All Children suck their thumb/fingers at some age or another. Some of them even suck their toes or forearms. this is usually very annoying for parents and caregivers and a lot of my patient's parent's have considerable anxiety regarding this habit in their kids. But is this anxiety correct?
lets examine this habit and know more about when should you worry about it.
To a large extent thumb sucking is a developmental feature which means it parallels different stages of brain development.
Newborns may suck their fingers if they get hold of them. Then this habit goes off to come back again at around 3- 5 months when the child can put finger to mouth and objects to mouth, Then he/she will suck at about any object. then again for a few months this habit disappears and comes back with each new tooth, as the child rubs his gums during tooth eruption.
It often becomes associated with sleep and child may use this to go to sleep. The association with sleep also goes off by itself by 3 years of age.
lets examine this habit and know more about when should you worry about it.
To a large extent thumb sucking is a developmental feature which means it parallels different stages of brain development.
Newborns may suck their fingers if they get hold of them. Then this habit goes off to come back again at around 3- 5 months when the child can put finger to mouth and objects to mouth, Then he/she will suck at about any object. then again for a few months this habit disappears and comes back with each new tooth, as the child rubs his gums during tooth eruption.
It often becomes associated with sleep and child may use this to go to sleep. The association with sleep also goes off by itself by 3 years of age.
Do all children do this?
About half of all children suck their fingers at one year of age,some more than others.The peak age for thumb sucking is 18-21 months.
Does thumb sucking cause any harm?
If thumb sucking disappears by 3 years of age, its perfectly ok..
Possible harm to teeth or skin may occur only if the habit persists beyond 4-5 years of age. All it can cause is a little soreness of the skin. Not to worry.
When should you be worried?
Worry after 2-3 years of age if
1) thumb sucking is excessive
2) occurs during the day also ( off and on in the night is ok)
3) occurs continuously throughout the night
4) thumb sucking restarts after a long time without it
then look for a cause.........
most common causes are
1) boredom
2) insecurity
3) jealousy
So search for the cause and remove it... Your kid will be fine
Should you give any special treatment?
- Devices to stop thumb-sucking are no longer advocated for use. They can cause psychological disturbances in the child
- Dont put any bitter substances on the fingers. Its cruelty to the child and will confuse the poor kid
- No treatment is required for the child younger than 2-3 years especially if thumb-sucking occurs in sleep as this is normal
- Child will certainly grow out of it.
- Never use threat of punishment. It will certainly harm your child
- Never shame,ridicule ,tease the child
The danger is not in thumb sucking, but what parents try to do about it.
The majority of thumb-suckers will grow out of the habit by five or six years.
So relax.......... Dont trouble the kiddo........
Happy to help :-)
Dr Uppal
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