75 percent of babies develop the habit of sucking their thumb during their first year. This habit gives them a sense of security, happiness, and a feeling of exploration of their new world. This also helps them fall asleep.
But sometimes, children continue to suck their thumbs, particularly during stressful times or when around strangers, up to preschool years. By the time they reach five years old, only one in five children continue to suck their thumbs or fingers.
However, despite the security and happiness it gives children, sucking thumbs can pose problems with the proper growth of the mouth and teeth. The pressure can lead to crooked front teeth, resulting in dental problems such as overbite, along with general bite and spacing problems.
In severe cases, the shift of the teeth can misshape the face or lead to difficulty in eating and may even result in speaking problems which they made endure for the rest of their lives.
What to Do if My Child is Still Sucking Their Thumb After 5 Years?
The American Dental Association, children usually stop sucking their thumb between the age of two and four years. In fact, too much pressure may do more harm than good to their personalities.
Because children usually suck their thumb when they’re anxious or insecure, a process that involves addressing the cause of the anxiety and insecurity should be adopted. Also, ensure to provide enough comfort and support for your child as you help your child to break the habit.
Breaking the Habit of Thumb Sucking
Make Use of Positive Affirmation
One of the ways you can encourage your child to stop the habit is to praise and make them feel more special when they aren’t sucking their thumb. For some children, thumbsucking can be a positive experience. And, often, the only way to offset this is to provide a better experience. Praise from a parent or loved one for not thumbsucking can be a good start.
Taking note of the times they suck their thumbs
In other cases, thumbsucking can be a coping mechanism. Sometimes when your child is in an anxious state or generally feeling uncomfortable, they might turn to it as a form of comfort. When this happens, then, try to take note of when or where they feel the need to suck their thumb. Instead of turning to suck their thumb, create an opportunity to forge stronger bonds with your child by tending to their needs.
Having a talk with their pediatric dentist
When it comes to breaking a bad habit—particularly thumbsucking—your child’s pediatric dentist plays a significant role, especially in ensuring the proper development of their front teeth and upper teeth.
Having them talk with their pediatric dentist might be able to help them break the habit and make them more familiar with the dental office.
Keep your child busy
Children often turn to suck their thumb when they’re bored to indirectly distract themselves. Instead, provide them with simple activities to drift their thoughts away from this bad habit.
Reward your child
Encourage your kid to stop thumb-sucking by giving them appropriate rewards for his progress. Also, keep a progress chart so that your child can see how far he or she has come. A progress chart can help keep them motivated through the process.
Because thumb-sucking is a habit, it can take a while to stop completely. Allow your child to let go of his or her habit gradually. Every child is different.