Stop Thumbsucking Blog

At what age should I stop my child’s thumb sucking habit?…Ken Stevens

The short answer is “as soon as possible”. 15 to 30 months is the easiest time for the child and the parent. At this age, most children have a very short attention span and they will give up the thumb sucking habit with out too much resistance and won’t go back to it. As they get older, they grow attachments to habits easier because they are better able to compartmentalize their reasons for doing it. Understand that what I have said up until now refers only to damage that can be caused to the child’s teeth. From birth thru age 4 there are many other dangers that thumb sucking can cause. Displacement of the tongue can cause breathing restrictions and/or speech impediments, Children that thumb suck are more susceptible to colds, flu’s and many other diseases simply by putting a tainted thumb in their mouth. In short, there is no safe age to allow any child the habit of thumb sucking. Ages 4 thru 6 are the worst time for your child to be thumb sucking because the permanent teeth are arriving. And, the end result will be devastating to the alignment of those permanent teeth. After age 6, the focus evolves from an emphasis of physical problems to emotional problems. The child is now in school and quickly realizes that they are the minority when it comes to thumb sucking. They can become somewhat inward and reclusive because of the teasing from other children. They start thumb sucking only when they are alone and not being watched. They will pick spots where they can be by themselves. The parent has little knowledge of this because when the child is home they are in their sanctuary where mom and dad always pretend that it is ok to thumb suck. By this age, the child now has doubts as to weather it is ok to thumb suck. Even the parents are starting to give signs that it may no longer be ok to continue doing something that was always ok to do before. The child grows even more dependant on thumb sucking to the extent that it has now gone from a habit to an addiction. As they get older, most children actually want to stop but can’t do it by themselves. Nothing good can come from this habit and it is my advice that you stop your child’s thumb sucking habit “as soon as possible”.