Though it is not uncommon to see toddlers walking around with their thumbs in their mouths, especially when they are upset or angry, thumb sucking in older children can be a cause of dental and speech problems and may even have social consequences.
Most children give up thumb sucking between the ages of 2 and 3 years, but children who still suck on their thumbs after the age of 5 can actually just be habitual of it but should be taken to the dentist. Thumb sucking prevention is really needed these days.
Do you remember the first time you saw a child sucking his/her thumb? What did it make you feel? Ever wondered how does it make the child feel? So why do children suck their thumbs in the first place and is it really addictive or soothing? So here are 9 handy tips to tackle thumb sucking in your child in this blog. Please feel free to share if there’s something else, which worked for you and is not covered here.
Babies and infants suck their thumbs to get comfortable and feel secure. It is also soothing for them and is basically a self-soothing technique. Thumb-sucking is a natural reflex for babies, something that they figure out on their own, and comes very naturally to them. Babies need to suck a lot more than when they feed, so thumb sucking comes to the rescue.
Though it is not uncommon to see toddlers walking around with their thumbs in their mouths, especially when they are upset or angry, thumb sucking in older children can be a cause of dental and speech problems and may even have social consequences.
Most children give up thumb sucking between the ages of 2 and 3 years, but children who still suck on their thumbs after the age of 5 can actually just be habitual of it, but should be taken to the dentist.