Thursday, August 27, 2009

Thumb Sucking

I wish I was writing to say that within the past few hours Taylor has miraculously quit sucking her thumb (see Dentist Appt. post if you don't know what I'm talking about). However, that is not so. She just got up from her nap, which wasn't long enough and therefore she is still tired. So she's laying on the couch right now and I said, "Stop sucking your thumb, Taylor." She promptly obeyed and then burst into tears. Awesome. This is going to be fun!

P.S. In case you're wondering how I reacted, I told her to keep sucking it. Yes, I was a push-over in this situation. No, I am not always. Gotta go Google "tips and tricks to get your kids to stop thumb sucking" - wish me luck! :)

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Here's a first hand experience. Lisa was our only thumb sucker. She loved it and I thought it was cute to see those little buck teeth. We, and the dentist, told her that when her permanent teeth came in she had to quit so they'd be straight. And she did. No hassles or anything. They say to choose your battles and this wasn't going to be one of mine.

Kayleigh and Brian said...

Since other people are giving their advice, here's my two cents (I'm quoting my Parents magazine here):
"If your kid is still a thumb sucker, chill. It's a natural reflex and it's usually not a problem when your child's under age 4. Most children give it up before then if you ignore it."

Kayleigh and Brian said...

Do's and Don'ts:

DO: Distract your child with a project where she needs to use her hands. Kids often fall back on sucking when they're bored.
DO: Use rewards. Kids may not care about their teeth, but they do want to please you and get prizes! Give big hugs and stickers

DON'T: Create a thumb aversion with yucky tasting nail polish. Drawing attention to your child's habit may just make it worse.
DON'T: Tell her to "Stop it; you're not a baby." Be direct instead and say "I can't understand you when your thumb is in your mouth"

Again, this is from my Parent's Magazine. Do with it what you will. :)

Matthew and Valerie said...

I have no advice. I was never a thumb sucker and Lisa would never let me suck her thumb. Good luck, though!