Jump to content

Recommended Posts

If so can you let me know what your experience was and whether it was effective in stopping thumb sucking?


My daughter has recently turned 5 and still sucks her thumb at night to help her fall asleep. In fact she has told us she doesn't know how to fall asleep without it.


I really think she should stop sucking her thumb before she starts losing her baby teeth. She has a big gap between her front two teeth and I think they are slightly pushed out too - whether due to thumb sucking or just genetics I am not sure.


Thumguard is expesive though and I am really unsure about purchasing it


thanks!

Link to comment
https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/18008-anyone-used-thumbguard/
Share on other sites

hmmm I guess I could try that first. My daughter tends to get overly emotional so I am expecting this to turn into a huge drama no matter which way we go about it.


She is also very very attached to the thumb sucking (only at night) so it's going to be hard.


do you get it in boots?

I used thumbguard with my 4 yr old daughter and it worked brilliantly. We had two goes at it - the first time we stopped too soon and she started sucking her thumb again. But we started again a few weeks later and after the recommended 4 weeks she stopped completely. She did actually want to stop which I think was crucial.

Agreed, *wanting* to stop is crucial. If you try to break thumbsucking when the child doesn't really want to give it up, you will very likely see either a rebound in thumbsucking later, or the transfer of thumbsucking to some other behaviour.


Have you thought about having a few sessions with a child psychologist? You say you want your daughter to stop thumbsucking b/c of dental concerns. But, if you make a dramatic intervention on a sensitive child, you may be sparing her teeth at the cost of her emotional well-being.


And, are you completely sure the thumbsucking IS affecting the teeth? If she's only thumbsucking to fall asleep, that's actually very little time with a thumb in the mouth.



(On the stuff for stopping nail-biting: Didn't work on me or my girl friend when our parents tried it on us years ago. I'm guessing it's probably no good for a very determined child, or where the behaviour has taken on a stereotypic dimension.)

She wants to stop but can't do it on her own. She has asked us to buy her something to help her stop. I will look into the thumb guard after taking her to the dentist. But I just realised the reason behind her really gappy front teeth (attached and very thick upper lip frenulum) which merits another thread all on it's own :(


edit to add that she is a very bubbly and super confident little girl. She had stopped sucking her thumb but I think started it up again at night when her little brother arrived in November and we started having shorter bedtimes /slightly chaotic bedtimes.


I have now made a dental appointment ( I know I should have taken her to a dentist a lot sooner but she was so reluctant and we never got round to it. Kicking myself now).

SG88, try booking a double appointment at the dentist, for yourself and her. She can sit on your lap and 'help' the dentist when you have your teeth examined. Then when it's her turn, you sit next to her and hold her hand. (My sister-in-law is a denstist. She says this really helps a lot of children.)


On the gappy teeth front, Little Saff also has an attached upper frenulum. I have the impression this is more common than people realise. If it's not affecting her speech by this age, it's probably not a big deal. It may resolve on it's own, or a dentist can do a very simple snip. Or, you can leave it as is. Isn't there an old wives' tale about a gap in the front teeth leading to wealth and prosperity? :)

she has a very slight lisp (only some words) possibly because of the gap in the teeth. But the frenulum will definitely not resolve on it's own - it is very thick. I think if she were to have the snip it may have to be when she is older and she will probably need braces too. Lets see what the dentist says.


Am more concerned that it seems to be pulling on her gums - she cannot uncover her top teeth shen she smiles. I am just amazed not to have realised this sooner.

supergolden88 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> hmmm I guess I could try that first. My daughter

> tends to get overly emotional so I am expecting

> this to turn into a huge drama no matter which way

> we go about it.

>

> She is also very very attached to the thumb

> sucking (only at night) so it's going to be hard.

>

>

> do you get it in boots?


I think I got it in Sainsbury's or just a regular chemist.

Went to dentist and first thing he said without me mentioning it is 'she sucks her thumb, needs to stop'.


He suggested that the frenum issue may even improve if she stops sucking her thumb and her jaw 'drops' and develops properly. I don't see that happening but am now determined to put a stop to the thumb sucking.


Will investigate thumbguard buying ASAP

What does the NHS recommend to help stop thumb-sucking in older children? I know the ADA/APD do not support the use of putting bitter tasting substances on the child's nails/hands. Their guidelines suggest that using a physical block is better. They also suggest if the child is older, to involve them in the processes of helping to select methods to stop thumb-sucking. If you haven't already ordered your LO's thumb guard, maybe talk about it with her. Show her online what it is, and then make a big fuss when it arrives in the post? xx

Oh yes I am waiting till she returns from park to show her the website and order it with her.


She also chose (the most hideous and frankly scary) victorian type doll from St Christopher's Hospice as the 'well done' present for going to dentist which she was dreading and hopefully will work as incentive for stopping thumb sucking too

  • 1 year later...
my mum put thumb guard on my thumb when I was a child, I would suck it until the taste was gone which only took a few minutes, it seemed worth a few minutes of the disgusting taste to get my thumb back at the end, if you see what I mean! But maybe it is even more foul tasting nowadays!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • The current wave of xenophobia is due to powerful/influential people stirring up hatred.  It;'s what happened in the past, think 1930s Germany.  It seems to be even easier now as so many get their information from social media, whether it is right or wrong.  The media seeking so called balance will bring some nutter on, they don't then bring a nutter on to counteract that. They now seem to turn to Reform at the first opportunity. So your life is 'shite', let;s blame someone else.  Whilst sounding a bit like a Tory, taking some ownership/personal responsibility would be a start.  There are some situations where that may be more challenging, in deindustrialised 'left behind' wasteland we can't all get on our bikes and find work.  But I loathe how it is now popular to blame those of us from relatively modest backgrounds, like me, who did see education and knowledge as a way to self improve. Now we are seen by some as smug liberals......  
    • Kwik Fit buggered up an A/C leak diagnosis for me (saying there wasn't one, when there was) and sold a regas. The vehicle had to be taken to an A/C specialist for condensor replacement and a further regas. Not impressed.
    • Yes, these are all good points. I agree with you, that division has led us down dangerous paths in the past. And I deplore any kind of racism (as I think you probably know).  But I feel that a lot of the current wave of xenophobia we're witnessing is actually more about a general malaise and discontent. I know non-white people around here who are surprisingly vocal about immigrants - legal or otherwise. I think this feeling transcends skin colour for a lot of people and isn't as simple as, say, the Jew hatred of the 1930s or the Irish and Black racism that we saw laterally. I think people feel ignored and looked down upon.  What you don't realise, Sephiroth, is that I actually agree with a lot of what you're saying. I just think that looking down on people because of their voting history and opinions is self-defeating. And that's where Labour's getting it wrong and Reform is reaping the rewards.   
    • @Sephiroth you made some interesting points on the economy, on the Lammy thread. Thought it worth broadening the discussion. Reeves (irrespective of her financial competence) clearly was too downbeat on things when Labour came into power. But could there have been more honesty on the liklihood of taxes going up (which they have done, and will do in any case due to the freezing of personal allowances).  It may have been a silly commitment not to do this, but were you damned if you do and damned if you don't?
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...