My son is a thumb sucker HELP

Question

So my son is 13 months old. he's always sucked his thumb, but I just noticed that he has a really big sore on his thumb from where his bottom teeth are aggravating it. What can I do to stop him?

I asked this earlier and for some reason it didnt post it......

Answer 1

my brother did that when he was little and ruined his teeth so stop him immeditaly.. we wer about to put spikes somewhere where he puts his thmb but we decided not too. U can also everytime u see him sucking his thumb, give him something else to chew or suck on like a lolipop.

Answer 2

put something sour on his thumb or something that doesnt taste so good maybe one of those candy sour sprays for a while and then he'll think ohh this doesnt taste so good..I think they also sell things to stop babies/toodlers from sucking their thumbs!

How is problem thumb-sucking treated?

Many experts recommend ignoring thumb-sucking in a child who is preschool age or younger. Most young children stop sucking their thumbs on their own.

Children who suck their thumbs may need treatment when they:

Also pull their hair, especially when they are between 12 and 24 months of age.

Continue to suck a thumb often or with great intensity after the age of 4 or 5.

Ask for help to stop the behavior.

Develop dental or speech problems as a result of the behavior.

Feel embarrassed or are teased or shamed by other people because of the behavior.

Usually, treatment can be done at home and includes parents setting rules and providing distractions. It may be helpful to limit the times and places that your child is allowed to suck his or her thumb and to put away blankets or other items your child associates with thumb-sucking. Offering praise and rewards for not thumb-sucking may also help your child break the habit. As your child matures, usually around age 5, he or she may be able to take a more active role in treatment.

Talk to your child openly about the effects of thumb-sucking.

Put gloves on your child's hands or wrap the thumb with an adhesive bandage or a cloth. Explain that the glove, bandage, or cloth is not a punishment but is only there to remind him or her not to thumb-suck.

Develop a reward system, such as putting stickers on a calendar or otherwise recording each day that your child does not suck his or her thumb. After an agreed-upon number of days, have a celebration for your child.

Use a special nontoxic, bitter-tasting nail coating, such as Thum. Apply it like fingernail polish to the thumbnail each morning, before bed, and whenever you see your child sucking his or her thumb. This treatment is most successful when it is combined with a reward system.

If these treatments aren't successful, other methods—including behavioral therapy, thumb devices, or oral devices—may be used.

Answer 3

TRY as best as you can to get him to quit! My bro is 4years old and sucks his thumb constanttttt. His front teeth are starting to mess up because of it! Once they start its Hard to make them stop..sucking thumb also plays a part in there appetite. They eat less sometimes!

Answer 4

i know theres a nail varnish that you can put on your nails to stop you biting them it has a very bitter taste but not sure if you could use it on a baby that young i used it to stop my 3 1/2 year old biting nails .Sucking his thumb is a comfort thing if you could watch out for when his more inclined to do it e.g (when crying etc) and distract him with something else .I know it will be hard but its worth trying because in the long run if not stopped thumb sucking can result in teeth being pushed forward

Answer 5

You should give him a pacifier so he'll have something new to suck on...if he doesn't like it, I think you should make it clear to him that he's not allowed to suck on it, and he needs to learn to start sucking on the pacifier instead.

Answer 6

put something sour on it,get him something else to suck on maybetry cold carrot stick each time he sucks  

Answer 7

put something on his thumb, maybe ductape. make sure it's not too tight but tight enough so that he can't get it off. it will prevent him from sucking.

-Courtney. <33

Answer 8

I would talk to your pediatrician.  Besides putting chili powder or foul tasting nail polish on this thumb, I can't think of any other way to curb this.  One think to consider, breaking this habit by the age of 3 yrs is important as at that point, the thumb-sucking will begin to affect his teeth.  I was a thumb-sucker until 2nd or 3rd grade and the orthodontic's bill was quite extensive.

Answer 9

The last thing you want to do is replace it with something else for him to suck because you will then have to break him of that later.  I would go with the bad tasting stuff--I would not go hot because you would not want to burn his mouth.