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Saturday, June 27, 2009

Thumb Sucking


I am lucky that Andrea doesn't thumb suck. She didn't like pacifier either. When Andrea was 6 months old, we decided to give her pacifier because we were preparing for her first airplane travel. We thought that it will help her ease the pressure in her ears while flying.

We never wean her with the pacifier. She just suddenly stopped using it. I know we got lucky on this.

Anyway, I have a niece who is now 3 years old and still sucks her thumb. Thus it prompts me to research about thumb sucking.

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Thumb-sucking is normal in babies and young children. A natural sucking instinct leads some babies to suck their thumbs during their first few months of life, or even before birth. Babies may also suck on their fingers, hands, or items such as pacifiers. Babies have a natural urge to suck, which usually decreases after the age of 6 months. But many babies continue to suck their thumbs to soothe themselves. Thumb-sucking can become a habit in babies and young children who use it to comfort themselves when they feel hungry, afraid, restless, quiet, sleepy, or bored. Most infants suck their thumbs. Toddlers suck their thumbs too. Little by little, most children stop on their own between ages 3 and 6.

Prolonged thumb-sucking may cause a child to develop dental problems. Thumb-sucking can cause a child's teeth to become improperly aligned (malocclusion) or push the teeth outward, sometimes malforming the roof (upper palate) of the mouth. A child may also develop speech problems, including mispronouncing Ts and Ds, lisping, and thrusting out the tongue when talking.

Many experts have said to ignore thumb sucking in a child who is of preschool age or younger. Most children do stop sucking on their own. However, children who suck their thumb may need treatment when they are pulling on their hair between 12-24 months of age, continue sucking a thumb often after age 5 or even if they develop speech or dental problems.

Usually treatment can be done at home and it can include parents setting rules to help provide distractions. Offering praise and rewards for not thumb-sucking may also help your child break the habit.

Source: WebMD

11 comments:

Dhemz said...

this is a good info Mami Lu....:)

Andre is like Akesha...am glad I don't have to deal with this with Akesha...but some other kids even if they are like 3 and up are still using pacifier/thumb sucking.

maria said...

Hi Lulu! Congratulations. I have nominated you for 2 awards. Please drop by and claim them in my blog when you have the time.

The Modern Mom

efaqffqaewfm said...

I was a thumb sucker, but I stopped cold turkey when my Grandma told me one day that if I didn't stop sucking on my thumb, it would fall off. That little lie worked like a charm! lol

Arlyna said...

I wasn't a thumbsucker but I know people who did and it did affect their dental appearance. When I was a kid I was a nail biter, thank goodness - I have grown out of it.

Unknown said...

my daughter used to suck on her fist when she was around 7-9 months old. i would put socks on her hands as she was making them raw from the sucking.

Unknown said...

Lucky you lulu, wala nka probs pag wean kay andrea ky wala mn d i naanad ug pacifier. Ako jake amo pugos ug pacifier, mo mata ug kadlawon ngita iya chupon. Im planning to wean him soon. Ka mga good girl sa inju mga anak oi. dili mn sd hinuon mag thumb suck akong jakoy, wala maliwat sa iya uyuan hehehe. Thanks for sharing thus info

Phebie said...

hi mommy lu..my daughter is about to turn three this october and yet she still sucks her thumb...

she will get angry if I'll pull her thumb...I've tried already to put some "sili" on her thumb but it didn't worked out! lolz!

oh my! I guess the orthodontics ra maoy maka sapi sa iya when time comes...hahhaha

amiable amy said...

agoy, ako bitaw sa baby pako dili ko ga thumb suck pero kung mokaon ko, gasupsup ko busa dugay ko human....LOL

nwala pagka grade one noon hahaha...

maria said...

My son thumb-sucked until he was 2. Good thing I was able to persuade him to stop, I had to cover his thumbs every night for 3 weeks with a bandage. It worked for him. :)

Btw, I stole your badge, hope you can add mine. Thanks. :)

Happy Sunday!

The Modern Mom

Unknown said...

yeah...ako 2 sons wala jud na nag thumb sucking pero ako niece hay sus, nahiwi na lang ngipon, nag stop sya ug thumb sucking mga 3 years old kay gibutangan ug sili iya tudlo ug ang pacifier..haha undang lagi.

Anyway, maka lagot oi...inggit ko ninyo Dhemz kay mga gwapa ayo inyo baby princess..ako puros batoytoy man.

Suroy lang ko diri kay kawaton nako imo badge para sa ako collection..hehe

TC

Pinoy Wit said...

I wonder why some kids thumb suck and others don't. Mine does not thumb suck either

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