Sucking a thumb?
by Jodie Lynn, www.ParentToParent.com

"Sara, stop sucking your thumb -- now!" It's been two happy years since I've had to repeat that phrase -- woohoo -- are we all glad? Absolutely! Unfortunately, when I see another parent and child struggle over this - I can still vividly see her big brown eyes swell up and overflow with tears. I just didn't know what to do. It embarrassed me -- but not her. Here's some advice other parents offered:

Q. Our 6-year-old daughter will not stop sucking her thumb (and sometimes fingers) since she has started school. What can we do?

Tried and true:

My 4-year-old sucked his thumb. We tried gentle reminders, thumb-sucking medicine sold over the counter, punishment and rewards, and nothing worked! Finally, we had him wear gloves over a weekend. It worked! Six months later, our life turned upside down with a move and other changes. He started sucking his thumb again. I tried gloves again but, because of school, was not able to get the continuous time needed to break the habit. We waited until Christmas break, and he wore them day and night. After being in the gloves for a few days, his hands smelled. When he took the gloves off to eat or bathe, the smell kept him from wanting to suck. -- L.R. Lott of Bradenton, Fla.

During the day we were able to prevent our daughter from sucking her thumb. We told her "big girls" don't do that, and, if she continued, it might affect her teeth. We put on mittens at night. After she wore them for a month, she was cured. We also gave her a reward like going to her favorite place to eat. -- G.C. of Reading, Penn.

Your daughter has embarked on a new adventure that brings with it excitement and insecurities. Talk to her about school and let her know it's OK to get anxious about something new. Positive reinforcement is the key. Reward her when she is able to go for periods of time without sucking. As the year progresses and she feels more comfortable, this habit will probably go away. -- Debbie Snyder of Wichita, Kan.

When our daughter was 5, we took her to an orthodontist thinking he would recommend some mouth appliance to prevent her thumb-sucking. Instead, he suggested placing long socks over her hands for three nights in a row. The socks were safety pinned to her pajamas so they wouldn't come off in her sleep. Our daughter went along with it and after three nights of socks, she no longer sucked her thumb. It was painless for her and no nagging from us. -- Doris Crawford of Franklin, Tenn.

We used socks that had a puppet at the end. Our son forgot about the sucking for a week and never went back to the habit again. Today, he still plays with the sock puppets. -- G.B. of Fort Wayne, IN

From Jodie:

Talk with the teacher and see if she can help you figure out when your daughter begins this habit. Note what is going on at home as well. Does she suck her thumb when she's doing homework, watching a specific TV program or getting ready for bed? Try not to show too much concern in front of your daughter. When you talk with the teacher, don't let your daughter see or hear you. This will only make her feel worse about herself. School is scary for some children.

If you are home schooling -- maybe it's the specific curriculum or topic at a certain time of the day. If math is her worst subject -- try doing this first thing in the mornings as opposed to later in the day when she may be tired. Check out various avenues. Maybe certain field trips with certain children contribute? Try to keep a positive attitude and don't blow it out of proportion. In fact, I received a note form an individual from New York who said: "I sucked my thumb until the age of 13. I did it in my room on my own personal time. The harder they tried to make me stop -- the harder I tried to do it. After they and the orthodontist left me alone - I stopped on my own." So, see -- there's always hope.