Are you team pacifier or are you team thumb?
I am a team pacifier but really, there are pros and cons to each side and no decision is a wrong one. But, seriously though, this is an age-old debate. Some people, before they become parents, will always say, “I will never let my baby have a pacifier!” And then the kid comes out and won’t stop crying, and so they just pop one in to cease fire. Others actually want their baby to take a pacifier, but they end up sucking their thumb instead. In this article, we are going to talk about the pros and cons of thumb sucking and a few ways to help them break this habit.
My 6 Pro-Thumb Sucking Reasons
Here are six top reasons why thumbs sucking might be a good idea for your baby.
Reason #1: The thumb is always accessible!
Reason #2 Never Lost:
Your baby can’t lose their thumb, so they’re never going to throw it out of the crib like older babies do with their pacifiers (before they start screaming again).
Reason #3 Emotional Comfort:
Thumbs sucking is a natural soothing mechanism for your baby
Reason #4 Soothe Teething Pain:
Nibbling their little fingers or sucking on their thumb can help with teething pain and soothe their gums
Reason #5 Digestion Assistance:
If your child has acid reflux, it’s okay because thumb sucking can be a digestion aid. It also increases saliva flow.
Reason #6 Increased Immune System:
As your child is playing with things or touching their toys, especially if they are in daycare or something, then they will obviously be putting germs in their mouth too. This exposure is a great way to develop a superior immune system to fight illness.
4 Reasons Why You Should Cut That Thumb Sucking Now
But there are also some downfalls of having your child suck their thumb, of course, and here are four.
Downfall #1 Getting Sick More Often:
They are, after all, ingesting more germs. As much as your child might be having a stronger immune system from sucking their thumb, they may also just be getting ill more often.
Downfall #2 Dental Problems:
Thumb sucking is going to affect your child’s bite. So I can actually speak from experience. My third baby was a thumb sucker, and he only sucked with them at night while he was sleeping. It is definitely on my mind all the time that he messed up his actual mouth by thumb sucking. However, at the time, I did not want to fight his natural soothing mechanism. But be prepared for some additional dental costs in the future if this is the case.
Downfall #3 Slippery Fingers Incoming!
If you have a chronic thumb sucker – all day long, all night long, even while they’re playing with toys – you will have a very wet and sloppy finger coming at you to give you a hug. I’m sure you know what I am talking about… it’s disgusting. I personally do not love that, at all.
Downfall #4 Harder to Get Rid of:
Thumbs sucking is, obviously, much harder to wean than just cutting a pacifier. Surprise, surprise, we can’t just cut the thumb off.
Ways to Break the Thumb-Sucking Habit
Let’s talk about some ways that you can stop your child from sucking their thumb.
1) Let Go of Control
First, you have to let go of control. You cannot control it if your child is comforted by their thumb or a pacifier. If it’s helping them sooth themselves and it’s helping them sleep through the night, then just let it be.
2) Products
If it’s really time to cut that thumb-sucking habit from your child, there are some baby care products that can help with this. Thumb sucking deterrent cream definitely works and looking back, I probably should have started using it on my son a lot sooner. There’s also something called a thumb guard that can go on over your child’s thumb. Unless your child knows how to take it off, then this is an option worth exploring for you.
3) The Earlier the Better (between six and twelve months)
The older they get, the more difficult it’s going to be. Because if your child is old enough to be in a toddler bed or something that they can just get up and go to the bathroom to wash the deterrent cream off, then you’ve waited too long.
If that’s the case, you will need to wait until your child is a lot older, like three or four years old, so that you can read books with them and have conversations with your child about thumb-sucking. They will need to be old enough before you can teach them and reason with them.
If your child is six months or older, and they’re finally sleeping through the night, but still sucking their thumb, then you may want to consider starting this process of getting them off of the habit.
4) Introduce a Lovie
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, we should not put anything in the crib if the baby is under 12 months old. Therefore, this option is only suitable for a child who is at least a year old. A quick tip: you can sleep with this lovie for a couple of nights or even just shove it in your shirt throughout the day in order to get your scent on it before putting it in the baby’s crib. This will make your child feel more comfortable because they will have your scent in their crib.
5) Stay Consistent
Stay consistent! Did I tell you this is my absolute favorite word? Yes, it is so to stay consistent when helping your child break this habit (or any habit!). Use a method that feels good to you and stick with it for at least two weeks. You need two weeks of 100% consistency to actually break this habit.
Is your child a thumb sucker or pacifier sucker? Has your child gotten rid of this habit yet? Leave a comment here, I would love to know. And if you are looking for other tips on baby sleep, check out my free baby sleep guide here.
