Thumb Sucking: How to Know When it is Time to Quit
I have a thumb sucker. He sucked his thumb in the womb and picked it back up minutes after being born. At first, it was great. He learned to self soothe very quickly which led to sleeping through the night at a very early age. However, I always knew the day would come when we would have to break the thumb sucking habit and I knew that it would be a struggle.
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After our first dentist appointment at nearly 3.5 years old, we learned that it was time. According to the dentist, thumb sucking (finger sucking and pacifier use as well) should be stopped around 18 months old or it will start to affect the child’s bite. In my son, this was evident in how his front teeth were starting to pull outward, causing an overbite. As someone who has experienced the orthodontics required to repair this, I wanted to spare him the pain and break the thumb sucking habit before permanent damage was done to his bite.
When to Start Breaking the Thumb Sucking Habit
Thumb sucking is a difficult habit to break. You can’t send thumbs to a new baby or “pay” for a new toy with thumbs like you can with pacifiers. They can’t be taken away. That is why it is so important to know when it is a good time to start breaking the thumb sucking habit.
Ability to Communicate
Since thumb sucking is a way to self soothe, before breaking the habit, it is crucial that a child has other ways to fill their emotional needs. The ability to communicate is a big part of this. That way, they can tell you if something is bothering them instead of relying on the thumb as a crutch. It is also important that they can communicate a desire to stop. I wouldn’t even dream of trying to stop thumb sucking if my son couldn’t express himself verbally.
The Emotional Side
A child really needs to be a part of this process by being “on board” with quitting thumb sucking. If they aren’t willing to try, then you could end up deepening the emotional connection and need to self soothe by thumb sucking. Emotional health is so important to me, more than potential dental issues. Luckily for me, my son was showing signs of emotional readiness before I got word from the dentist that his thumb sucking was causing problems
Signs of Emotional Readiness
How did I know that he was emotionally ready? I started to pay attention to when he would suck his thumb. Instead of always going to his thumb first, my son started to ask for hugs and kisses when he was sad. He could tell me if he was sad, scared, or angry. This led to a reduction in his dependence on his thumb during the day. He was learning to work through his emotions in other ways. However, he simply could not stop at night. Other kids might have different triggers (tv, car rides, etc). At this point, the thumb sucking had become simply a habit.
How to Break the Thumb Sucking Habit
I did tons of research to figure out how to break the habit. The dentist I saw recommended taping socks on his hands. This seemed really harsh to me and I didn’t like the idea that he wouldn’t be able to feel anything or properly grab onto things (including his pants if he had to go potty in the middle of the night). I felt the same way about guards and products that were meant to cover the thumb or hand in any way. Nail polishes that taste bad were also a big no for me because I don’t like exposing my children to unnecessary chemicals and I didn’t know exactly what was in those.
That is when I found NIPIT.
What is NIPIT?
NIPIT is the gentlest method I could find to help my son stop sucking his thumb. It is worn on the elbow to prevent the thumb from reaching the mouth comfortably. Now they can force the hand to the mouth, but it makes it uncomfortable and therefore acts as a deterrent.
How to Help Your Child Stop Thumb Sucking with NIPIT
As a parent, the best thing we can do is to provide positive reinforcement and motivation to quit thumb sucking. Included with NIPIT is a calendar and stickers to help with this motivation. Offering a special prize upon completion is a great motivator as well. This way NIPIT is not seen as a punishment, but as a tool to help them achieve a goal.
Plan for Success
Habits take time to break. So NIPIT should be worn for up to 21 days to make sure the habit is broken. I discussed with my son why we are trying to quit and how NIPIT would help him to accomplish that goal. We agreed that he would have the chance to do it without wearing NIPIT but if he started thumb sucking again that it would be put back on. Every small success is celebrated so that he is encouraged every step of the way.
I will warn that you need to be set in your resolve. There are likely to be sleep disturbances and some emotions. The first night we tried NIPIT, my son took a long time to get to sleep and I had to remind him several times about why we were wearing NIPIT: to accomplish his goal of stopping sucking his thumb.
NIPIT is the gentlest, most comprehensive way that I could find to help my son quit sucking his thumb. It includes a Super Success Program to provide support and increase your chances of success. We have just started using NIPIT and I can’t wait to update you on our progress as we work our way through this program!
Need potty training advice? Check out these hacks to help you be successful! Or maybe you just need a little humor and to read about our process: The “Joys” of Potty Training!
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20 Comments
Ruth Iaela-Pukahi
I sucked my thumb till the 4th grade. My parents had to bribe me to stop. I wanted a walkman. lol To stop, I had to stick my hand under my pillow. It worked and I still find my hand under my pillow to sleep. lol. Luckily, I didn’t need braces at all. My dad scared me so if I wasn’t sucking my thumb I was pushing my front teeth back in. 😛
Out of my 5 children, THREE are finger suckers. Guess it has a little with genetics since both their father and I were finger suckers. Interestingly, our dentist said that the way my children sucked their thumbs didn’t affect their teeth at all. My oldest sucked his finger straight back. My 3rd child sucked her middle and ring finger but since she was born with an overbite, our dentist said the way she sucked her fingers helped prevent her overbite from getting worse. My 5th child sucks her thumb but since she loss her two front teeth super early, at 5 yrs old, the permanent teeth haven’t grown back yet. I’m waiting to see what our dentist says about the way she sucks her thumb. My oldest two stopped sucking their fingers at around 12 yrs old. lol One because of a week long overnighter with peers and the other because she sprained that finger in PE. I figured eventually they will have a reason to not need suck their fingers some day. If my sister in law was still sucking her thumb as a married adult, my kids stopping at 12 wasn’t too bad! lol
This is a neat option though. I wonder if it would work on a 5 year old?
Kat
It is designed for 2-7 So it should work! That’s interesting that your kids foubd a way to not damage their teeth. My son is already causing an over bite that he didn’t have before which is why I wanted to help him quit.
Kendra
Great tips. Nipit seems like a great tool!
Kat
It is!
Shirley
Very interesting! I can see where this would work! This is great information.
Kat
Thank you. It’s great for those of us that want to help their kids stop thumb sucking.
Jennifer Morrison
Great info. I had this challenge with one of my kids, and it was really difficult.
Kat
So far it is helping. Thumb sucking is a hard habit to break
Michele
What a great way to help with a habit that’s hard to break.
Kat
It is really helping my son quit thumb sucking
Haley Kelley
I got lucky and my daughter never did this at all.
Kat
That is lucky. My second son is all about his binkie with no sign of the thumb and I’m hapoy about that.
Pauline
My children were never thumb suckers or used binkies. But I know my sister’s kids have really struggled with thumb sucking. I think this is a great tool.
Kat
It’s helping my son. Thumb sucking can really mess teeth up so Im hoping to spare him future pain.
Magan
As an Early Childhood professional, I LOVE that you have shared this as an option! I have so many families who feel frustration when it comes this time, and it is so hard! I appreciate your insight.
Kat
Thabk you so much! I really struggled with this and whether to help him quit or not. This was a gentle way and with him on board is really helping him quit thumb sucking.
Amy Irvin
Thanks! I didn’t have this problem with my first 2, but will have to see how my newborn does with this. At 5 days old, he’s already got his thumb in his mouth and loves the pacifier.
Kat
My second son is all about his binkie. At least I can take that away. Thumb sucking is so much harder.
Lisa Manderino
This is great advice! It is a tough business to break this habit!
Kat
It really is!