Need help with a thumb sucker!!?

Question

My 8 year old daughter recently started sucking her thumb again (my sister was in the hospital, we went to visit and she had a violent myclonus episode--muscle spasms--that left the kids a little traumitized. We got them out ASAP, but saw enough to scare them). She hadn't sucked the thumb in many moons and now again she's doing it, at night or when she's hurt. I've tried putting socks on her hands at night, she pulls them off. I've wrapped her thumbs, the wrappings come off. HELP!

Answer 1

Wow...I would have never admitted that [↑↑↑]

Thumbsucking is a comfort that sets off endorphins... ( feel good chemicals) to the brain. Some people find it easy to transition with another comfort.. perhaps a favorite toy but I don't recommend food... but it does help.

Answer 2

some things that traumatize people can cause them to regress....such as your daughter...last year my mom was put in the hospital and had to have stints put in around her heart. I spent the night with my Aunt that night and I had a similar experience ...and I was 13 at the time. But I only did it for one night. Maybe you should tape the wrapping on her thumb.  So it won't come off.....or just like put some thing that tastes bad on her thumbs.....

Answer 3

Since this is not a behavior issue. I would talk to her about what is going on with her aunt and let her tell you how she felt when the episode happened. I think this will pass in time. I definitely would NOT punish her for it. I think maybe a counselor would be appropriate if this didn't clear up. I personally would give her time to deal with this. Please do not put hot sauce on her, it would burn her thumb and mouth. At 8 years old this is the only thing she knows how to do to comfort herself. Just help her deal with it the best you can. This doesn't sound like a habit that needs to be broken. She is doing it to comfort herself. God Bless you for being such a caring Mom and objecting to the hot sauce

Answer 4

Obviously the thumb sucking is providing something her parents took away...this is the reason hospitals didn't used to allow children under the age of 16 to visit.  Your child was traumatized, she lost the security she once had so she reverted to thumb sucking...and now you are trying everything in your power to remove that secuirty again. Leave her alone, let her self soothe and stop trying to traumatize her more.

Answer 5

ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS BUY A FAKE FINGER AND PUT IT ON THE FINGER AND LT HER SUCK THAT OR EATHER GIVE HER SOMETHING THAT WILL TAKE HER MIND OF OF THUMB SUCKING OR JUST TELL HER THAT SHE WILL GET PICKED ON AND CALLED A BABY IF SHE SUCKS HER THUMB IN SHOOL OR IN PUBLIC AND THEN HOPEFULLY SHE WELL TOP OR FIND SOMETHING ELSE TO DO

Answer 6

some nasty tasting stuff like... vasaline!!

Answer 7

Put gloves on your child's hands or wrap the thumb with an adhesive bandage or a cloth.

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 her thumb.

Answer 8

I would try lemon juice on her thumb.and tell her how she can really mess up her teeth if she continues. try the lemon juice after she has gone to sleep, and again before she wakes up, so she does not exspect it. good luck

Answer 9

wow thats a tough one. I dont know. Just make sure shes always got positive feedback and love.

Answer 10

my moms aunt did these two things put some kind if gross tasting medecine or hot souce

my mom still loves her aunt dearly dont worry

Answer 11

use pure lanolin or breast crem for the chapping on your daughters hands...so if she does suck it won't be gradually introducing toxins into her system.  Pop corn is full of seritonin that helps produce a happy feeling, and a fun thing to eat at night before bed. If you are more concerned about the habbit than the chapped hand, or the emotional trauma. Most nail polish REMOVERS contain  BITREX (you can check the label) It tastes horrible and is designed to prevent kids from swallowing it...maybe you could ask your pharmasist for direction...but I'd be tempted to just rub her thumb down with the nail polish remover.

Answer 12

ok I sucked my thumb until I was like 10 stupid comment sorry resist but to anwser your question I would put lotion on them it'll make her not suck on them and it'll keep them from being so chapped hey chapstick used to burn my chapped lips when I was little because instead of putting chapstick on them as soon as they got chapped liked them a lot and made them worse and then put chapstick on and its bascially like putting something on a bug bite or an open cut anything you put on chapped spot is most likely going to burn but it teaches her a lesson

Answer 13

put hotsauce on her fingers.yull see how fast she stops putting them in her mouth.