Help Your Child Stop Sucking Their Thumb

Are you concerned that your child won't stop thumb sucking?

Are you unsure what to do about this common childhood habit?

The sucking reflex that babies are born with is a vital survival mechanism, of course. Everybody who's ever had anything to do with a baby has noticed how an infant will automatically suck on anything that touches its lips and can fit in its mouth.

Sucking, as well as being essential for feeding, is deeply soothing and calming. Often the easiest way to pacify a crying child is to give it something to suck.

So it's not at all surprising that millions of babies soon discover that their own hands, and especially the thumbs, are nature's pacifiers, and one of the first controlled movements a baby can make is to put its thumb in its mouth.

And all the millions of parents are suitably grateful. At least the child can't drop its thumbs on the floor for you to pick up! Peace all round.

So why would you want your kid to stop thumb sucking?

All this means that child thumb sucking is not a problem, in itself. It's natural behavior, appropriate to age and development. And most children stop doing it all by themselves sooner or later. It's wise to take a fairly relaxed attitude towards it, and trust that your child too will go through all the natural phases in due course.

Thumbs in mouths only become potentially problematic if the behavior starts to attract ridicule from others, or risks affecting tooth development, which can occur if children are still sucking their thumbs when their secondary teeth are coming in.

Telling a child off for putting their thumb in their mouth, or punishing them, can be counter-productive. It causes unnecessary distress, puts the child on the defensive, and may even make them suck more, as this is their automatic response to distress. Children can be encouraged to adopt other 'self-comforting' behaviors (we all need them) that don't have these drawbacks. But some may benefit from a little extra help.

A hypnotic bedtime story can make change so much easier

Stop Thumb Sucking is an audio download created especially for young children that uses the power of a good story to engage the child's imagination. The story is not just entertaining, but carries within it a 'template' that matches the child's situation and shows a way forward that is both positive and encouraging.

Download Stop Thumb Sucking and help your child on their way. You can listen on your computer or device or via our free app which you can access when you have completed your purchase.