Colorful Tape To Stop Thumb ****ing

[nannyde]

well, I think it's utterly ridiculous and there is no way in heck I'd allow it with my own child or do it with anyone elses. I see it as CAUSING a special need - it's like trying to teach a child what it's like to have limited use of the hands - and it limits their ability to manipulate materials, develop small motor skills, etc. nope....I'd be livid if someone did that to my kid - ESPECIALLY if it were over thumb ****ing.

sorry Nan...agree with you on quite a bit, but not this.

Nah

It doesn't create a special need.

You see in her post that he's not able to manipulate materials and develop small motor skills etc because he has his hands occupied in his mouth.

Plus you can quickly pop in on and off for whatever you are doing that day. It's not that big of a deal. Easy peezy... takes seconds... works great.. has NO side effects.

I was just thinking about this past winter when we would get back in from walking. We had all eight kids in them and after unloading everyone into the playroom we undress their full winter gear from youngest to oldest. By the time we get to the oldest the older kids have half the playroom out and playing. Trust me, the mittens AND a heavy thick coat (think big marshmallow pillsbury dough boy look) on doesn't stop them from getting their play on. It's better than sitting around waiting for us to undress them.

Same thing while they are getting geared up. We dress them from oldest to youngest so the oldest go play while we are working on the younger children. They have NO problem playing while they are waiting for everyone to get ready.

They have NO problem playing in them before or after the walk... none at all. ::::::

When we are out for a walk they pick up leaves, twigs, rocks, and even coins off the ground for our projects. NO problem.

Seriously you can attach negative and mean to the child to it but in reality it's just a simple last resort short term fix idea that's worth a shot. His health is worth the try. His teeth are worth the try. His speech is worth the try. His play development is worth the try.

[MN Mom]

and this is why i'm pro-pacifier vs. thumb.

Ahh believe me...I would have preferred her use a paci so I could have taken it away. We have US pictures of her ****ing her thumb in womb, and after she was born she had it in her mouth between feedings. I tried a paci with her to no avail, it would fall out and in would go her thumb. Of my 4 kids, she was the only one who needed the extra ****ing and was my only thumb ****er. We tried many things for years to get her to stop, including special stuff you paint on the nails and thumbs...she liked the taste. Luckily her teeth aren't bad, it didn't impair her speech, nor affect her play as she only wanted it when she was tired/sleeping, but I do believe it caused her extra unneeded illness which has since subsided in the 2 months she's been **** free.

[nannyde]

but I do believe it caused her extra unneeded illness which has since subsided in the 2 months she's been **** free.

Yes that is a huge motivator.

Look raising kids isn't a perfect science. You do the best with what you know. If your heart tells you that this kids behavior is causing issues in other areas of core areas of growth and development it's worth it to TRY different methods to deal with it. It's not ideal at the time but in the end... look what you have!!! A healthier, happier, little one.

[jen]

I have a 3 yr Dcb who ****s thumb constantly. His speech is almost unitelligible and his teeth are terrible b/c of it. At nap he ****s both at once. He is always sick and I attribute it to always ****ing his thumb (even when we are outside and his hands are dirty!) It also affects his play skills b/c he can't really play with one hand occupied and he doesn't really talk to the others much- too busy with his thumb!

Neighbor daycare lady has a dcg with duct tape or some colorful sport tape on her fingers (thumb and index) "to remind her not to **** her thumb". She says mom puts in on in the am and it stays on all day no issues.

Mom says she is going to let him **** his thumb until he is five but they have a dentist apt this Monday so I am hoping she changes her mind after that. Obviuosly I won't do anything w/o moms approval. Just wanted to know what you thought in case she brings it up after the dentist.

Anyone have any opinions about this?

So, while I agree that thumb ****ing is not a terrific habit, it really is his parents call on whether or not to stop it. JMHO, but you've discussed your conerns with Mom, and she's told you what her intentions are, your job is done. period.

I think as providers we get way too involved in what is good or not good for someone elses kid. It only makes sense that we would, we see them daily, care for them, want whats best for them. Unfortunately, the truth is, our job is to provide care during specific periods of the day, but overall parenting decisions are up to Mom and Dad. If you don't want him to **** his thumb because of the germ factor, remind him to leave his thumb out of his mouth and make him wash his hands each and every time. As for his speech and his teeth, that is his parents responsbility, or in this case, lack thereof.

I applaud you for wanting to do whats right for the kid, it's sad his parents aren't as concerned as you are.

[nannyde]

So, while I agree that thumb ****ing is not a terrific habit, it really is his parents call on whether or not to stop it. JMHO, but you've discussed your conerns with Mom, and she's told you what her intentions are, your job is done. period.

I think as providers we get way too involved in what is good or not good for someone elses kid. It only makes sense that we would, we see them daily, care for them, want whats best for them. Unfortunately, the truth is, our job is to provide care during specific periods of the day, but overall parenting decisions are up to Mom and Dad. If you don't want him to **** his thumb because of the germ factor, remind him to leave his thumb out of his mouth and make him wash his hands each and every time. As for his speech and his teeth, that is his parents responsbility, or in this case, lack thereof.

I applaud you for wanting to do whats right for the kid, it's sad his parents aren't as concerned as you are.

