Everyone seems to have an opinion about thumb sucking!! Right?!? Especially if you ask your mom, mother-in-law, pediatric/ dentist, pediatrician, etc. Well, here are some facts on thumb sucking that I hope will guide your decision. After all, each child is different; what is right for one child and family, may not be right for the next one.
Thumb sucking is the earliest and most common habit in children---affects almost 45% of young children (Garrattini et al., 1990). By 5 yrs old, 85-99% of children no longer suck theri thumb---according to the American Dental Association. So the reverse is that 1-15% of children over age 5 will continue. Approximately 30-50% of preschoolers suck their thumbs.
The thumb is readily available for infants and young children who need to self soothe. It doesn't "fall out" like a pacifier does and require parental assistance to reinsert. As an infant this accessibility is great, but as a child grows older discretion of when to suck is still his/hers. Thumbs aren't tied to clothing as are pacifiers. If a pacifier drops on the floor it is easily cleaned. As a child's thumb comes in and out of his/her mouth, he/she can infect others if he/she is sick and can get infected by things/toys that are touched. Hand washing is very important, especially when thumb sucking occurs at preschool or daycare. Yes, thumb sucking has been known to harm the front teeth and the palate (roof of the mouth)---the more vigorous the sucking, the more damage is likely. The longer the habit continues; the more damage will occur.
Most pediatricians are not in favor of breaking a thumb sucking habit. There does not appear to be any conclusive correlation between thumb sucking and bed wetting or nail biting. Until a child is old enough to reason (around 6 yrs), any direct pressure applied to dicontinue thumb sucking can turn a normal developmental phase into a "crutch". First, a child must decide that he/she is getting something out of it too---what is the "buy in"? The child must want to make a change.
Usually, the peer pressure of starting Kindergarten will either stop the thumb sucking or increase it due to "stress". If an increase occurs, dealing with the school issues should reduce the sucking. If a child is bored and then sucking, try occupying his/her hands with fidgets (a small squishy stretchy toy) or giving him/her a job which requires both hands.
If you and your child are ready to tackle thumb sucking, here are a few ideas:
1. Response/ Reward system--child stops and then gets a promised item
2. book- Helping the Thumb Sucking Child by Rosemarie VanNorman simple and fun program with step-by-step guidelines
3. My Thumb and I- by Carol Mayer, SLP; for 6-10 yrs; simple sequential parent-child program
4. Mr. Wizzard's Thumbs Out video- by Linda Bejoian, SLP; for kids 3-8 yrs; sock puppets; Mr Wizzard uses magic to convince kids to stop sucking
5. An Elastic Bandage; for kids over 5 yrs who really want to stop; cut a piece of elastic bandage and loosely wrap aroung the elbow of the arm with the sucking thumb; serves as an alerting device--"here comes my thumb"; child still chooses to suck or not, but teaches self-choice, self-discipline, and accomplishment
6. A Man's Wool Sock--use a wool sock over the child's sucking arm and pin to pj's at night; do a few nights/wk; increase as appropriate
7. The Thumb-Guard--"T-Guard"--clear plastic, non-abrasive device that slips over a child's thumb and snaps in place; must be cut off; no suction can be achieved; 6yrs and up
Good luck! and remember----if your child is an infant or preschooler, the majority opinion is to let thumb sucking run it's developmental course! :)
Info from The Pacifier: Making the Decision by Charlotte Boshart, SLP
