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Hello , so I have a four year old thumb ****er , he only ****s it when he has his blanket he'll sit there and just go at it , I'll put his blanket in his cubby for nap time but he'll pull it out and start again !! I don't know what to do all the kids ask him why he ****s his thumb that he's a big boy not a baby but that don't phase him .
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I would put the blanket in another room where he can't get to it.
Thumb ****ing is a very hard habit to break. My mom ****ed her thumb until she was 12. I ****ed mine until I was 8. My niece is 9 and still ****s her.
Also have him wash his hands every time you see him ****ing his thumb -
I would keep the blanket in his cubby and NOT allow him to take it out until nap time but the thumb ****ing is something he is just going to have to curb or cure himself with help of family when they are ready.
There isn't much you can do about it other than ask or remind him not to do it or like PP said, have him wash his hands everytime but sometimes I think that makes a kid feel shamed for being a thumb ****er.
Why not provide a place he CAN sit and **** his thumb ALL day if he wants. Make an agreement with him that he CAN do it here "X" but not any other time.Comment
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Thumb ****ing is only for bed here at that age. They can **** as long as they want if they go lay down and rest. It "cures" it pretty quick. Sometimes they go rest and sometimes they whip out the fingers and go wash their hands.Comment
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I try not to let it bother me. When I see my 3 year old DCG ****ing hers, I will tease her a little by saying - Oh oh, what is in your mouth? Then I will pull it out and ask her how she is going to play with one hand stuck to her face.
She will normally laugh and go about her business.
When the other kids tease her she just huffs and turns her head away with her thumb still firmly in her mouth.
Honestly, I put the thumb ****ing issue into the "There is nothing I can or am willing to do about that " category. After all, I won't be the one paying for her braces later on in life
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I have an almost 2 year old who ****s his thumb so much the skin is peeling off. What do you do for a case like this?Comment
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I had a 5yr old dcg who ****ed her thumb . She was only allowed to do it on a blanket in the family room not the playroom . She would ask to **** her thumb go to the other room and do it for as long as she wanted , then she would wash her hands and come back and play with toys .
I did tell the parents for sanitary reasons she could not **** her thumb while playing with toys because I could not wash every toy after she got saliva on it before another child touched it . And I try my best to avoid the passing of colds from child to child as much as possible .
They understood , well then never complained to my face about it .Comment
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I try to pick my battles carefully and thumb ****ing isn't one I choose to deal with. Even if the skin on the thumb is peeling, I let it be. If it gets painful, I would explain that ****ing will make it worse and suggest he stop. Eventually, if it begins to hurt and he stops getting pleasure from it, he may stop ****ing on his own.
I ****ed my thumb until I went to first grade and my dd did, too. Peer pressure ended it for both of us. I remember her dentist trying to get me to stop my dd from thumb ****ing. I spoke with her pediatrician at the time because I was concerned that I might not be doing the right thing by letting her continue. He reassured me that she needed the comfort she was getting from ****ing her thumb and not to worry. He said, "She won't be going off to college ****ing her thumb. Don't worry about it." Both of us have have very straight teeth, btw. No braces for either of us.
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My nephew ****ed his and still sneaks to do it and he is 11 now....is on his second set of braces costing multiple dollars due to his thumb ****ing....they tried hot sauce, vinegar, even had the implant in the roof of the mouth to knick his thumb when he ****ed but did not stop him......my brother thought is was funny as a baby but who is laughing now???? NO ONE!I try to pick my battles carefully and thumb ****ing isn't one I choose to deal with. Even if the skin on the thumb is peeling, I let it be. If it gets painful, I would explain that ****ing will make it worse and suggest he stop. Eventually, if it begins to hurt and he stops getting pleasure from it, he may stop ****ing on his own.
I ****ed my thumb until I went to first grade and my dd did, too. Peer pressure ended it for both of us. I remember her dentist trying to get me to stop my dd from thumb ****ing. I spoke with her pediatrician at the time because I was concerned that I might not be doing the right thing by letting her continue. He reassured me that she needed the comfort she was getting from ****ing her thumb and not to worry. He said, "She won't be going off to college ****ing her thumb. Don't worry about it." Both of us have have very straight teeth, btw. No braces for either of us.
Also, his thumb and index finger are much smaller than the rest where he kept them in his mouth so much and the skin is peeling all the time....which Dr says will lead to infection if he doesn't stop....
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My sister had a friend who ****ed her thumb throughout her high school years and needed all kinds of dental work as an adult. I didn't mean to downplay the risk since there are those extreme cases that do happen. I guess I'd worry and try to intervene if the thumb ****ing went much beyond 1st grade but my guess is, most kids stop well before then or once peer pressure really starts to kick in at school. My guess is, cases like your nephew and my sister's friend aren't the norm.My nephew ****ed his and still sneaks to do it and he is 11 now....is on his second set of braces costing multiple dollars due to his thumb ****ing....they tried hot sauce, vinegar, even had the implant in the roof of the mouth to knick his thumb when he ****ed but did not stop him......my brother thought is was funny as a baby but who is laughing now???? NO ONE! Also, his thumb and index finger are much smaller than the rest where he kept them in his mouth so much and the skin is peeling all the time....which Dr says will lead to infection if he doesn't stop....Comment
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I don't know about boys. My dd used to do state competitions. They'd do over nights. This was girls from all over the state. Every year, there's about five or six who **** their thumbs while sleeping in the hotel rooms. I usually hear about it from the coach. It seems the coaches make a bigger deal out of it than the girls do. I've noticed two things. Most thumb ****ers who are older usually only do it when they sleep. Second, I feel this is a different generation. I remember once you were about 5 or so, if you did things like ****ed your thumb or weren't fully potty trained you were made fun of and teachers made comments. I've seen children in first grade with security blankets that stunk. I wonder how sanitary it is.lComment
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