HOW DO YOU GET A 7 1/2 YEAR OLD TO STOP SUCKING HER THUMB???
We have tried the bad tasting stuff on your thumb... we stopped after reading the label that said that they should ingest any of it...
Isn't that a little odd seeing as how the thumb is going in their mouth and the idea is that they taste the bad taste??? I don't know...
The crazy thing about this precious girl of mine is that she took a pacifier till she was 2. When she was 3 1/2, we moved in with my parents for a few months after we sold our house. Greg had just left for the seminary to take Greek and we were to follow him down a couple of months later. There was a lot of adjusting going on... new home...no daddy for a couple of months....
Then she saw the son of a woman who my mom had in her Bible study. He had his thumb in his mouth and she tried it.
I specifically remember my mom saying, "Don't worry Sara, there is a lot going on... It won't stick." Now I say, "Yeah, right???"
I don't blame you mom:) I kind of think it is funny that it stuck, I didn't think it would stick either...
So here we are.... she needs to stop... I am tempted to have her wear a mitten all day, every day... would that be mean... it is like 90 degrees here everyday now.
We have told her when she stops we will take the whole family to Incredibly Pizza...
I am open to suggestions...
7 comments:
I'm going to ask my friend...same thing happened with her little girl. She replaced the paci with her thumb and sucked it for a long time. I'll let you know. And I think I'll call you so we can talk. :)
Happy Memorial Day! It's raining and thundering here...an inside day for us for sure!
Love,
Tonya
A lady at our track practices has a little girl who wears these clear, sort of plastic looking braces on her hands...it keeps her from being able to suck her thumb. I have another friend who had two of hers put in a cast so they would quit. (This was her doctor's advice and one of her kids BEGGED her to do it.) I sucked my thumb until I was twelve. My mom did too. That was the magic number I had in my head because of my mom. I haven't had to deal with that yet....but Emma is a thumb sucker!!
John sucked his thumb until he was 8 (I think). Our dentist gave him a bag of dimes...made a big deal out of it. It was $5.00. He told him that every time he sucked his thumb he had to take a dime out of the bag and put it in another bag for the dentist. At the end of three weeks we visited him again and he got to keep his money. I think he only gave up 30 cents. I was skeptical, but he uses this system all the time and it usually works.
I was going to suggest a sock or mitten, but I hear you about the heat. I sucked my thumb until I was eight, and so did Brendan. I honestly think I'd still suck my thumb if it was socially acceptable. Seriously, once a thumb sucker, always a thumb sucker. I guess I'm just a "recovering" thumb sucker. Brendan's experience trying to quit was so engrained into his mind that he swore he'd never let any of his children suck their thumb. If ever he sees a baby with her thumb in her mouth, he pulls it out and offers a pacifier or fist or brings baby to nurse. :) I'm thinking the dime thing (above) sounds like it might be worth a try!
Let us know if you find something that works!
Tell her her uncle will cut it off next time I see her
-Josh
My daughter Morgan (8 1/2 yrs.) just quit this Feb. We used the stop the nailbiting/thumbsucking habit polish and it worked!! We did not worry about the ingestion part as she would NOT suck her thumbs with it on (she would suck EITHER thumb). I tried it myself and if your finger even got near your mouth, you would 'taste' it - ugh! It said to reapply 2 times a day and we did. (She had supposedly quit in kindergarten, but obviously not really.) This time we think it's for good. I promised her a big 'prize' once she quit - which had to be 3 months without sucking. And she just got her prize last week and was thrilled. I really don't know what else would work b/c we had tried many things up to this point. She also knew that soon a device would be put in her mouth by the denist if she didn't really quit...b/c braces are on the horizon! God's blessings Sara with your sweet girl!
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