Children have some primitive reflexes like rooting and sucking. These reflexes diminish during first years of life. But you may wonder why some children keep on sucking their thumb or finger. The sucking reflex persists in some children and it may make them feel safe and provide a soothing sensation.
But there are some downfalls to thumb sucking. It can affect jaw development, lead to crooked teeth and affect your child’s speech. These may lead to poor self-esteem and self-confidence when interacting with their peers. To grow beautiful smiles, the habit must be stopped before their adult begin to erupt.
Here are some tips to help them break the habit.
Talk to your child:
Talk to your child in a friendly way and let them know they are outgrowing the habit. Show them how it will affect their Big Girl or Big Boy teeth. Allow them to express themselves so that you may gauge if they are emotionally ready to break the habit
- Do not scold them:
Do not scold your child for sucking their thumb. Remember digit sucking makes them feel safe and calms them when they are upset. So they will use this coping mechanism to soothe themselves, taking the habit longer to break. Instead, gently remind them when they have their finger in their mouth and to remove it.
- Reward them when they do not suck their thumb:
This is an effective method to help your child break the habit. Make an agreement of no thumb from a prescribed time, e,g, everyday from 1pm to 3pm. After one week if they have successful succeeded in this challenge give them a reward for their hard work and determination. Slowly increase the hours of refraining from the habit, until they no longer desire to continue the habit.
- Give them gentle reminders:
Sometimes your child is ready to break the habit but may need a reminder here and there. Here are some methods you can use.
- Wrap tape around the thumb/finger.
- Apply a sock around the hand when they are sleeping.
- You may put vinegar on the finger to make it taste different without it being harmful.
- You may purchase a thumb or finger guard to put on the digit. This is more difficult for them to remove.
- Share your lesson from your childhood
Tell them of a habit you struggled to break when you were their age. What did you do to overcome the habit and the immense pride you had over yourself once you broke the habit. This will motivate them to stick to their program in breaking their thumb sucking habit.
- Contact your family dentist:
If you have any questions about your child’s jaw development or eruption of their permanent teeth be sure to contact your family dentist for a dental examination. If your child is still struggling to break the habit, sometimes a talk with your family dentist is all that is needed. Your dentist will also be in a position to recommend different methods to break the habit.