Anyone who has ever had a thumb sucking baby knows what fantastic babies they are. Their thumbs never get lost or dirty and they typically only suck on them if they need to. It isn’t easy to push a truck around on the carpet with your thumb in your mouth but you can do just about anything with a pacifier. I prefer a thumb sucker over a pacifier any day!!
That being said there are also some draw backs to thumb sucking. You can’t hide a kids thumb until bedtime, you can’t invite the magic thumb fairies to take away the thumb for good, and you can’t snip off the end of the thumb to lose suction. When your child is still sucking their thumb and it is time to send them on the bus to kindergarten you will undoubtedly worry that your child will become the butt of all the jokes in class.
I was a thumb sucker. When I was still sucking my thumb in first grade my mom took me to the dentist and they put this nasty looking appliance in the back of my mouth that pricked my finger if I tried to suck my thumb. This summer I realized C7 needed some help kicking the thumb sucking habit before kindergarten. We discussed the problem at lengths. He told me he wanted to stop sucking his thumb but he just couldn’t. He didn’t like playing with his cousins because everyone made fun of him. All summer he acted like it was just easier to stay at home. I realized I should have tried to help him before he was 5 years old.
So, off to the dentist we went to get the sharp ‘prick your finger’ appliance put in. I was pleasantly surprised when the dentist said there were other options to try first. He told me to try a product called Mavala. Mavala is a nail polish that tastes AWEFUL!! And, it doesn’t wash off. The first few days of painting C7’s nails resulted in him running to the bathroom to rinse out his mouth but before long he figured it out. I painted his nails consistently for 2 weeks, now I only have to paint them about 2-3 times a month when the habit starts to creep back.
I’m not sure how much the appliance from the dentist would have cost but I’m pretty sure it would have been more than $11.00. If you have a thumb sucker (or a nail biter) that is old enough to not need a soothing thumb any more, try Mavala!
My new baby is a fabulous thumb sucker… I’ll leave her alone until she’s three.
