Thumb-sucking, hair-twirling, etc...
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Forum Name: Toddler Times
Forum Description: Is bubs growing up and getting into everything? How do you train them to use the potty? When do you start feeding solids? Share your tips and advice here!
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Topic: Thumb-sucking, hair-twirling, etc...
Posted By: Katherine
Subject: Thumb-sucking, hair-twirling, etc...
Date Posted: 19 March 2007 at 10:35pm
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Emma Rose sucks her thumb and twirls her hair, both at the same time. She looks very cute, but lately I've been getting a lot of comments from strangers (and not-so-strangers, meaning, my nosy know-it-all inlaws), along the lines of, "You should make her take that thumb out of her mouth" and "She's going to twirl her hair right off and have a bald patch if you don't stop her." Did anyone else's monkey suck their thumb and twirl their hair, and live to tell the tale? Am I doomed to munted teeth and bald patches (as the naysayers seem to delight in telling me)? |
Replies:
Posted By: kezplanet
Date Posted: 20 March 2007 at 12:21am
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I have always twirled my hair and have never had a bald patch from that (& I'm 37 hehe) it is also a trait that I have passed onto Ashlyn, not sure about Anastasia as yet but there is still time. As for the thaumb sucking, neither of the girls suck but one of the girls I was looking after in Sydney sucked her thumb & when I took her to the dentist they did recommend that we try to curb this to prevent too much damage and of course they had some hiddious photos of deformed teeth, but this child was five so I don't think I would be too worried as yet. Good luck with the inlaws ------------- Kerryn, Mum to Ashlyn(29/3/04), Anastasia(1/11/05) & Abigail (24/02/09) |
Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 20 March 2007 at 6:56am
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I did it as a kid!
I don't have bald patches but did require braces once I got to high school to fix my teeth - they weren't deformed at all, just pulled further forward. |
Posted By: caraMel
Date Posted: 20 March 2007 at 7:32am
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My sister was a constant thumb sucker and she has naturally perfect teeth! ------------- Mel, Mummy to E: 6, B: 4 and: 
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Posted By: Bombshell
Date Posted: 20 March 2007 at 8:20am
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LOL doesnt the "inlaw" have a child that does anything bad you can retaliate with???
Im sure she will be ok...dont think the hair twirling will hurt...but the sucking may cause her to need braces later...but then some non suckers do also... |
Posted By: mum2paris
Date Posted: 20 March 2007 at 8:32am
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i think it depends on how long they suck thumb for - if it goes to over 5 yrs of age then it can start damaging the big teeth as they come in. However, and you can tell your inlaws this.. it is NORMAL for babies and kids from this age up to around 2.5yr/3, to suck on thumb or something as a comfort measure - it's what they do. Ayja sucks her thumb, or her fingers, or the tag on jammie-bear.
As for hair wirling depends on how bad she is, is it just a little twirl or is it twisting and pulling? A friend's little girl literally would pull out patches of hair, she had bald pathes for a very long time, and i am meaning as in looks like someone had shaved half her head at the very worst of it. She would do it, unconsciouly, while playing etc as well and worse when she was tired if i remember. as i said, depends on how brutal she is. lol.. but for the large majority of kids, it's a passing phase and something they will grow out of with no ill effects. ------------- Janine and her 2 cool chicks, Paris & Ayja 
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Posted By: Peanut
Date Posted: 20 March 2007 at 10:32am
| I twirl my hair and always have. I went thru a patch where I didn't get bald patches but broke my hair off so had a short patch. Mainly because I only twirled the same piece and good shampoo stopped this as my hair then wasn't so brittle. |
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 20 March 2007 at 11:07am
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Maya sucks Fussy, Sienna sucks the back of her wrist, and Mercedes isn't really a sucker.
My brother sucked his thumb till her was well into primary school, sucked it so hard he had a permanent callous on it. Mum used to say he was born sucking his thumb (c-sect) and his teeth are fine. -------------  Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: Katherine
Date Posted: 20 March 2007 at 11:24am
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LOL all right, if there is some genetic trend going on, I never sucked my thumb, and I have awful teeth -- braces for years, tooth decay, the works. I often joke that my teeth are composed more of fillings than of actual tooth! My brother, on the other hand, sucked his thumb until he was 5, and never needed braces, and didn't have a cavity until he was 22... So I suppose it depends on the individual. I am going to just wait and see with the thumb-sucking, then.
The hair-twirling is just a little twirl (looks like she's making the "loco" sign next to her head) so not a big deal yet -- no pulling or twisting. When I'm holding her, she'll twirl my hair too! I'll stop worrying about that too... Although Certain Evil Know-It-All IL, who is doing a certificate in psychology through a mail-order school, has been regaling me of stories of kids who hair-twirl and then develop trichotillomania! Delightful way to overreact! You girls are great -- thanks for bringing me back down to earth. I was starting to get paranoid. Now I'm repeating the mantra: "She is only 1. Stop stressing about stupid things." |
Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 20 March 2007 at 1:05pm
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Hannah sucks her fingers every time she's tired/goes to sleep and I've just decided to leave her to it. I sucked my thumb until I was 12 and even though my mum tried all the "remedies" (mustard, etc) it didn't make a difference to me. My front teeth are a little forward but that's not because of my thumb-sucking, it's because I have a little mouth and my teeth are all squeezed together.
The only time we've had comments from the in-laws (MIL and FIL) was when we were in family photos for BIL's wedding. Hannah was 22 months and sucking her fingers, Briona was 3 months and sucking a dummy... we had travelled out of town and the kids were exhausted. MIL managed to coax Hannah's fingers out just for photo time and that was okay... but when FIL suggested the baby's dummy come out, no way! I told him better a dummy in than a crying baby for the photos and that seemed to shut him up  ------------- |
Posted By: fabians mum
Date Posted: 20 March 2007 at 2:26pm
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I wouldn't stress... thumb sucking is for comfort and hair twirling shows she's a deep thinker - let her go for it ! ------------- http://www.baby-gaga.com/"> 
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Posted By: mumoftwo
Date Posted: 01 April 2007 at 3:31pm
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My son is 2 and a half now and i have the same problem he sucks his thumb and twirls his hair i shaved it the other day he he.
He hates me now but im wondering if anyone has any tips of weaning him off it i know it comforts him but definatly want him to stop before school. 
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Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 01 April 2007 at 3:45pm
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It's a tricky one Frances because trying to help wean kids often just makes them feel embarrassed about it (like in my case). I'd give it another year and see if it has settled. Hannah is 3 now, she used to suck her fingers and cuddle her doll all the time. Nowadays she really saves the sucking for sleep time. I guess it's all part of growing older. ------------- |
Posted By: fattartsrock
Date Posted: 01 April 2007 at 7:36pm
Lol! I still twirl my hair (and it is lovely and thick with no bald patches) and I am a deep thinker... Jake sucks his thumb, he has a callous on it..I know he's tired when it goes in his mouth, along with Deddy's arm. ------------- The Honest Un PC Parent of 2, usually stuck in the naughty corner! :P |
fabians mum wrote: