ChatterBank9 mins ago
Thumb sucking 7 year old
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.Normy, the main problem lies with the development of his teeth, thumb sucking will result in crooked teeth or worse - speech problems due to misalignment of the upper and lower jaw.
You could put a plaster on his thumb as a reminder not to suck it or have specific times each day when he's not to do it e.g during meal times or story time - you'll need to reward him for not sucking his thumb tho.
good luck :o)
I had the same problem with my daughter plus she used to have an old white lace sun hat she used to tickle the edges of which I had to wash and dry while she was asleep. I was convinced that she would never stop as I had tried all the remedies. We were on holiday and my daughter (she was 6 yrs old) and husband came back from the amusements and she told me she had chucked her hat in a bin. My husband said she made the decision herself and not to panic just see how it went. She never sucked her thumb again (this was 6yrs ago) I was amazed at her willpower. I have lost hours of sleep in the last 12yrs worrying about my daughter over various issues and most of the time she will sort it in her own time and in her own way. I bet your son will stop just like that when he is ready.
Mind you she does insist on a well ironed pillow case as she likes to tickle the edge when she goes to sleep so old habits are hard to break.
My little one did that too and had a huge problem with bitting her nails, eating the skin of her toes/hands and she's 5. She still does it now and again and i know this may sound silly but i showed her a programme on bacteria (she hates spiders, ants etc), and i told her that we all carry these germs on our hands so if you put them in your mouth you'll end up having creepy things in your stomach and since then she's calmed down alot.
Could be worth a try.
Hi Normy, my son never sucked his thumb so my advice doesn't come from experience but as a random suggestion that might just work! If he helped you cook something in the kitchen, preferably with onion or garlic, and make sure he handles the food, then maybe his fingers won't taste too good afterwards! Might not work but I've been doing a lot of cooking lately and the taste stays on your skin for ages, even after you've scrubbed them!
Good luck with whatever you try though! x