How to Stop Your Child From Sucking Their Thumb

It may be cute to see a tiny little baby sucking their thumb. But as kids grow, it’s not so cute anymore. This once-normal behavior becomes a very hard habit to break. And it could put your child’s oral health at risk if it continues after teething. 

Most parents notice that the thumb-sucking habit slowly diminishes between two and four years of age. However, if your child isn’t showing any signs of slowing down - it may be time to take action. 

Consequences of Thumb Sucking

There are a few issues that can arise as a result of thumb-sucking. Here are some of the most common: 

• Impaired jaw growth
• Crossbites
• Changes in palate
• Improper tongue posture
• Open bite
• Overbite or overjet

It is imperative that steps be taken to stop your child from sucking their thumb if you want to maintain good oral health. 

Tips to Stop Your Child From Sucking Their Thumb

Teaching your child to stop sucking their thumb before permanent teeth come in is so important. Here are a few tips to help you get through this challenge. 

Use Positive Reinforcement

Being negative, yelling, or punishing a kid for sucking their thumb is not going to work. This sucking habit is an innate reflex - and it is comforting to the child. A negative response is only likely to kick it into high gear. 

Using positive reinforcement by praising and rewarding your child for not sucking their thumb can have a greater impact. An easy way to do this is by setting up a chart and adding stickers to it every time they aren’t sucking their thumb. This may be every few minutes, every hour, every day, etc. 

Find a system that works and engages your child - and stick to it. 

Distract Your Child

Find easy ways to distract your child and keep their hands busy. Engaging them in various activities is a great idea, such as arts and crafts, actively playing with toys, and playing sports. Pair it with a reward chart for even greater chances of success. 

Thumb Guards

Thumb guards go on your child’s hand and cover their thumb. Due to air holes, they cannot get suction when attempting to suck their thumb. This makes them lose interest and can successfully break the habit. 

Thumb guards allow your child to still be able to move about freely without much restriction. Discuss this option with your dentist before making a purchase.  

Over The Counter Remedies

Discuss with your pediatric dentist prior to putting any over the counter remedy on your child's thumb. Many will try hot sauce but we do not recommend this because if it gets in the child's eye you could be off to the ER. Also, there can be some gastric distress with this method. There is some success with medicaments that you paint on the thumbnail but these should be placed only after the age of four as certain taste buds do not develop until after this age.  We recommend you discuss this with your pediatric dentist to help guide you on what to buy.

Dental Appliances

A dental appliance may be recommended if your child continues to suck their thumb when permanent teeth erupt. The key here is that the child must be able to say they want to stop but can’t stop.

Talk to Your Child

Depending on how old your child is, sitting down and having a talk with them can have a bigger impact than you would imagine. Discuss the issues that can come from sucking their thumb, such as spreading germs, the eventual need for complex dental procedures, getting picked on by other kids, and so forth. 

Sometimes helping them to understand what comes with thumb sucking can be enough for them to quit the habit on their own. 

Reach Out to Your Pediatric Dentist

Your child’s dentist is a great resource when it comes to thumb-sucking habits. At Pediatric Dental Care of Memphis, we will work with our parents and their little patients to come up with a solution. There are many different ways to curb this habit - and working together can yield the greatest results. 

To schedule an appointment, contact us today at one of our convenient locations. Or, request an appointment online.