Thumb-Sucking Helpful Hints to Break the Habit

THUMB-SUCKING

Helpful Hints to Break the Habit

At 11, Brian was still sucking his thumb. Not all the time, and never at school or at friends' houses. But whenever he was lost in thought at home--whether studying the contents of the refrigerator or watching TV--his thumb would rise toward his mouth. And at night he'd fall asleep with that comforting thumb wedged firmly in place.

'I had visions of him going off to college sucking his thumb,' says his mother. But as it turned out, he stopped before sixth grade. Brian made the decision himself--and he succeeded with help from his parents.

Experts agree that sometimes thumb-sucking isn't a problem at all. 'It's not a sign of insecurity--it's simply a habit,' says Susan Heitler, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in Denver. 'It's a coping skill, much like pacing or cigarette smoking is to an adult,' says Dr. Heitler. 'If a child is agitated, it calms him down; if he's bored, it stimulates him.'

If the child is under five, the best policy might be to ignore it. 'If the child thumb-sucks only occasionally and it doesn't appear to be harming teeth or fingers, there's no need to do anything,' says Stephen Goepferd, D.D.S., professor of pediatric dentistry and director of dentistry in the Division of Developmental Disabilities at the University Hospital School at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.

Problems can occur, however, if a child is vigorously thumb-sucking after age five, says Patrick Friman, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at Creighton University Medical School and the director of clinical research at Father Flanagan's Boys' Town, in Boys' Town, Nebraska. 'The child may be at risk for buck teeth, malformation of the sucked fingers or thumbs and fungal infections under the nails,' he says.

And frequent thumb-sucking can take a social toll once a child starts school or preschool. A child who sucks his thumb in school will probably have to put up with the jokes and teasing of classmates, according to Dr. Friman.

So if your youngster still has a thing for his thumb as school age approaches, you might want to take some positive action. Here are some steps that can help.

Can the nagging. No matter what your child's age, don't scold him about his habit. 'If you've been nagging your child about his thumb-sucking, now is the time to call it quits,' says Dr. Friman. Don't mention thumb-sucking unless the child brings it up. Particularly don't pull your child's thumb out of his mouth, he says. Sometimes just making a nonissue of thumb-sucking can help to cut back on it. If not, at least you've stopped making your child miserable about the habit.

Tune into your child's signals. If you want to gently steer your child away from thumb-sucking, take note of what's going on whenever your child's thumb goes in her mouth, says Dr. Heitler. 'If your child automatically sucks her thumb when she's tired, hungry or bored, help her verbalize those feelings and look for other solutions,' she suggests. 'For instance, you can say to her, ' You must be feeling bored,' and then get her interested in a book or toy to take the place of her thumb.'

Abandon cuddly props. Sometimes thumb-sucking and hugging a blanket or teddy bear are habits that are linked together, and your child automatically does one while doing the other. 'Dragging around a blanket or teddy bear may trigger unnecessary daytime sucking,' points out Dr. Heitler. If you make a rule that the blanket or teddy must stay in the child's bedroom, you'll likely cut down on thumb-sucking outside the bedroom.

Consider your timing. If you believe it's time for your child to actively try to break the thumb-sucking habit, pick a time when life is relatively calm, advises Dr. Goepferd. You probably won't get anywhere if there's been a death in the family or a serious illness, or if a divorce is in progress, he notes. 'Postpone any program until later, when things are calm again.'

Give a reason to quit. If you want your child to quit because you think other children will make fun of him when he starts kindergarten, explain this. 'It's easy for a child to see that he probably doesn't want to be sucking his thumb in front of all those other kids at school,' says Dr. Heitler.

You can also explain that the pressure from the thumb could harm his teeth--and it helps if your pediatrician or dentist also mentions this. 'It may take a heart-to-heart talk to convince your child that ending the habit is important,' says Dr. Heitler.

Team up to stop the habit. Once your child is interested in quitting, discuss possible solutions together, says Dr. Friman. 'That way, it's not something the parent is doing to the child, but rather something that the child is doing for himself.' Parents can help with reminders, he says, but the child feels more in charge this way.

Pick a milestone for stopping. 'It's often a good idea to tie the time for your child to stop sucking his thumb to a milestone or special event in her life, such as starting kindergarten, by New Year's or before summer vacation begins,' says Dr. Heitler.

Once you've chosen the 'stop' date, sit down with your child and design a colorful chart where you can record the hours or days he goes without sucking his thumb, suggests Dr. Heitler. This gives your child a sense of control, she says, and lets him see the progress he has made.

Reward success. 'Build into your charting system little treats or rewards-something for your child to work toward in her endeavor to quit the habit,' says William Kuttler, D.D.S., a dentist in Dubuque, Iowa, who has been treating children for more than 20 years. 'It's very motivating.'

He suggests giving a child a star for each day she gets through without sucking her thumb. You and the child can determine ahead of time how many stars she needs to collect before she earns a particular treat, such as a new toy.

Or make a dot-to-dot game. A personalized dot-to-dot game can give the child not only an incentive, but a sense of control, says Dr. Friman. First, find a picture in a magazine of a treat the child would like, and then put a sheet of white paper over the picture and draw dots along the outline of the treat. Post the dot-to-dot game in a prominent place in your child's room.

'A child who doesn't suck his thumb all day gets to connect two dots. When all the dots are connected, the child gets the thing he's drawn,' explains Dr. Friman. 'If there are days when the child feels he must suck his thumb, then no dots are connected, but the child still hasn't lost anything. He's still the one in control.'

Develop a warning system. 'The hardest part of quitting is for the child to realize that his thumb is in his mouth, since it goes in by automatic pilot,' says Dr. Heitler. You need a way to warn your child that the thumb is moving toward his mouth. Discuss it with your child, and pick something that will remind him what he's doing. A small adhesive bandage around the thumb may do the trick.

'If the plain bandage isn't enough, try putting a bit of vinegar on it,' suggests Stuart Fountain, D.D.S., a dentist in Greensboro, North Carolina, and associate professor of endodontics at the University of North Carolina's Chapel Hill School of Dentistry. 'The taste of the vinegar will remind your child that he's trying to quit.'

Put a sock on it. If your child sucks her thumb when she's sleeping, even a bandage on the thumb may not stop it from going in the mouth. Instead, your child may want to put some gloves or socks over her hands while she sleeps, suggests Dr. Heitler.

Try thumb-painting. For the child who is trying to quit with little success, try Stopzit or a similar over-the-counter product, suggests Dr. Friman. These pharmacy products are safe for children, but contain bad-tasting ingredients that jolt the child's taste buds.

But be sure your child doesn't think of this as a punishment, warns Dr. Friman. ' You can say to your child, 'Here's some medicine that can really help you when you forget and put your thumb in your mouth,' ' he suggests. 'The child gets the message that his parents aren't making him quit, they'rehelping him quit.'

Offer an encouraging word. 'Don't underestimate how difficult breaking this habit is for your child,' says Dr. Heitler. 'Thumb-sucking is a very rewarding habit, and doing without it creates a feeling of loss or emptiness. Much like what an adult feels when he gives up smoking.' So be patient with your child, and offer frequent encouragement.

And even if your child quits, it will be easy for him to relapse during the first few weeks, points out Dr. Heitler. ' Your child will have to work extra hard to guard against slipping back. It usually takes at least 30 days for the sucking impulse to subside.'

Have you or a family member had an experience with this? Help others by sharing your story now.

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