Thumb sucking is something that many children do. It may be difficult for parents to understand why their child won’t stop sucking their thumb. As your child gets older and is about to attend school, you may wish to reduce thumb sucking. Reducing thumb sucking in your child is going to be a difficult process, as it’s a habit that they’ve grown accustomed to. Below are a few tips to help you reduce thumb sucking without stressing anyone out.

Here are 8 Helpful Tips To Put An End To Thumb And Finger Sucking

8 Helpful Tips To Put An End To Thumb And Finger Sucking
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Talk with the Dentist

If you’re overly concerned about thumb sucking causing long-term damage to your child’s teeth, then you may want to have a talk with your child’s dentist before trying any of my tips to reduce thumb sucking. Ask your child’s dentist about your concerns with thumb sucking to see if there are any health reasons that your child should stop thumb sucking. They’ll advise you appropriately.

Offer a Substitute

Sometimes children suck their thumb because of stress, if that’s the case, try to find something to substitute the stress or anxiety your child feels that leads to thumb sucking. You could use a kindness rock, a stress ball like this, or a small stuffed animal that could become a replacement for thumb sucking due to stress or anxiety in your child.

Use YouTube

There are many videos about thumb sucking on YouTube. This method has worked for other parents who are looking to reduce thumb sucking. Review YouTube videos about thumb sucking so that you can make sure they’re age and topic appropriate for your child. Then sit down with your child to watch these YouTube videos, they will surely help your child have less of a desire for thumb sucking.

Hot Sauce Method

Some parents use hot sauce on the thumb to reduce thumb sucking. While this method may not be comfortable for every parent, it has proven to be a solution to reduce thumb sucking in children. Simply purchase a bottle of hot sauce and dab a tiny bit on the child’s thumb so that when they go to suck their thumb, they get a little spicy surprise and in turn stop sucking their thumb so often.

Chewy Jewelry

Lastly, you can buy a chew necklace like this for your child that was made with the purpose of chewing on them. These are often used for teething babies but work well for the purpose of reducing thumb sucking too. Find a local or online retailer that sells teething jewelry and purchase some for your child as a means to get them to start chewing on that instead of sucking their thumb.

Reward System

Find your child’s currency: stickers, temporary tattoos, crayons, etc. Make some sort of chart to track how long they go without thumb sucking. If they goes a whole day, give them a sticker or reward. If they go a whole week, maybe a treat from the dollar store or a trip for ice cream. If positive reinforcement works on your child, the reward system might be the ticket.

Teach New Coping Skills

When your child is feeling bored, scare, sad, nervous, etc, then he or she is more likely to suck his or her thumb as a coping mechanism. Teach them other strategies how to cope with their feelings. Listening to music, Going for a walk, petting the dog, playing with a fidget spinner could help your child cope.

Be Patient

Ultimately your child has to be the one to decide when they stop. Yelling won’t be helpful. Getting upset isn’t likely to lead to cooperation. Try to explain to them the repercussions of sucking their thumb. If you aren’t getting through to them, try having another adult that they respond to explain to them the damages of sucking fingers or thumbs.

There you have it, a few tips to reduce thumb sucking. These tips will help to ensure you and your child are able to get rid of thumb sucking sooner than later. Learning to reduce thumb sucking in your child without stressing them out is an important part of eliminating this habit your child has.

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