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JDubs
different, not less
Member since 7/09 13160 total posts
Name:
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thumb sucking, anyone had this problem?
my DS (5 months) has gotten into the habit of sucking on his thumb. I try to take his thumb out of his mouth if I catch him doing it, and put in a pacifier, and he just spits it out. Sometimes when I am feeding him he will also try to stick his thumb in his mouth while he is sucking on the bottle. His thumb became all red and chapped as a result. I tried putting socks on his hands but that didn't really work too well as he gets them all wet when he sticks his thumbs in his mouth. anything else i should try, or what has worked in your experience?
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Posted 1/25/13 10:20 AM  |
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MrsT809
LIF Adult
Member since 9/09 12167 total posts
Name:
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thumb sucking, anyone had this problem?
DD sucks her thumb but I never tried to prevent it. I saw it as a good thing that she can soothe herself. When she first started at 3 months she was a bit obsessed but that faded and now she only does it in the crib when falling asleep and not even all the time. She does try to stick a finger in her mouth when nursing (usually her pointer finger though) which I think is just exploring for her. In terms of the redness, someone here recently suggested using lanolin which makes perfect sense. It is great for easing dryness, won't harm him if he ingests it, and it stays put well (although it's sticky).
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| Posted 1/25/13 10:33 AM |
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BBin2012
Full heart!
Member since 8/11 1835 total posts
Name:
Ka
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Re: thumb sucking, anyone had this problem?
Posted by MrsT809
DD sucks her thumb but I never tried to prevent it. I saw it as a good thing that she can soothe herself.
ITA. DS doesn't take a paci so it's fine w/me. At this early stage I wouldn't worry about it.
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| Posted 1/25/13 11:08 AM |
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dlj97
LIF Adult
Member since 7/10 4399 total posts
Name:
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Re: thumb sucking, anyone had this problem?
Posted by BBin2012
Posted by MrsT809
DD sucks her thumb but I never tried to prevent it. I saw it as a good thing that she can soothe herself.
ITA. DS doesn't take a paci so it's fine w/me. At this early stage I wouldn't worry about it.
Same here. DD is almost 20 months and she still sucks her thumb all the time. We will have to stop it one day, but it's the way she soothes herself. She likes to stick her finger in her belly button too while she sucks her (other) thumb - she is weird!
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| Posted 1/25/13 11:30 AM |
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melbalalala
Little Lady
Member since 5/07 5015 total posts
Name:
Melissa
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Re: thumb sucking, anyone had this problem?
Posted by dlj97
Posted by BBin2012
Posted by MrsT809
DD sucks her thumb but I never tried to prevent it. I saw it as a good thing that she can soothe herself.
ITA. DS doesn't take a paci so it's fine w/me. At this early stage I wouldn't worry about it.
Same here. DD is almost 20 months and she still sucks her thumb all the time. We will have to stop it one day, but it's the way she soothes herself. She likes to stick her finger in her belly button too while she sucks her (other) thumb - she is weird!
 For DD (28 months) she has bald spots on her head from where she twirls her hair when she sucks her thumb.
To the OP, I agree with the PPs, I think thumb sucking is a gift from God  when they are super-young it's the perfect soother and means you don't have to run around and find pacifiers all the time. At an older age, when she's stressed or mischievous she uses it to comfort herself and her temperament changes immediately.
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| Posted 1/25/13 11:42 AM |
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JDubs
different, not less
Member since 7/09 13160 total posts
Name:
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Re: thumb sucking, anyone had this problem?
thanks, i guess i should pick up the lanolin then for the chapping/redness.
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| Posted 1/25/13 11:50 AM |
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itsbabytime
LIF Adult
Member since 11/05 9644 total posts
Name:
Me
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Re: thumb sucking, anyone had this problem?
My DD has been a thumb sucker since she was in the womb. I'm not going to lie it bothers for a number of reasons - that said, it is what it is. The ped said NOT to try to even stop it until she was 3. And, honestly, the things I was afraid of never came to fruition - she doesn't really get sick alot and her teeth are just fine. I did try to get her to take a pacifier in the beginning but, I'm not a believer in pacifiers - I think it is cruel to try to get them hooked on something you will eventually have to upset them to take away... My DD now knows she only sucks her thumb in her bed or the car seat or at home - she doesn't do it out or at school. Eventually, we will talk about stopping it all together...
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| Posted 1/25/13 12:13 PM |
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