• My daughter is five, and she has already begun to lose her baby teeth. I don’t know about anyone else, but I really love the snaggletooth stage that kids of this age go through. It is sort of endearing to me. However, now that her permanent teeth are sprouting I’m concerned that she still sucks her thumb. Mind you, she doesn’t ever do it in front of me, only when she is trying to fall asleep.

    Having their dentist explain what could happen might also help the older child decide they are done with the habit.

    Like most parents, I’m worried about what kind of damage she could possibly do to her permanent teeth (See our Playdate Beautiful Smiles are Forever). I talked to her dentist about the best ways to encourage her to quit the habit. As it turns out, there really isn’t a whole lot you can do. Most kids suck their thumbs without even being aware of it. If your child does this in front of you, you can gently remind them to stop. Never belittle your child for sucking their thumb. More often than not they suck their thumbs for a sense of security, when something is strange, scary, or just upsetting in any way. Rather than mention the thumb sucking, you could attempt to figure out what is bothering your child first at relieve their stress. Chances are, if your child sucks their thumb at this age (5-6) they will have friends who could be good role models. Seeing their friends who don’t suck their thumb might end up being the best encouragement to give it up.

    Having their dentist explain what could happen might also help the older child decide they are done with the habit. Because my daughter doesn’t ever suck her thumb in front of me, it’s hard for me to know how to handle it. I did have her dentist show her pictures showing what could happen if she keeps on sucking. This did get my daughter’s attention, but I don’t have much of a way to know if it was successful. For now we are on the honor system, and I am hoping that she is taking to heart that she is a big kid now, with big kid teeth.

    I don’t think I will ever get to the point of bandaging her thumbs or dipping them in hot sauce to stop her from doing it. After all, braces are cheaper than therapy! What tips do you have to get your thumb suckers to kick the habit?