Baby Thumb Sucking

In this parenting tips video learn about the debate on whether allowing your child to suck their finger or thumb is a good or bad thing.

Baby Thumb Sucking Wendy Rutledge: A three year old Jacqueline Krieger knows what it takes to make a delicious homemade pie. Out of sand that is but her talents don’t ends there. From writing her new scooter to drawing her latest masterpiece Jacqueline’s mom Tori says there’s no stopping it. Tori Krieger: She’s very active, loves to do everything. She plays all the time, has imaginary friends just wants to go, full of light. Wendy Rutledge: But at the end of a busy day, Jacqueline fines comfort in her trusty green pillow and her thumb. Tori Krieger: Even when she’s watching cartoons or something. I think it’s just soothing to her in order to know that something regular, something that she just knows that she can depend on I guess. She’s not particular about what she want either. So one moment she would be sucking the right and the next one she’ll be sucking the left. Female: Pediatrician Dr. Loraine Stern says Jacqueline’s habit is perfectly natural. Loraine Stern: Sucking is essential for nutrition but it’s also essential for soothing and calming. Many babies stop sucking their thumb by six or eight months of age but a lot of children continue into the preschool and even kindergarten age groups. Female: Dr. Stern warns parents not to worry. Most children naturally outgrow the habit with age. Loraine Stern: When children start going to preschool I think there’s a couple of reasons why thumb sucking diminishes. One is of course they’re stimulated a lot of the time and there’s a lot of activity going on. And the other is that sometimes their peers can kind of make fun of them and call them baby if their sucking their thumb. Female: And that pattern appears to hold through for Jacqueline. Tori Krieger: I think she’s just naturally being with other kids, is too excited and playing and too busy when you think about sucking your thumb. Female: If thumb sucking persist pass six years of age parents should be aware of possible teeth falls. Loraine Stern: After the permanent teeth start to erupt when a baby teeth fall out and that’s age six to eight. The pressure that a thumb exerts on the palate and on the front teeth can have deformed the formation of the jaw. So that needs to be attended too by a dentist. The other thing parents need to pay attention to is if an older child over three, four, five years old is sucking their thumb so much that they’re actually withdrawing from interaction with other children and from the real world. In that case, there are maybe something disturbing the child something psychological or something situational and they need to address that as well. Female: But for most children, time and patience will be all they need to kick their thumb sucking habit to the curve.