Submitted by Dr. Sally

Question: I am very worried about my daughter who is still sucking her thumb at six-years-old. I have tried every trick in the book, but nothing seems to work. At this point she gets angry at me with whatever I suggest. Do you have any ideas for getting her to stop?

Answer by Dr. Sally Goldberg:

Yes, absolutely. However, first be reassured that thumb sucking is the exact path that nature intended for young children to soothe themselves. See note below. It is definitely the preferred method throughout early childhood. It is also a habit that young children usually phase out naturally by around the age of six.

Once thumb-sucking becomes ingrained for an older child, it is very hard to stop... but not impossible. Therefore, it is understandable why you might be concerned. On the one hand, your child probably likes the comfort. On the other hand, she is likely to be very grateful for great ways you can come up with that can help her stop during the day.

First, do what you can to dream up a better way for her to comfort herself. Make her your partner and have fun thinking up new and different things she can do with her thumb and hands. Don’t be afraid to think up silly ideas and laugh about them. Take turns creating activities l like rubbing thumbs together, tapping patterns on a table, or even sitting on your hands.

In addition, set up an art corner with projects like modeling clay, paint, or a craft. Once your daughter is busy enjoying interesting hands-on activities, she will have less of an opportunity to suck her thumb and will probably phase out her old habit in a natural way.

With pleasant replacements for thumb sucking, your daughter will have a realistic path for decreasing her ingrained habit. You can also set up a mirror as part of your child’s play area. Just being able to see that thumb go into the mouth has been known to act as a major deterrent.

Second, your daughter would probably love anything you can do to get rid of what might be causing her excess stress. In this case, be the best detective you can to find out if you think there may be some extenuating circumstances. Change is usually a great approach. Sometimes introducing a new activity, hobby, class, or place to go can be just what the doctor ordered.

NOTE: From reflexology we learn that thumb sucking has a natural way of balancing the body. Hmm... very interesting. It is no wonder that so many babies and young children figure out thumb sucking as a natural soothing mechanism.

ABOUT the Author:

Dr. Sally worked for many years as an instructor of early childhood education on the adjunct faculties of Nova Southeastern University, Barry University, and the University of Phoenix. Well-known for her tools and strategies for self esteem development, Sally was a national conference presenter and a frequent guest on TV and radio.

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