Thumb sucker wont take dummy
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Topic: Thumb sucker wont take dummy
Posted By: RinTinTin
Subject: Thumb sucker wont take dummy
Date Posted: 24 February 2010 at 4:42pm
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Mac is almost 11 weeks old and has started sucking his thumb. Both DP and I have spent what I would consider an extensive amount of time trying to get him to take a dummy and we've tried a few different brands. He simply pushes it back out if we hold it there and spits it out. I don't want his teeth to be wrecked. What can I do to stop thumb sucking? He does it near the end of his sleeps so I wonder if he's hungry but won't/can't/ isn't ready to wake up. Should I try waking him earlier? He's sleeping 3-4 hours at a time and awake for an hour in between. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Replies:
Posted By: Mamma2N
Date Posted: 24 February 2010 at 6:40pm
DD took a dummy at around 3 weeks for all of about 3 days! Spat it out and ever since then has only chewed on it. She took to her thumb and loved it, then suddenly one day at around 5mths she stopped and has never sucked it again.. so you may find he gives the thumb up anyway. 
Oh and FTR, I sucked my thumb till I was atleast 10 and I don't have wrecked teeth, far from it actually
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Posted By: luvmylittlies
Date Posted: 24 February 2010 at 8:13pm
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I started this discussion in my "Due in...." forum recently because Kiara is not interested in the dummy (does the same as your boy) and she found her thumb at about 3 weeks old. I too am worried about the teeth and soft palate shape but also that you can take away a dummy but not a thumb. Anyway, my lot all pretty much posted a similar responses to Mamma2N - that they or their siblings sucked their thumb and didn't have any teeth problems. Now I'm less concerned about it, but I still poke it in there every now and then anyway in the hope she'll take it. So no advice from me, but I'll keep an eye out in here to see what suggestions do get offered. ------------- Adoring Mum to Talisin 8/9/11 and Kiara 18/01/10 |
Posted By: Delli
Date Posted: 24 February 2010 at 8:25pm
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From the http://www.orthodontists.org.nz/articles/thumbsuck.asp - NZ Association of Orthodontists website:
"Digit sucking is a natural reflex for a baby that may begin whilst in-utero, and parents should be assured that a sucking habit is considered to be a normal feature of a young child's development. It is however well documented that if the habit continues past the age of 5 to 6 years into the mixed and permanent dentition, there is the potential for undesirable tooth movement and malocclusions may develop." I'd say you wouldn't need to worry about breaking his thumb sucking habit until he starts losing his baby teeth and starts getting his adult teeth. Most kids will have stopped sucking their thumbs by that stage anyway. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: RinTinTin
Date Posted: 24 February 2010 at 9:10pm
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We're a bit worried about it as DP sucked his thumb until he was 14. He use to do it in secret. He ended up needing braces.
Not sure if thumb sucking is a hereditary thing or not. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Jaxnz1
Date Posted: 24 February 2010 at 9:16pm
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My DD sucks her thumb too and absolutely refuses the dummy. I'm not too worried about it now, but if she's still doing it a few years down the track then will do something about it. DH was saying today you can get these glove things for toddlers that stop them sucking their thumb.....not sure what's involved there though!!
I had a dummy as a baby and had all the orthodontic work in the world....braces, plates, wisdom teeth out....the works. My big bro sucked his thumb and had perfect teeth, not a thing wrong.  Not saying that would be everyone's case, but IMO I think alot comes down to luck and the shape/size of your mouth etc etc eg my mouth is too small for my teeth, hence they all got squashed  ------------- 
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Posted By: Jess439
Date Posted: 11 March 2010 at 2:13pm
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My DD has just found her thumb too! Otherwise she will suck her hand, usually when she's overtired. Have also tried dummies with her, she's taken it maybe twice and every other time has spat it out. I sucked my thumb till I was 6 and had horrible adult teeth and had to get braces, but similar to Jax my jaw was too small for all my teeth so that wasn't from thumb sucking. Shame cos I hear dummies can work wonders but if she doesn't want it not much I can do there! ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: RinTinTin
Date Posted: 11 March 2010 at 3:08pm
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LOL, I'm actually grateful he's found his thumb. He gets fussy at upset if we've been out too long and he just shoves his thumb in his mouth...silence. It's not such a bad things afterall. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: LeahandJoel
Date Posted: 11 March 2010 at 5:10pm
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Joel was exactly like this........he is now nearly 19months and still a HUGE thumb sucker! He thinks its funny if we take his thumb out of his mouth, he only does it when he is tired though. Leah was a dummy girl and she was 2.5 by the time she stopped the dummy. One of the girls in my coffee group has finally managed to wean her daughter 3.5yrs off the dummy and I noticed today that she was sucking her thumb instead! -------------  
 
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Posted By: mummymonster
Date Posted: 11 March 2010 at 7:47pm
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Much like everything else baby I'm getting the feeling that they're not all the same.
My DS is a dummy lover. My sister's DD is a thumb sucker and at 7yrs+ she's got teeth problems, not all correctable by braces and she just won't quit. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Mucky_Tiger
Date Posted: 12 March 2010 at 3:52pm
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i suck on my toungue, i push it up onto the roof of my mouth and have done it since birth. it means im a snorer when i have a cold.
my paediatrician and orthodontist wanted to peirce my tongue at 10 to stop me doing it as its created a really high palette that has in turn narrowed my nose space, so when i breathe thru my nose i get less air. mum was so not keen on it so it never got done but the while idea was the piercing would create discomfort so i could stop doing it, relieving more damage from being done. still do it now at 20.5 
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Posted By: RinTinTin
Date Posted: 12 March 2010 at 4:20pm
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I have my tongue pierced and really don't see how that could work, although it's an interesting theory. Unless of course you put a spike on the end of the bar...that might stop it. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Mucky_Tiger
Date Posted: 12 March 2010 at 4:21pm
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they wanted to put a soft plastic bar with a spike on it.
the top of my mouth is real sensitive though so i suppose any bar would work |