Thumb Sucking (continued)

A few suggestions to help your child get through thumb sucking:
• Instead of scolding children for thumb sucking, praise them when they are not.
• Children often suck their thumbs when feeling insecure. Focus on correcting the cause of the anxiety, instead of the thumb sucking.
• Children who are sucking for comfort will feel less of a need when their parents provide comfort.
• Reward children when they refrain from sucking during difficult periods, such as when they are being separated from their parents.
• Your pediatric dentist can encourage children to stop sucking and explain what could happen if they continue.
• If these approaches don’t work, remind the children of their habit by bandaging the thumb or putting a sock on the hand at night. Your pediatric dentist may recommend the use of a mouth appliance.

 

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