Ella had her very first dentist appointment and not surprisingly, the first thing they noticed was that she is a thumb sucker.
“What have you tried to do to stop her thumb sucking?” they asked (or maybe a better word would be drilled.) I felt mildly defensive, especially since they’d just seen Carson and were so perplexed that a four-year-old was so afraid of the dentist. How odd, indeed!
“Well, I, uh, well…I haven’t really tried anything. I mean, I know she needs to stop and that it’s affecting her teeth, but she’s not even three. I don’t think she really understands,” I managed to say.
Separately the hygienist and the dentist told me some ways I could encourage Ella to give up the thumb, so lucky for me I got to hear their suggestions twice. Maybe they thought if they both told me, I’d be twice as likely to follow through?
Thumb guards, tape, some paint-on stuff for her thumb that tastes gross, and putting Tabasco Sauce on her thumb were all suggested. “Really??,” I wanted to say. “REALLY? You think it’s okay to put TABASCO SAUCE on a not even three-year-old’s thumb??”
It doesn’t sound like it, but I do really like this dentist and his staff. They are kind and patient, the exam area is bright and kid friendly. I just had a hard to time heeding their suggestions once they mentioned Tabasco, because I just think that’s so mean. Before I had kids, I internally gasped at children who sucked their thumbs and used pacifiers. “Terrible parenting,” I’d grumble to myself, conveniently forgetting that I sucked my thumb until I was eight and have great parents. I probably wouldn’t have bristled at the suggestion of Tabasco to extinguish the evil known as thumb sucking before it was suggested for my sweet, darling girl.
I imagine Ella’s future will include many hours spent in the orthodontist’s chair, tears will be shed over the pain of braces. Tate and I have quietly discussed how expensive her teeth will mostly likely be. As a former Speech-Language Pathologist, I know that sometimes thumb sucking can be detrimental to speech sound development. WE KNOW! Her teeth are messed up! It’s because she sucks her thumb! We know she needs to stop!
So far, Ella’s speech is perfectly fine. She has a few errors, but they are age-appropriate. Also? She’s NOT EVEN THREE. It’s hard for me to get myself too worked up about changing her thumb sucking behavior when I know that she’ll eventually give it up without me slathering her thumb in Tabasco and burning her mouth.
We return to the dentist in six months and he will be expecting that we’ve actually done something about Ella’s thumb sucking. No, we won’t be going the Tabasco route (we’ll wait until she’s at least 3 1/2 for that. Ha!). Tate suggested a lobotomy for Ella since they have such a proven track record, or just removing her thumb all together. (Ha, ha, very funny.)
I’m not so sure that we’ll be doing anything drastic to encourage her to stop, aside from talking about how “big, three-year-old girls don’t suck their thumbs!”
I sucked my thumb until I was 9, and then on occasion when I was upset about something (it’d happen in my sleep). My parents tried tabasco and fingernail polish remover and who knows what else. I finally stopped when I didn’t need it anymore. I remember waking up in the middle of the night after I was married and my thumb was on my lips.
I never had to wear braces either. I wouldn’t stress on it. The more you try to make her stop before she is ready, the more she will do it behind your back, kinda like dating the guy you don’t like lolol
I’m sure others have made the same comment I’m about to make: She’ll quit when she’s ready.
I sucked my thumb until I was five until one day I realized I didn’t need to and it was a babyish thing to do. My son sucks his thumb now and it doesn’t bother me a bit, much to the chagrin of his elderly ‘Aunties’
that photo is the CUTEST THING EVER. Sorry.
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She is too cute!!!!
I love her hair.:)
I’m sure it’s no better that my son used a pacifier until he was 2 1/2 (only at night, though, and it wasn’t affecting his teeth). But thumb-sucking is a hard one to break.
I had a cousin that got an appliance in her mouth (think braces type thing in the roof of her mouth) that basically pricked her and didn’t let her thumb fit in there anymore. She was in Elementary school then, but it broke the habit.
And my youngest sister sucked her thumb forever. Sometimes I wonder if she might still. She had braces in junior high, but she was still sucking her thumb at night when they came off. Now her front teeth are quite crooked again. Bummer. And I know my parents tried all sorts of things. It’s a comforting thing and unless you can replace that or the child decides they’re done, there’s only so much a parent can do the way I see it.
Also, I agree… Tabasco is a little much for a young child.
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My twins just turned 2 one took a pacy and the other sucks her thumb.. The pacy baby has been pacy free for about 9 months, gave it up all on her own.. Not looking forward to any lectures coming my way when we make it to the dentist.. I have way more battles to fight than a 2 year old that sucks her thumb.. When she can speak and understand the concept, we will cross that bridge!
When you are ready to break her of the thumbsucking try dipping her thumb in vinegar every few hours. The taste will turn her off quick and it’s harmless. We used vinegar for thumbsucking and biting. Both times it worked like a charm. I’d smack my dentist if he told me to use tabasaco sauce!!! Stupid dentist…..
I’m not going to tell you how long I sucked my thumb. My mouth is fine though, and I will say that my parents tried everything and it was well past 3 years old.
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My seven year old sucks her thumb. She came out of the womb sucking her thumb. I don’t have any advice for you. Just wanted to chime in and say “I get it”. We have one rule, she can’t suck her thumb in public places. Good luck with yours!
Just dropped 4 grand on braces for my former thumb sucking 12 yr old! And for the record my friend used a tiny bit of Tabasco on her daughter’s thumb when she was 2 and it worked the very first time!!! She NEVER sucked it again!! Good Luck in your journey!
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Thumb suckers are a problem, however, they make for some cute pictures.
I recommend trying to ween them off of the thumb sucking as early as possible to avoid future, expensive, dental costs
i took my 4 year old thumbsucker to the dentist and of course they told her to quit. which she did cold turkey for a month. and then relapsed. they told me to take “kitty” away, (the lovey she has not parted with since age 6 months), because she was associating it with thumbsucking. MEAN! i don’t know what to do either. bribes are expensive
Just days after you wrote this post my four month old started sucking her thumb. She’s had colic and been a bear, so at this point I’m only thankful and relieved to have a thumbsucker. She can now finally soothe herself.
I can see the future through your words and I know that one day this may be a battle we have to fight… but right now, I’m just so happy to be getting some sleep and not hearing a screaming baby that I’ll take it!