How to Stop a Child From Sucking Fingers

Video Transcript

"Hi, are you having a problem with your child sucking their fingers? Well, I'm Dr. Felicia, and I'd like to share a few tips with you. How to stop your child from sucking their fingers is relatively easy process, it just takes time and patience, like everything else with parenting. The couple of technique that you might try for instance, some parents actually wrap the finger in gauze, so wrapping the finger in gauze deters the child from sucking on it, that's one thing. The other thing you can do is use bandages on the fingers themselves, because it helps the child deter from sucking on them. And then there are liquids that you can use. One is a liquid pepper that you actually can spray on the fingers, and it gives it a little hot taste, it's not going to burn their mouth, but it's just enough to deter them, and make them consciously aware that they're sucking their fingers. And if all else fails, in your house, you can even try something like a tabasco sauce. Now do it with moderation, and make sure that your child isn't so burned by the heat of it that it bothers them, so you want to do it in moderation. But these are just a few techniques that you can use to help your child stop sucking their fingers. Remember, sucking their fingers is just a habit, and you can break that habit over time, you just need a lot of patience, and make them consciously aware of it, by using these techniques; gauze, bandages, liquid pepper, and possibly tabasco sauce or some other hot item you have in your home. With that in mind, I wish you success on helping your child to stop sucking their fingers. And this is Dr. Felicia signing off. God bless."