Thursday, September 25, 2008

Sucker!

All my kids used pacifiers. And all of them gave them up without too much stress. But after a couple months pacifier-free...our 3yo has started to suck his thumb and finger. It is clearly a coping mechanism...he does it when he's upset or going to sleep.

Should we discourage it? We can't hide his hand or throw it away? Our dentist was already worried about his front teeth with the pacifier.
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2 comments:

monadnoc said...

i ain't no parent, but my lil' sister used to suck her thumb something awful. she'd develop a callous on one thumb and switch to the other, it even began to effect her front teeth. my parents tried all sorts of foul smelling/tasting ointments to discourage the habit. but my sister was a pretty hard-headed little girl. my parents resigned to nothing more than constant verbal encouragement to quit, and one day when she was about four, without announcement, she just stopped. her thumbs healed, and her teeth never required adjustment.

11:22 PM
Anonymous said...

I know it might sound cruel but when my daughter tried it I put white vinegar on her fingers. She stopped pretty quickly.

2:26 PM

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