Guest Post: How to Stop Thumbsucking

How to Stop Thumbsucking

How to Stop Thumbsucking

As a parent, you will no doubt be aware of just how difficult it can be to make your child give up some of their earliest habits in life. At their youngest, a child will have no qualms about going into their shell and just sticking with what makes them feel most comfortable. However, if you want to know how to stop thumbsucking and other habits that can hamper your child’s development – or even put it at risk of halting entirely – then these simple tips should come in handy for correcting the situation as soon as you possibly can;

Create an Incentive

One of the easiest ways to make progress with how to stop thumbsucking once and for all is to give your child some kind of incentive/reward for stopping thumbsucking in the first place. Make sure that they know if they do so they’ll get that big toy they wanted or you’ll take them to see something specific at the cinema – whatever your child loves doing can be used as an incentive.

If they know that stopping will benefit them via a reward then they are more likely to actually try.

Give Them it Straight

Alternatively, you can give your child the cold, hard facts – thumb sucking is for babies. Children are conscious of how they are seen by others and, although a little devious, you can use this to get your own way when it comes to finding out how to stop thumbsucking. Make the insinuation that it’s for babies and not for grown up children who are mature and can be responsible – if your child wants to be seen as growing up and learning, they will give it a rest.

Avoid Confrontation

While this might not be a solution as such on how to stop thumbsucking, it’s an easy way to make sure it does not become a prolonged battle. Your child is less likely to stop if you keep badgering them and making it a big deal – even if you have tried being nice and it hasn’t worked, playing the long game is going to be far more beneficial than shouting at your child and trying to force the issue.

Avoid a big argument and confrontation and you won’t fall out over it. Approach the problem with a domestic attitude and you are more likely to find a solution that you are both happy with.

Of course, for those who are really struggling to find some kind of solution, there are many practical objects that you can put in place that will help to stop thumbsucking – most of which your children are going to absolutely love! Cool little props, gloves and many other smart little instruments can be used to give your child the kind of help that they need. 

Guest post from our friends at Glovey Huggey

Comfort Objects - Toddlers and Security Blankets

Do you remember Linus from the famous Peanuts cartoon by Charles Shultz (the cartoon that introduced us to Snoopy)?  Linus was the kid always dragging around his security blanket and sucking his thumb to soothe himself to the constant disapproval of his older sister and grandmother.

It turns out that about 60% of toddlers use comfort or security objects, so the use of a comfort object is very common and normal.  In fact, many experts believe that a comfort object is a great asset for children and parents. Attachment to a comfort object or “lovie”, usually beginning around 8-12 months, represents a big leap in intellectual and emotional development for a child - they are learning to understand symbols and to "invent" something of their own – the comfort object becomes a symbol of love and comfort that is tangible.  Children who have learned to use comfort objects can find comfort anywhere and can take control of their own comfort. 

Most children choose an item with silky and nubby textures to provide sensory satisfaction.  Toddlers enjoy the tactile stimulation of a soft, fuzzy, or nubby items like stuffed animals, blankets, while many other toddlers enjoy silky textures.  Whatever the choice, it is not uncommon for toddlers to give their comfort objects names and talk to them, carry them around everywhere - much like a true friend. It can help them work through problems or challenges in their everyday life and self-soothe during a situation that they feel is stressful. And as any parent with a child attached to a comfort object will understand, when that object is lost, put in the wash, or left behind, it's like losing one's true friend and many times, it cannot be replaced.

Both of my boys used comfort objects to soothe themselves, in addition to thumb-sucking.  My oldest son liked to hold onto the corner of his terry cloth bib while sucking his thumb.  My youngest son developed a temporary attachment to a particular green stuffed animal, and I promptly ran out and bought extras just to have on hand.  However the stuffed animal phase didn't last long and he eventually settled on a security blanket after encouragement from me (easier to wash!).  In my business, I hear from many parents with children that are attached to security blankets, stuffed animals or even toddler pillows - they carry them everywhere they go. I've also heard stories about special comfort objects getting damaged, lost, or just plain worn out. Sometimes I can help parents replace with the same or similar fabrics.

