My son is nearly 8months old and since he was 2months old he wouldnt have his dummy

Question

when he was about 2month old he would take his dummy and we were very pleased he no longer needed it but now he sucks his thumb when he is tired its how he sleeps, i have given him a comforter to try and stop him doing this but its to late its his comfort, once he is asleep he is fine he doesnt suck his thumb, it didnt bother me sucking his thumb until i just heard it can cause problem with his teeth and his thumb which has really worried me, but how on earth do i stop him from doing this? at this age they do what they want and he wont understand. he is happy but my health visitor adviced me to stop this now i am totally stuck!

Answer 1

dummy's and thumbs have the same effect on teeth my son had his dummy till he was 4 1/2 and it hasn't effected his teeth at all its only the adult teeth that it effects as baby teeth don't have a root as long as you stop it before his adult teeth start coming it shouldn't be a problem

Answer 2

At 8 months I wouldn't worry too much at this stage - my son never took a dummy either and would suck his thumb instead but by about a year he stopped doing it. If he only does it when he is tired and not when he is asleep then I don't think its a big deal. Just remember its only the advice of one person (your health visitor) if you talked to another health visitor they probably would have a different opinion. Apparently my parents taught me to thumb suck when I was a baby to stop me from crying and at age 5 they had to try and teach me to stop. I have never had any problems at all with my teeth. If its not something that he grows out of in a couple of years then at least when he is older you might be able to try other things like reward charts or whatever to help him stop. In the meantime if it helps him to go to sleep I would just leave him!

Answer 3

I dont really have advice here - dont know what to do. But as your son doesnt suck his thumb all through the night, it may not have such an effect on his teeth.



But never ever give an under 1 year old honey, as suggested in a previous answer.



"Honey sometimes contains a spore of the bacterium Clostridium Botulinum. This can cause a rare form of food poisoning (botulism) in babies and, very occasionally, in adults. Babies under six months are most vulnerable. The symptoms of botulism appear around eight to 36 hours after consuming the honey or other contaminated food. Symptoms may include constipation, listlessness and lack of appetite. If you suspect your baby may be affected, seek medical help straight away. Although cases of botulism in babies are very rare, it is recommended that you don't give your baby honey until after his first birthday.



Another reason not to add honey or sugar to your baby's foods and drinks is because they can harm his teeth and may also give him a 'sweet tooth'. If, however, you do choose to add something sweet, then fruit juice, puréed fruit, mashed banana or dried fruit make good alternative sweeteners.



Good dental hygiene is important as soon as your baby's first tooth appears, and this includes regular brushing. Use a trainer cup rather than a bottle from six months, and offer sweet foods as part of a meal, rather than in between meals. Regular check ups with a dentist are also recommended."

Answer 4

You dont need to worry about the thumb sucking until he starts to get permanent teeth. So long as he only does it to get to sleep and doesnt have his thumb in his mouth all day and night its fine. Its unlikely he'll damage his thumb. Most kids give up the habit on their own when they get a bit older.



My 2 yr old sucks his fingers rather then his thumb to soothe to sleep and im not going to try stopping him until he gets older, say 4 or 5.

Answer 5

i'm not sure what a dummy is, but i imagine it is a pacifier. 8 months is not so bad i've seen worse, but yes you heard right, thumb-sucking can cause misalignment of the teeth, abnormal growth pattern of adult teeth, and disfigure his thumb, benignly. the worse problem is when babies thumb-suck in their sleep, because they do it for so long and since your sleeping too you can't stop them.

the way to stop it is to see your pediatrician - they have many techniques when they are older and can communicate the dr. scares them, next step is a non-toxic chemical that taste awful on their thumb, then finally a retainer for when they sleep - but like i said, the sleep time thumb-sucking is the one you want to prevent. if he's awake just stop him w/ a stern No.

Answer 6

i would totally ignore the first 2 answers.

babies cant have honey because of the high risk they can develop the botulism disease.

and i wouldnt be putting horrible tasting nail polish on an infants finger either.



just leave it alone for now, try a new stuffed animal, try a few more weeks with the pacifier, and if he does latch onto it, dont make it a habit!! its hard to break, kids need to be comforted by their parents not a piece of plastic,,,sleeping is for the pacifier only.



good luck!

Answer 7

cute, there is this special nailpolish that you put on his nails and it tates discusting, thats how i stopped biting my nails. just go 2 the nearest chemist and ask for a nailpolish that either help kids from sucking there thumb or to stop kids biting their nails.

Answer 8

simply, apply some neem leaves juice on his thumb, he never keep in his mouth again

Answer 9

Put mittens on him when he goes to sleep. I almost had to do that with mine but he switched to his kitty instead.

Answer 10

Karen had a great idea, put mittens on him!

Answer 11

buy him a honey pacifier.. its a pacifier with honey in side of it. just give it to him when your ready to put him to sleep. its said to help wing him off of sucking his thumb!!!