That was mostly just a fluke... he got his thumb in his mouth by accident and though he seemed to enjoy it, he didn't really do it again after... until this week.
He started by sucking furiously at his fist, trying to get at his thumb. He often accomplished sucking both his thumb and forefinger because he just couldn't seem to figure out how to get the forefinger out of the way (he makes such tight fists that his thumb was often stuck between his middle and forefinger).
But he's finally figured it out...
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| Ahhh... sweet success! |
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| I think he's ready to "rock out"! |
The nice thing? He can "self soothe". He can put his thumb in his mouth by himself; he can't do that with his pacifier. This means he can put himself to sleep, like yesterday when I put him down in his crib for a nap and walked away when he was still awake- there was no crying, no fussing, just sucking then sleeping. It also means he can wake up in the morning and suck quietly for a while before fully waking and wanting to eat (giving me just a little more shut eye).
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| See his neglected pacifier? |
My question? Do I try to break the habit now? Do I pull out the thumb and replace it with the pacifier (a habit that will need to be broken too, but it's easier to throw away a paci than a thumb!)? Is thumb-sucking truly bad for your teeth? Maybe Great Aunt Pat has some insight... seeing as how she's a dentist and all.... :D
P.S. Grandpa Simpson is to thank (or maybe to blame) for the title!
Yeah, we saw Andy's thumbprints all over that title.
ReplyDeleteNone of my babies ever sucked their thumbs reliably, though I often wished they would! I think it's great that Drew has a way to soothe himself. Like you said, you'd eventually have to break the pacifier habit anyway. (Great Aunt Pat will likely want to have a word with me!)
Haha! Thumbprints! You guys are too much!
ReplyDeleteHe definitely sucks it reliably! Since he figured it out he hasn't stopped! To the point that I have to pull it out (and hold it!) sometimes in order to feed him!
It really has been great for naps and bed time, just worried that he'll have the habit for far too long. I never sucked my thumb at school, but I feel for the kids who do because they get teased. And I never needed braces... Laura did though, but who knows if it was actually the thumb-sucking.
Now I know this is not medically sound advice, but honestly I think my thumb sucking as a child helped me not need braces. Both my sister and bother had to have brace but I did not. We all have genetically small mouths, and I think the little bit of push that my thumb gave my teeth helped give my teeth room to grow in. Now granted I also had Dentist pull a few teeth so that they would all grow in a the same time which helped too. And still to this day after me sucking my thumb for so long my Dentist always comments on what great teeth I have.
ReplyDeleteI was about to write an identical post! I'm totally letting Penny suck her thumb. She slept 9 hours last night and 8 the night before all because of her thumbsucking! I'll pay for braces later :)
ReplyDeleteWell so far 5 out of 5 non-dentists agree: let him suck! At this point I don't know if I can change it anyway since he spits out the paci for the thumb and sucks when I'm not paying attention!
ReplyDelete@ Penny in Pink- the extra sleep is awesome, isn't it? Drew already slept a good 6+ hours a night but now I'm definitely getting the 7-8+ straight then usually another 3. You might be right, the extra sleep now may be worth the price later!
Why is it that baby pictures are SO sweet when they are sucking their thumb? It is so tranquil and he is obviously sweetly content.
ReplyDeleteThere are downsides just as you said Diane. If he's already spitting out the paci in favour of his thumb...might be a little late, but I'd try I think. If he's a strong sucker, the force actually changes the shape of the roof of the mouth, contracts the back ridges inward, and pulls the front ridge forward. If it continues beyond toddlerhood, it can contribute to a longer face from the tip of the nose to the chin, so it changes your looks.
If the sucking does continue beyond toddlerhood, aim for an early intervention before the permanent teeth begin to arrive at the front, even using a "crib" that your dentist could place, making it next to impossible to get the good sucking action. That usually breaks the habit. (They are called "habit-breakers".) It only takes a short time.
Greg started with a soother, but had such strong suction, he kept stretching them out of shape. I kept buying new ones changing the brand to find a strong enough one...eventually he got fed up with the changes and went without one. So when Jordan came along, I did that intentionally...changing up the soother every so often, and he eventually stopped the soother. They both were soother-free and non-thumbsucking by around 1 and 1/2 years old. Greg ended up needing braces anyway, but it would have been a worse situation had he been a long-time thumb sucker.
But when all is said and done, it is pretty tough to argue against a good night's sleep, for all involved!
Sleep tight,
Love, Great Aunt Pat