How to Stop a Child From Sucking Fingers

Children who suck their fingers or hands may be trying to relieve stress and soothe themselves, but the habit can cause dental and speech problems if it is not stopped by the time their permanent teeth come in. Many children with this habit also get teased or criticized by their peer group, so it's worth working on before it becomes a problem.

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Gloves
• Gloves
• Socks
• Gloves
• Stress Relief Products
• Crayons
• Juggling Balls
• Rubber Balls
• Crayons

1. Wait until your child is well past toddlerhood. Many toddlers suck their fingers or hands as a natural extension of the sucking needs they had in babyhood. Most children will outgrow the habit by around age four.

2. Begin working on the habit a little before you expect your child's permanent teeth to come in ' you may be able to deal with it before it becomes a real problem.

3. Consider working out a reward/praise system, using stickers and a chart or calendar.

4. Offer your child activities to keep his hands busy ' crayons or pencils and paper, squishy balls or toys to fiddle with, or models and puzzles to work on.

5. Try to keep your child talking, which will make it hard for him to keep his fingers in his mouth.

6. Encourage your child to stop with positive reminders that he is a "big kid" and that big kids don't need to suck their fingers.

7. Explain to your child in simple terms why it is important for this habit to go away, and ask him to suggest a few possible solutions. Many children will come up with some creative possibilities.

8. Talk to your dentist, who may have helpful suggestions and who will also be able to explain the dental consequences and options for treatment if finger-sucking continues when the permanent teeth are in.

9. Ask your dentist to have a talk with your child, if you think it will help.

Tips & Warnings

• Try putting brightly colored adhesive bandages on your child's fingertip or fingertips, as a reminder not to suck.
• If your child sucks his fingers at night, consider having him wear a glove or sock on his hand while he sleeps.
• Encourage your child to wash his hands frequently, to avoid the constant transfer of germs from his hands to his mouth.
• Take a look at your child's fingers ' if they are callused or sore, he is almost certainly sucking them too much.
• Watch your child's swallowing and speech ' chronic finger or thumb sucking can change swallowing patterns and cause your child to thrust his tongue forward when he swallows, which in turn can lead to lisping and other speech problems.
• Be patient with your child ' while finger-sucking is an unattractive and unhygienic habit, many children literally can't help themselves. Take the time your child needs to eliminate the habit gently and gradually, rather than criticizing or punishing.
• Look for hidden stress in your child's life if he suddenly develops a sucking habit or other oral habit. Treating the stress may eliminate the problem.

[badboy78789]

on 4/6/2009 YES I NEED HELP IT MY SOUND CRAZY OR FUNNY BUT MY 27 YEARS OLD still sucking her finger also my five years old daughter and my twin boy age 3 please their any body out there that can tell what to do i try everything so far

[ilovemygirls]

on 11/30/2008 right now as i type im keeping my daughers hand busy by playin with a toy. she sucks her index and middle fingers. i told myself i was going to stop her from sucking her fingers when i saw her first tooth so they wouldnt grow in wrong. but i honestly cant wait that long. i was looking at some old pictures and i stumbled upon one of my niece. she sucked her middle and ring fingers. she might of been a year old or so and her teeth where already grew in wrong and already had the speech and swallowing problem. thats what changed my mind about the whole first tooth thing. as for my daughter if shes not playing with a toy i gently touch her hand and she takes her fingers out. sometimes ill catch her getting ready to put them in her mouth but stop. i dont think its going to be that hard to stop her but i know it will take some time. the best thing to do is stop them when their young and just st

[howtostop]

on 11/22/2008 this is from my daughter...... hello everyone. im 12 years old and i still suck my fingers. im n the 7th grade. for me its very soothing and stress relieving, since im doing harder work and have 7 classes a day. my friends try to MAKE me stop by slapping my hand when they see me doing it. but that didnt wok because id just hit them back. at night is when its worse so i keep hand santitzer by my bed. but i suck through the nasty taste till im use to it what do u all think i should do?

[my3hearts]

on 10/16/2008 I tried the good praise, the glove, the lets go somewhere special reward. But my daughter still sucks her finger. Now that she started school, I am told that her writting skills or lack there of (unable to manipulate a pencil) are the result of weak finger. She is right handed and sucks her right index finger. Now at age five I am experiencing all the concequences of finger/thumb sucking. Like doing special hand/finger exercises to strenghten her finger or purchesing special gripps to use with her pencil. My advise to all future parents is to stop the finger/thumb sucking early. It might be cute at first but very problematic later. THE SOON THE BETTER FOR BOTH YOUR CHILD AND YOU!!!!

[CharlotteRMoore]

on 10/6/2008 It should be stopped right when the child is a toddler. You should not wait till after toddlerhood "right before the permanent teeth come in".
The baby teeth set the place for permanent teeth. That is why you want to stop it before the permanent teeth come in. My child is 15 months old... She understands that when we say FINGER, she needs to stop sucking her thumb. She will even pull her thumb out of her mouth. Our problem is keeping it out, it is a tough habit to break, therefore it should be broken ASAP to prevent problems later in life. Like nail biting and dental problems.