Thumb sucking!

[Sparrow]

Hi! Again!

My eight year old will not stop sucking her thumb - I have tried everything from blackmail (will buy you such and such if you dont suck your thumb for a week) to being nice , shouting at her etc. I have even painted her thumb nail a horrible colour in nail varnish to put her off - and painted the horrible tasting stuff on thats suppossed to stop you biting your nails - she just sucks it off! Even a telling off from the dentist doesnt deter her - he made her cry last time but still she sucks her thumb!

Its now affecting the profile of her face - as you look at her side on her top lip has starting sticking out where the top two teeth are pushing out. :( The top teeth are her "big" teeth now so she is stuck with them. I have even showed her pictures on the internet of peoples braces to show her how she will end up if she doesnt stop. The dentist says if she doesnt stop now while she is still developing and growing she will end up in braces. I think the dentist thinks I dont care - he always has a go at me too saying I should stop her but short of tying her hands behind her back I dont know what to do. I asked him last time if he had any ideas to stop her I was more than willing to listen - his two suggestions were putting a tight sock over her hand and taping it up so she couldnt get to her thumb to suck it :bigeyes: and making a plate for her mouth with a small spike on so when she put her thumb in it would come out looking like a shark had bitten her :bigeyes: - his words not mine!

She is so pretty and is spoiling her lovely face - I dont want to see her wearing braces through her teenage years :cry: So if anybody has any ideas or tricks to try or advice I would be very grateful (and dont say change your dentist :lol: this one was hard enough to find round here!! :lol: )

Thankyou

sparrow

[tact77]

Hi Sparrow,



I found this (http://www.thumbguard.co.uk/our_products.php) on a google search. Not sure if its any good.

[er 59]

hi sparrow

i dont care much for your dentists advice he would be enough to give a child nightmares :bigeyes:

im not sure how you can stop little sparrow sucking her thumb if it has become a habit then its probably going to be hard to break all i can think of is maybe giving her rewards for not doing it as opposed to tellings off when she does and see if that works

sorry not much help its a toughie

[Sparrow]

Thanks Tact - I will look into that! And er 59! She has always sucked her thumb right through from being a baby! The youngest has never sucked her thumb! I tried the eldest with a soother (they were dummys when I was small!) but she just spat it out when she was a baby and sucked her thumb!! :blush:

. "I know several teenage girls that still suck their thumb, and my 14 yr old nephew - very tall, very muscular - looks more like a well built 19 yr old, will curl up in the corner watching a tv show with thumb in mouth!" - thats what worries me - my friend who is getting married soon - her husband to be still curls up in bed at night with his thumb in :bigeyes: he is 28!! :o

Sparrow :blink:

[Miss Understood]

Have you tried paying for her to have a really nice manicure with false nails or really nice nail varnish or somethingto make her feel grown up (school holidays I guess would be best!) with a gentle hint that if she sucks her thumb that nail will look different and spoil the look?

Just a thought...

[Bonkers Mad!!!]

my son is a thumb sucker, i tried everything to get him to stop and eventually we came to an understanding. its his thumb, he can do what he likes with it, as long as he doesnt do it when we are out together. he now only sucks his thumb when he goes to bed. he is 17 :lol:

[c1rcle]

My youngest is a thumb sucker still at 13 & I'm always telling him off for it, we've tried all the stuff that you paint on but it's done no good so far.

If it makes you feel any better I used to work with a guy who still sucked his thumb well into his 30's & his teeth didn't go wonky because of it.

[Sparrow]

Thanks c1rcle bm and Miss understood!

Her teeth are already wonky and getting worse it is quite noticeable now( thats why I want to find something that will stop her! )And yes i have paid for her to have her nails done (only cos my friend who lives over the road does manicures etc as her job - cant think what the proper title is :blush: so I get a bit of a discount! ) and she sucks the nail polish off and leaves a wrinkly thumb and nail :sad:

She does it in her sleep - so when I go in and check her I do take her thumb out and she does it throughout the day - obviously I stop her at home but cant at school etc. I remember when she was at her pre school group and they used to take photos of the kids and send them home to parents in turn each week to look at - i said i hope theres no pictures of you thumb sucking - no mum I dont suck my thumb at school! Every photo she was the one with her thumb in :bigeyes:

I worry that her teeth are going to get so bad and she wont listen she will end up damaging them permanetly. :( And you know what kids are like - if you dont fit "normal" they take the p***. I have something wrong with my eye - well not wrong but not how a"normal" eye looks - my iris isnt formed properly so my pupil is shaped like a tear drop(was born like it!) and for years I was called catseye and other horrible names at school. I suppose having endured years of that makes me slightly more ott :blush: about her and wonky teeth :blush: Stupid arent I?! :blush:

sparrow

Ps that thumb guard Tact posted a link to is £50 plus p+p so will look into that properly. :thumbs:

[tact77]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Sparrow @ 23rd August 2006 - 7:40 PM) 192918</div>
Ps that thumb guard Tact posted a link to is £50 plus p+p so will look into that properly. :thumbs: [/b]



How much!! But then if it works you will save yourself a fortune in dentist bills etc.

[sassieb]

That thumb guard thingy look good,, why not give that a try? if she wont listen to you or the dentist maybe thats the way to go

[marieuk]

Hi Sparrow



I bet it seems like you are fighting a loosing battle, :( although most babies who suck their thumb do so because they have done it in utero, on scans babies are often seen sucking thumbs and there is a particular patten to the heart rate which can indicate thumb sucking sorry for beeing a boffin :blush: but that might be why it is so hard to stop children sucking their thumbs

I cant really offer any advice except i had fixed braces at school (not from sucking thumb)and i was so scared of having them as i already got lots of stick from my name, the last thing i wanted was people taking the pi** about my brace, for a few weeks it was the topic of conversation but funnily enough not in a bad way just lots of questions etc, :bigeyes: :blink: i had fixed ones from age of 15-18 horrid age but i am so pleased i had them, now i can smile with confidence by the time i had mine removed everybody seemed to have one, kind of like a fashion accessory! I know prevention is better than a cure but to be honest if her theeth are already growing outwards already could it be possible that she may need a brace in the future anyway??


Good luck lots of love Muk xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[Sparrow]

Thanks all! I thought it was a bit dear too Tact but it looks worth a go! The dentist said last time we went she was still young enough that if she stopped sucking her thumb her profile and teeth would correct themselves as she grows - which is why she needs to stop now! Ive tried the glove thing at night - she wakes up with a mouth full of fluffy bits and a lovely soggy thumb :unsure: . I have thought about a sock and putting a hair bobble round to secure it but Im worried it may get tight while she sleeping and I would hate for anyone to find out and think Im hurting her :cry:

sparrow :blush:

[marieuk]

It sounds like you have tried most of the options apart from the thumb guide but it does sound expensive especially if it does not work :blink:




Dibuzz you crack me up :hihi: :hihi: :hihi:







Love Muk xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[leggylass]

Hi Sparrow,
I was a thumb sucker, my mum tried everything (including very nasty tasting nail varnish meant for nail biters, just made me suck a finger instead of my thumb!) The dentist told her it wouldnt damage my teeth, the doctor told her it would make my immunity better as id ingested alot of germs <yuk>
And yes...im 39 and I STILL suck my thumb when I go to sleep or if im really stressed!!
Aint I a ray of sunshine!! :jester:
But Im healthy and my gnashers are good!!! :D
Leggy x