How to stop thumb sucking before it’s too late
How to stop thumb sucking before it’s too late
As a parent, one of the most irritating problems that you can find as a lingering distraction for your child is thumb sucking. If you are running out of patience trying to learn how to stop thumb sucking, then you have to understand the challenges in eventually reaching that point. As toddlers, we turn to thumb sucking as it’s a form of security and comfort; a safety blanket when we fear new things, such as long-term change.
Even in the womb, many babies do this, but some children just don’t try and grow out of it.
Despite being something considered appropriate for a baby, it’s not uncommon to see a child much older still practicing this. Don’t worry if your child still does suck their thumb. There are many ways to learn how to stop thumb sucking, and none of them are particularly challenging or upsetting for a child to go through with. They might not appreciate that they need to change and grow up, but it certainly helps to give them the push they need to mature a little.
Stopping at 6.
Make sure that your child is ready to quit thumb sucking at age six; the typical age when teeth start to come in with a form of permanence. Doing this now will allow your child the help that they need in foregoing their need to suck their thumb into later, more embarrassing, ages. It can be hard to get them to stop but if you want to know the age to try and stop it, this is where to start.
Remember also that the intensity matters; a child with a very gentle, almost soothing suckle is not going to do anything like the same strain as those who sook their thumbs until they go all wrinkly!
Try and watch how your child goes about the thumb sucking and this can be a good way to help you find a solution to change how they think. The best option to try and make a child stop is to use a bit of psychology on them. Let them know that, if they really want to grow up and be a big person, they need to stop. Appeal to their slowly growing maturity and see how they feel about answering back to that.
It’s very interesting to do this as it allows your child to evaluate the problem for themselves, and realize that they might just be the problem.
How can you prevent or stop thumb sucking for your toddler from happening again?
While not always effective, it’s certainly a tactic that you would do pretty well to make the most of. If you need something a bit more powerful and practical, though, go for a Glovey Huggey. These are excellent anti-suck gloves that look excellent while covering up the thumb and stopping them from sucking the thumb.
Children love fashion and they love to look cool – so let them! Use the Glovey Huggey as a distraction and you can soon find that, within time, your child grows out of sucking their thumb. Knowing how to stop thumb sucking can be a lifesaver if you want to try and make your parenting a little easier as time goes on.