Four out of five babies have the habit of sucking their fingers and toes. Doctors say that this habit develops in a child even before birth. However, after a certain age, thumb sucking does not look good. Parents often get tired of dealing with this situation. But today you get to find out the right approach to help your child stop thumb sucking!

Why Do Kids Like Sucking Their Thumbs?

Studies have found that infants are born with an instinct to suck, which is why they can probably easily feed on breasts. Besides that, another reason why kids suck thumb is that it makes them feel comfortable and safe.  

How to Make Your Child Stop Thumb Sucking?

Let’s look at some ways to stop your children from sucking their thumb:

Find Out the Cause

To stop something, you need to find the root cause of the issue. Talk to your child and try to know why they suck on their fingers. Is it because they like it or because they are influenced from somewhere else? Once you know the cause, it will be easier to solve the issue. 

Observe When They Do It

Some kids suck their thumb when sad, irritated, anxious, or angry. In that case, you need to help them find some other coping mechanism. For instance, you can teach them to squeeze a ball as an alternative way of coping with their emotions. On the other hand, some babies do it before or while sleeping. You can try feeding them warm milk or herbal tea before bedtime if this happens. 

Try Using a Finger Guard

Finger guards are usually made of plastic or flexible gloves. When fingers are covered with these guards, kids seem to suck them lesser. However, this can make holding things difficult for the child. Hence, it is not the best way. 

Keep Rewards for Good Habits

Scolding kids do not help. Instead, try rewarding them with toys and chocolates if they do not suck their thumb for a certain time. This way often works because almost every kid loves gifts!

Visit a Dentist

At times no matter what you do or say, your child may completely ignore all of it. Hence, stop wasting your time and instead, let a professional do the job. Bring your child to a dentist and let them explain why thumb sucking is not good for oral hygiene. 

Worried about your kid’s dental health? Get expert dental care solutions for your little ones from Jeanne V. Devi, DDS. Call us at (626) 795-2544 or visit our website for more info. We are located at 595 E Colorado Blvd Suite 603, Pasadena, CA 91101.