Give up the habit of thumb sucking: This is the best way to react

Thumb sucking occurs mainly in highly developed civilizations, but hardly in primitive peoples. Thumb sucking is a natural reflex. Even in the womb, your child begins to suck its thumb when it touches its mouth with its hand. Don’t try to break the habit of thumb sucking while your child is young. Thumb sucking relaxes them and satisfies your child’s innate and natural need to suckle. Most children stop thumb sucking on their own by the age of four, either because they find other ways to relax or because other children laugh at them. But if your child is older and still sucks their thumb, then there are other reasons.

Why your child sucks their thumb

• It is often an expression of insecurity. Your child tries to relax and comfort himself. An extraordinary stress such as the first visit to school, a move or the birth of a sibling can cause your child to fall back to an earlier stage of development in the short term, as an emotional balance, so to speak. This phase is temporary and your child will stop on its own.
• Maybe your child just has an increased need for affection and tenderness.
• Fear or overwork can also be causes of thumb sucking.
• It’s different when it’s a habit. Then it is probably a symptom of a deeper problem.
• Orthodontists warn that thumb sucking at this age can damage teeth and negatively impact jaw development and tooth alignment.

How should you react when your child sucks their thumb?

• Don’t punish and don’t scold: If you punish or scold your child, you build up additional stress.
• Look for the causes: Observe your child when it sucks its thumb. When excited? While falling asleep? As a constant habit?
• Talk to your pediatrician: If your child is constantly sucking their thumb, it may be a symptom of a deeper problem. Talk to your pediatrician. He can give you a few tips on how to stop this habit, help you to find the causes or refer you to a specialist.

How to stop your child from sucking their thumbs

• Talk to your child: Explain to your child why they should stop sucking their thumb. Make sure that you motivate them to cooperate.
• Reward your child: Have your child break a habit. That is exhausting. A reward motivates your child.
• Take time for your child: thumb-sucking is often due to a desire for more affection. Show interest in what your child enjoys doing. Take more time than usual. Focus on your child’s special preferences and ignore the thumb sucking. Both together can often solve the problem by itself.
• Gloves and bitter tinctures: There is the option of slipping a special glove over your child’s thumb, or rubbing a special bitter-tasting tincture on your child’s thumb so that they can no longer relax by thumb-sucking. However, some educators reject these methods. So when you use this method, it’s not as a punishment, but more as a reminder so your child knows they’ve got their thumb in their mouth again.