I think that's a good general rule BUT in this case it sounds like no matter how you slice it... it does affect child care. Having a kid want to **** so much that they will **** hands covered in dirt... is sick all the time... can't speak ... can't play.. etc.

That DOES affect child care a lot in many ways.

But... if it comes down to simply what the parents want then as always... the provider just decides if she can provide services to THAT child and meet his/her needs.

With all the unintended consequences that do affect care the choice is to try to deal with the source problem, just cope, or have the kid go to an environment that more suits his ****ing needs and all the stuff that comes with it.

[morgan24]

With metal in her mouth I would be afraid the shirt would catch on it. Is it like braces or something? I would worry if she tried to put her thumb in her mouth the shirt would catch and if she pulls it could cause damage or harm.

That was just an example of the kind of damage ****ing your thumb does. She's 6 now and in school so I never put a shirt on her when I had her.

[QualiTcare]

Ahh believe me...I would have preferred her use a paci so I could have taken it away. We have US pictures of her ****ing her thumb in womb, and after she was born she had it in her mouth between feedings. I tried a paci with her to no avail, it would fall out and in would go her thumb. Of my 4 kids, she was the only one who needed the extra ****ing and was my only thumb ****er. We tried many things for years to get her to stop, including special stuff you paint on the nails and thumbs...she liked the taste. Luckily her teeth aren't bad, it didn't impair her speech, nor affect her play as she only wanted it when she was tired/sleeping, but I do believe it caused her extra unneeded illness which has since subsided in the 2 months she's been **** free.

yeah, i said that bc we had a discussion not long ago about pacifiers and some people who were anti-paci were saying that's what thumbs were for. i guess the "natural" way to soothe. i disagreed bc you can take a paci away, but not a thumb. it was just funny that this came up.

we went on a field trip in 7th grade and there was a girl who was ****ing her thumb. nobody knew until that trip bc she did it only at night, but she was made fun of for it after that.

[Lucy]

i too would never ever use the shirt, that is a restraint and i don't care if you put it on for 5 minutes or 10 min. you are restrainting the use of the childs fingers. Imagine if there was an emergency......I would talke to the dentist and see what he says. I know there may be problems later with speech and talking but restraining, never. Oh and I'm a nurse too and have been for a long time, I would never do this.

I agree. I mentioned straight jacket earlier. This is a close 2nd. Same with using these to make a kid eat slower. I literally went

[nannyde]

After having tried unsuccessfully to stop my daughter for years from ****ing her thumb and fingers, I would have definitely used this if I had only thought of it. She's nearly grown up now, and her jaw is deformed and her teeth are crooked because of a childhood of ****ing. She had problems all through her grade school years, until she was old enough to figure out that she shouldn't do it in front of her classmates. Believe me, we tried everything that we could think of to stop it, but she just adapted. In retrospect, many of the things that we tried were far more harsh than this and obviously not particularly effective to boot.

Using something like this would not cause long-term problems and if used with proper supervision would not cause safety issues, as was suggested by a PP.

Most kids who are thumb ****ers will stop with the usual, easier, methods, but if you've got a stubborn case, I wouldn't be afraid to try whatever it takes to get it stopped earlier rather than later.

That's why I posted the idea here. Any parent who has gone thru what you have and actually SEEN the adverse lifetime affect this can have on a child would look and this and go "wow... I wish I would have that of it. It's such a simple solution"

The beauty of this is not only does it not cause any long term problems... it doesn't cause any short term problems either. Just a simple cloth block between thumb and mouth.. that's it.... nothing more or less.

I'll bet your daughter would have exchanged a few weeks or even months when she was three to stop the fixation then deal with what she has now. It's a no brainer. The truth is that there is nothing out there (including the cute toy thumb blockers) that really works. If there was, we wouldn't be having this conversation. This may not work for every kid or every family but having an option that is affordable, flexible, and easy on/off is definitely worth a try.

[jojosmommy]

My 9yo DD stopped ****ing her thumb in 10 days. She's been "**** free" for 2 months now. Here's how we did it, as approved and planned by my family dentist:

He bought the most coarse medical tape he could find (Walgreen's brand) and some ace wraps.

We had her make a poster with 10 check boxes and a picture of something special she wanted to do when she was finished.

The title of her poster was...

When I quit ****ing my dumb thumb I want to....

And she drew a picture of a horse for horseback riding.

We used the medical tape on both thumbs every day. It did not come off in the shower or from writing, playing, or anything of that sort. It's meant to STICK through all that stuff. At night we ace wrapped around her elbows, so if she should happen to stick her thumb in while sleeping, the pressure would become uncomfortable and cause her to straighten her arms.

We did the ace wrap for 5 days and the tape on the thumbs for 10.

The key with breaking a habit is that the person with the habit has to WANT to stop. If they don't want to, it will be 10x harder and more frustrating for all involved. My DD was ready and it was easy peasy.

I would suggest to mom, and to anyone who has a thumb ****er to have a meeting with your dentist and child about the issue. These consultations are usually free. Most dentists are happy to help, and have years of experience in dealing with thumb ****ers.

Hope this helps!!

THANKS! My mom is in the dental field and said they tell parents this all the time but I wanted actual experience!