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”.

          It’s not “rocket science”. The only way to cure your child’s habit is to keep their thumb out of their mouth and away from their mouth until they have lost their dependence on thumb sucking. The HANDAID will break any child of the thumb-sucking habit if you follow these directions:

          Pick a good day to start the HANDAID. If your child is in pre-school or grade school, then start the process on a Saturday morning because the first 48 hours will be the most challenging. Your child will push whatever button necessary to get you to take the HANDAID off. Your chance of success increases ten fold once you get past the first 48 hours. Check the blog at our website (www.Yourhandaid.com) for additional tips on how to start the HANDAID process. Remember, you are telling your child to stop doing something they have been doing since the beginning of time for them, something they always thought was right for them to do and, in many cases, encouraged by you. Do not be afraid to teach your child about the repercussions of continued thumb sucking. There are pictures on our website of braces, gates and other devices to help explain to your child what may happen if they refuse to stop. So, lets get started.

          The strap can be adjusted to their wrist size using the holes. Be sure that the strap is snug enough so that your child can not slide the HANDAID over their hand (if necessary, the holes in the wristband can be offset for a more exact fit). Put the HANDAID on your child. Join the thumb screws and turn them as tight as you can so that your child is unable to open them. Once you are sure of the strap size; you can cut off any excess that is left beyond the thumb screw. The HANDAID is to stay on your child’s hand for 3 full weeks (24/7); removing only for meals and baths. Then, for 1 additional week during sleep time only. HANDAID will not work if you are going to use it occasionally! Every child is different. Some children are cured of thumb-sucking in as little as 2 weeks; while others will take 3 to 5 weeks of wearing it 24/7. Use your best judgment. When you end daytime use and they gravitate back to their habit; they haven’t gotten over their dependence on it. We have found that the longer the child has been thumb-sucking, the longer it takes for them to quit. DO NOT BE FOOLED by early success. The HANDAID must stay on for the full amount of time. Just because your child is no longer complaining about the HANDAID on their hand does not mean they are cured of their habit. At age 3 or 4, thumb-sucking is a habit. That habit will become an addiction by age 6 or 7. Take a definite yet patient approach to this problem and you will be successful. My advice is that you do all of the work and let them have all of the success. Remember, your child’s next stop may be the Orthodontist who incorporates pain and discomfort into getting them to stop thumb sucking. There are pictures on our website of a device they will wire to the roof of their mouth to get them to stop.

          There are 2 HANDAIDS with your order because, in rare cases, some children may start to suck the other thumb. Also, if one of the HANDAIDS needs to be cleaned; be sure to hand wash (or delicate cycle) and air dry only. Remove the thumb screws before washing. Good luck to you and your child. Thanks again for your business and please tell another needy parent about HANDAID.

The best way to cure your child’s sucking thumb habit is to incorporate a plan that focuses on the immediate problem only without causing another problem. Any thumbsucking device is worthless if it interferes with the normal use of their thumb and, even worse, their hand. Tie your child’s hand behind their back and then tell them to go on with their normal day. The child is going to let you know immediately that they can’t use their hand and will continue to scream this information at you until you untie it. Well, this is what happens when you put most thumb sucking devices on your child’s thumb. Yes, they can’t suck their thumb. But, the bigger distraction is that they can’t use their thumb. The HANDAID covers only the bottom two thirds of the thumb. The top third is uncovered so your child can hold a pencil, a spoon or play on the computer. The only thing they can’t do is suck their thumb. Your child adapts to the custom fit quickly and the only time that they know that it is there is when they need to thumb suck. This is just one of HANDAID’S unique features which helps put you on the fast track to a thumb sucking cure or finger sucking cure. 

We want you to buy HANDAID with confidence. Here are 3 key reasons why HANDAID is your best thumb sucking cure:

Most sucking thumb cures are designed to be uncomfortable in the mouth. The HANDAID is designed to keep the hand away from the mouth. Your child’s hand never makes it into their mouth due to it’s patented design. And because of that design, it causes no pain to your child.

Any thumbsucking device is totally worthless if the child can remove it by themselves. HANDAID has a closure that is virtually impossible for them to open. It can only be removed with the help of someone else.

Saving the most important for last, HANDAID does not impede the use of the child’s hand. With most thumbsucking devices, the child looses full use of their thumb and, in most cases, the entire hand making it an incredible annoyance. HANDAID is designed to only address the thumb sucking problem without interrupting normal use of the thumb or hand. This single feature makes the rehabilitation so much easier for the child and the parent because it creates so much less of a distraction. The only thing that your child can’t do with HANDAID on is suck their thumb.

With many Orthodontists, asking them to cure your child’s thumb sucking problem is like asking the drug companies to concentrate their efforts on curing cancer. For both of them, treating the damage is much more beneficial to them than curing the cause of the problem. I get so many e-mails from parents who went to an orthodontists or pediatric dentists for information on how to stop their 3 or 4 year old child’s sucking thumb habit. This professional then responds by saying “ Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that until they are 7 or 8 years old”. By that time, all the damage has been done and the child’s  “habit “ has turned into an “addiction“. There addiction is now 10 times more difficult to break and there are now emotional issues that the child is also dealing with. I would recommend going to your child’s pediatrician for help and referral. If you are referred to a dentist or orthodontist, be very selective about the advice that you are given. There is nothing to be gained by extending your child’s thumb habit. And in my opinion, it is never too early to stop your child’s thumbsucking or fingersucking habit. At HANDAID, we have provided a thumb sucking cure for children as young as 18 months and as old as 15 years.