Spring Here, Now’s the Time to Learn How to Stop Sucking Thumb Spring Here, Now’s the Time to Learn How to Stop Sucking Thumb
Thumb sucking is among the first coordinated acts by babies for pleasure and comfort. Parents normally start to fret too early about how to stop sucking thumb. It’s not necessary to put a stop to this habit before the age of 4 unless parents notice some problems in their child’s teeth because of vigorous thumb sucking. Some of the problems that may arise due to thumb sucking include:
Serious problems may occur if this habit persists long after the appearance of permanent teeth. This problem will get more serious if it continues after the age of 4 and 5.
The child may develop swallowing and speech problems.
Prolonged thumb and finger sucking can create bite problems or crooked teeth.
Malformation of teeth affects the appearance of the child and causes emotional problems. Majority of kids outgrow this behavior during their pre-school years. The best way to get a child stop sucking her or his thumb is to find ways on how to stop sucking thumb.
What are the things that you should do?
One of the best ways to stop thumb sucking is to talk about bad germs which are on the hands and how the kid puts them in his or her mouth while engaging in thumb sucking.
Give the kid extra attention. Observe if anxiety or conflicts trigger thumb sucking.
Carefully remove the thumb of your child from his or her mouth during sleep.
Reward your child for his or her progress.
Distract the child when he or she puts his or her thumb in his or her mouth. If your child is engaged in an activity that uses both hands, he or she will need to take his or her thumb out of his or her mouth to complete the task. Keep the hands of your child busy with puzzles, toys or some interesting activities.
Another way to effectively get the child stop sucking his or her thumb is to use a stop sucking thumb glove. https://www.gloveyhuggey.com offers small gloves made from spandex material for children to help them stop thumb sucking. There are lots of choices for you to pick from and all you need to do is to get the one that best suits your child. Make sure that your child likes the color of the stop sucking thumb glove and that he or she is comfortable wearing it.
What are the things that you should not do?
Avoid describing your child as being babyish or putting him or her down.
Avoid nagging the child.
Never shame or punish your child. This kind of negative action will hurt his or her self-esteem and add to his or her anxiety. If the kid has not stopped this habit by his or her 3rd birthday, you should consider taking some actions to stop it. You should act if it’s affecting his or her social and communication skills or if he or she is thumb sucking most of the day. On the other hand, you should remember that it’s not that important to get your child give up this habit if it’s not causing any serious problems.