However, once toddlers are growing up into preschoolers and school aged children, the question becomes what level of attachment is appropriate and how do you handle it? With my older son, my pediatrician and dentist agreed that the terry cloth bib was a trigger for thumb-sucking, and as my son approached age 4-5, we should start weaning him from the security object.  My son and I created a special box and decorated it as a place for the comfort object to “live” in his closet – he could visit if he really needed to but only for short periods.  After a few days it was pretty much “out of sight, out of mind”.  However if the comfort object is not a trigger for a behavior that you are trying to stop such as thumb sucking or pacifier use, rest assured that as your child matures, he/she will develop other ways to self-soothe and deal with stress.  As a parent, you can help teach your growing child alternate techniques for soothing such as listening to music, deep breathing, or exercise.  Also, as children approach school age, most will start to feel the social pressures from their peer group to change these attachments to comfort objects and will adapt to what is “socially acceptable” for their age group.  So don’t stress about attachments to comfort objects – these attachments are normal and helpful in many situations.

I hear from many longtime customers with children who have grown up with BobbleRoos products as comfort objects – from our toddler pillows to our baby or toddler blankets. Many of these kids continue to use our products as they get older - a toddler pillow can easily become a travel pillow, a baby blanket can be turned into a pillowcase, etc.  You can also turn fragments of blankets into pieces for a rag quilt or other keepsake.  Did you have a comfort object as a child?  What about your children today – do they use comfort objects, and if so, is it a blessing or a curse?  Please leave any comments with stories and/or tips for other parents, as well as creative ideas for re purposing comfort objects. Head on over to our Facebook page and leave comments there as well to win a $25 BobbleRoos Gift Certificate!

Personalized BobbleRoos Security Blanket "Bips"

Personalized BobbleRoos Security Blanket "Bips"

Guest Post - Using the Christmas Break to stop thumb sucking

One thing that none of us want to see are our children doing things that could make them embarrassed or feel uncomfortable. As cute as it might be, thumb sucking is one of these key problems and after a certain age it can become quite embarrassing. Thumb sucking is a natural instinct and a go-to comfort blanket for most young children, but if they aren’t given a reason to stop they simply won’t. By the time your child is going to school and nursery, you probably want to avoid this type of problem.

Therefore, using the Christmas period when you will be spending lots of time together and have some spare time yourself can be a great way to do this. There’s plenty of ways to stop thumb sucking, you just need to look into the best way to do it with your child. Here are some good ideas for stopping your child sucking their thumb;

Use An Incentive

Children are very easily swayed if given a good enough reason – and the festive time of year is ideal. Give them a little hint that Santa may not be too keen on children who suck their thumbs and that good children who are able to stop are rewarded for their hard work and maturity. This can spring a child into action and get them doing something else to take away the need. Then, you can reward them with one of their main presents to get them really excited and feel like stopping was more than worth it!

Coach Your Child

You want to try and coach your child into seeing the positives about stopping – and give them a few of the negatives, too. Things like an overbite can be a good way to get started in making them see the difference. You can do this at any time but over the festive period you’ll be able to make sure that you have the time and patience to put into helping your child. To stop thumb sucking you need to patient and work with your child and after a stressful day at work it can be hard to come up with the right way to inspire your child.

Buy A Glovey Huggey

Children love presents – we all do, really! – and giving them a little extra Glovey Huggey provided as a comfortable and cool fashion accessory can be perfect to stop your child from sucking their thumb. This gives you an easy way to introduce the solution without feeling like you are pressuring your child or hitting them too with too much, too soon. Instead, you can make sure that you have an easy to use solution and that you are providing it in inconspicuous circumstances.

Nothing beats being able to deal with your child in a calm and decisive manner – it makes life so much easier when you are able to present a quick and easy solution to help stop thumb sucking – so try any of these suggestions out this year and thumb sucking should be an issue of the past for you both to laugh about in years to come!

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