fingers and thumbs, toys, blankets, pens and pencils, hair and clothes to stay alert, to focus attention as well as to keep calm and self soothe.

This is known as non-nutritive sucking (not to be confused with the important ‘oral exploration’ stage of infancy from birth to two years). If the child hasn’t stopped by the age of four, it has become a habit. And despite negative feedback from Mum, Dad, Aunty Jill, or perfect-stranger-in-the-street; there is often a mood-enhancing, hormonal pay-off for the child that far outweighs the most disapproving reactions. Also, in many children, the continued sucking could be a result of an underdeveloped Suck Swallow Breath mechanism.

The Truth about Thumb Sucking

In times of stress, people have many ways to comfort themselves. For adults, it can be habits such as eating, drinking, or smoking. For children, it is often sucking their thumb, fingers, or a pacifier. Babies have been observed in scans to suck on their fingers and thumbs even before they are born. It makes them feel secure.

Sucking on fingers or thumbs can be a problem when it is done too vigorously and too long. A young child's jaws are soft and can change their shape to make room for the thumb if the child sucks too hard and too often. You can also get help regarding finger sucking prevention via www.amazon.co.uk/Age-2-7-Stop-Thumb-Sucking/dp/B00VQU2DZS.

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If thumb, finger or pacifier habits continue too long, the upper front teeth may tip toward the lip or not come into the correct position in the mouth. Thumb-sucking can be a hot button issue in many homes that have young children.

Some parents feel stressed, wondering how they can help their child break this habit as soon as possible, while others feel the action is a soothing one that shouldn’t be banished right away. Most children naturally stop sucking their thumbs, fingers, or pacifiers between the ages of two and four.

Pacifier habit is easier to solve than the habit of thumb or finger sucking, perhaps because it is always easier to find them a finger or thumb. It is a good idea to try to transfer your child's pacifier habit at an early age.