My 6 yr old daughter sucks her bottom lip. How can I help her to stop the bad habit? ?

Question

My 6 yr old daughter has been sucking her bottom lip for 2 years now. I have been told it is a nervous habit and agree with that to a certain point. I have noticed when she is upset or nervous she does it more but even when she is perfectly fine watching cartoons, coloring even sleeping she does it! I once thought it was just a stage and would pass but know am fearful it won't. My husband and I constantly remind her that she is sucking her lip and she immediately stops but then 5 mins later she is doing again without even realizing it. It use to be red and sore but now I guess b/c her lip is so use to it, it doesn't bother her at all, in fact it isn't even pink anymore.

We have tried several different things to get her to stop. I even tried bribing her with treats if I don't she her doing for a day. I have tried punishing her with time-out but honestly feel bad for punishing her for something she is not aware of half the time! The one thing that works the best is putting hot sauce on her bottom lip, but even then it seems that know she is getting use to that.

Any suggestions? Is this a nervous habit that turned into a permanent habit, what can I do to help her stop?

Thanks for your help

A concerned Mother

Ashley

Answer 1

the only thing is to help her  understand what will happen if she keeps sucking her bottem if that happen give rewards for not sucking it it is your choise to chose

Answer 2

Give her lollipops.

Answer 3

spank her

Answer 4

i would like to say there is probably nothing you can really do as  it is  just something  your child has  got into the habit of doing.  A gentle reminder to stop  occasionally wouldn't go astray. At the worst she may get a rash under her lip due to the skin always being  moist.

At least she isn't sucking her thumb  If that was the case it could be easy as trading the thumb in for hot sauce on the thumb or trading  that in  for a dummy/pacifier but  its not really appropriate really as she is not a toddler or baby, but its still not something that you want to introduce in a hurry and have a huge fight with the child in 12 months or so to get the dummy/pacifier of her. *although it may give her a distraction  other than  sucking her lip but then it could become a big issue when visitors or other family are visiting, why is a six year old sucking on a pacifier ! but I'm sure she would never be first or last to suck on one.  sorry i just had to throw my two bobs worth in and a bit of a herring at the end after my first little thought

Answer 5

my 6 year old daughter did the same thing this past school year, and just under her lower lip was always red, dry and sore... we bugged her many times a day to apply Neosporin to it... when she got tired of trying to keep track of the tube and us bugging her to keep putting it on, she stopped sucking her lip

Neosporin clears up the redness really quick and doesn't taste gross, but isn't all that pleasant either

good luck