Hello!

“Hi MoM, I have a 3 year old who constantly sucks his thumb, it was OK when he was younger as it was a soothing technique and he easily went off to sleep with his thumb in his mouth – though I am worried as he gets closer to 4 that it could be a problem. Any tips: how do you stop thumb sucking? Thanks!”

Posted by Anon, 14/03/13

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  • Put that nail polish on their thumb nail that stops you from chewing nails.


  • They will give it up when they are ready. My parents tried everything to make me give up thumbsucking but they couldn’t until I was ready to do so myself. My 8yo was also a thumbsucker. He seemed to give it up completely between 4-5.


  • Cool! This was interesting reading the answers to this!


  • I was a secret thuMB sucker til I was TEN !!! I only stopped because I had to go to a sleep over and was scared Id be caught out .. So I’m not sure how you stop


  • I sucked my thumb until I was 6. My parents tried everything Stop and Grow, a bandaid, mercuricone (when it was around). Nothing worked. I grew out of it.


  • Just cut off there thumb. – joking, honestly you can’t stop it, they will in there own time. My nephew is 5 and at school and still sucks his thumb on the odd occasion your baby will grow out of it, :)


  • Thought that I would look at these responses as this will become an issue for my little one (not worried at the moment as he is only just 2).


  • Try putting a bandaid on his thumb so it’s less appealing.


  • I hope you had goodluck trying to stop this. I never could


  • Hope you managed to find the answer you were looking for.


  • carry around a toy maybe that they could suck on?


  • How are you going now?


  • Not sure on this one – I have a 6 year old thumb sucker of my own.


  • As long as his thumb is not cracked and red raw, then put some no more bite stuff on his nails-it tastes awfully bitter.


  • Trying the yucky tasting nail polish could help, it is worth a shot.


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