Are you willing to help a 4 yr old?

Question

I'm afraid that my 4 yr olds finger is going to fall off. She's been sucking her thumb for 2+ yrs and i'm afraid that it's really infected. The problem is that she's not only sucking it but pressing her teeth into it.

Here's a list of things i've tried:

Over the counter product-Thum

Wrapping it w/bandages

bribing w/ reward

Plz help!!!!!!!

Answer 1

Your dentist can bond a fixed appliance in her mouth sometimes referred to as a "fence" or "cradle."  The appliance is worn 2 - 6 months.  The appliance can be pricey but might be what will work.

Good luck!

Answer 2

No you might be left with scaring her. Tell her that her teeth will come out if she doesn't stop putting her finger in her mouth. Which is true is can cost $4,000+ to get braces now a days to her doing that can really add up in the future.

Answer 3

excuse me if my old-school Southern upbringing is showing but my mama put hot sauce on my thumb and let it dry and anything else she could think of (cod liver oil, red pepper seasoning in some water, anything non toxic, edible, and taste nasty) another thing is if you live next to a walgreens or        CVS(Sav-ON) they have a nail polish for nail biting that works the same for thumb sucking

Answer 4

I think you should tied her hand behind her back so he arm can't move anymore.

Answer 5

Tape a sock onto her hand.  Make sure it's tiht enough that she can't get it off, but not too tight where it's cutting off circulation.

Answer 6

Take her to the doctor to get it checked out. Until til you can get to the doctor disinfect her thumb with preoxide. Then when you make it to the doctor and everything is checked out, wrap her thumb in in tape (not the type you use in wrapping girfts). This will stop her from putting it in her mouth.

Answer 7

get the bitter nail polish for nail biting. Paint all nails everyday and start putting money aside for braces

Answer 8

no her thumb is not going to fall off i sucked my thumb for years and mine never fell off and my teeth pressed into my thumb and actual cut my thumb lots of time i wouldnt worry about it!!

Answer 9

If you really think that your daugters finger is infected take her to the doctor to get antibiotics, at that time discuss the your daughters habbit of thumb sucking with your pediatrition. she/he may have some advice or be able to set your mind at ease. My sister sucked her thumb until she was quite old and quit only after she was caught, and laughed at by the kids she was babysitting, and she was the only one of us kids that did not need orthodontics.

Answer 10

Tell her "If you keep sucking your thumb, it will fall off and all your fingers will, too!" Good Luck!

Answer 11

If it's infected, you need to get to the doctor for treatment.  Discuss your options with them, but what you'll need to do is find a substitute behaviour for your four year old that comforts her.

Answer 12

ignore the behavior.  focus on the positive things your child does and stop rewarding the negative behaviors.

Answer 13

My daughter also is still sucking her thumb. She is 4 years old she has a callous on her thumb from sucking on it. she has sines she was born. I feel that she will stop on her own, and I do not want to push her,  just like the bottle, she got rid of it her self.

My daughter s teeth are pushed out already also.

My husbands family are Mexican and they used to put Chile on their kids thumbs and that worked back in those days I guess.

But anyways they do have a new thing from "One Step A head"magazine a lot of people have tried it and it works here is the link...http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/prod...

Help your child "break the habit" of thumb or finger sucking — without yucky nail polishes or expensive appliances. These rubber guards eliminate the pleasurable sensations of sucking, which can lead to permanent teeth deformations. Dentist invented. ThumbGuard includes 2 thumb covers and 60 bracelets. FingerGuard includes 1 finger cover and 50 bracelets. Both include informative CD-Roms.

Answer 14

I got a One Step Ahead catalog in the mail today, with some anti-thumb sucking device, and wondered who would get that. Althought that could be your thum - its like a plastic shield.

Answer 15

If it is really that bad, go see a doctor.  Otherwise it is not that likely there is a problem or two many 4 year olds have lots there thumbs.

Of course you can scare her with pictures of people without thumbs and really bad buck teeth.