The thumb - as a comforter for children always in place

Not for nothing a newborn baby is also called a baby. The need for suction is a vital reflex for a child. While some babies with the mother's breast or vial will satisfy their desire to suck, other children need more and take a pacifier or just their own thumb.

If newborns want to suck, then they grab everything that is within reach. In the best case, this is the maternal breast, sometimes it has to be satisfied with your own hand. Some babies already suck in the womb on the thumb, others get used to it later. Whether a child becomes a thumbsucker or not can not be predicted. Pediatricians and paediatricians warn about the thumb as a permanent taster, but he also has its practical sides.

Allow or forbid

This question basically arises when the child begins to suck heavily on the thumb. Parents should accept sucking as a natural basic need of the child. If you watch a little older children, then you will quickly realize that sucking a thumb also has a great advantage: children who crawl around, play, paint or tinker, need both hands and so the thumb sucking done in these times by itself. The pacifier is different. In theory, he can stay in the mouth on all occasions apart from eating and brushing his teeth. Since it is virtually impossible to prevent the thumb sucking, parents should not even try to ban the child. The sucking need must be satisfied.

What the doctors say

Dentists and orthodontists point out that the jaw of a baby is still very deformable. By frequent thumb sucking the shape of the thumb and the pressure exerted during sucking the jaw can be pulled long and pointed forward. There is not enough space for the teeth. An open bite is another problem: The upper jaw is pulled forward while sucking his thumb, while the lower jaw is pushed backwards. However, some paediatricians are of exactly the opposite opinion, arguing that the thumb is more bite-sized than a pacifier.

The one and the other becomes problematic only when the sucking becomes excessive. Occasional thumb sucking to fall asleep or in stressful situations is no cause for concern. But if the thumb is taken out of the mouth only for eating and speaking, then parents should be careful - not only because it could hurt their child's jaw, but also because excessive sucking of the thumb is often more than a bad habit. At the latest when the children come to the kindergarten, the thumb sucking should lay all by itself. If this is not the case, it is time to do something and to look for possible causes.

Thumb sucking in kindergarten age

For older children, sucking their thumb is often a sign of problems. This can be a lack of attention, but also too much stress at home or in kindergarten. Often the thumb sucking occurs when a new baby comes into the family. The sucking becomes a comfort and contributes to the emotional balance and reassurance. Decisive here is again the frequency of sucking. In certain situations, sucking your thumb is harmless even at this age; if it does get out of hand, the parents should become aware.

Get rid of thumb sucking

The bad news first: It's almost impossible to stop a child sucking his thumb against his will. Bitter creams, patches or gloves at night disturb most children little. The good news is that even the stubborn thumb sucking child will stop at some point. Some children, however, suck into puberty from time to time on the thumb. In any case, it gets less and less with age. In older children, however, you can certainly support the Abgewöhnung, for example, with a reward system. Every day that is not sucked, there is a sun or something in the calendar and there is a small reward. Punishments and ranting on the other hand is useless and intensifies the sucking of the thumb even more.

Patience is needed again. It is so often demanded of the parents and the thumb sucking is not much different. At some point, the times are over when your child sucks on the thumb. Oblique teeth can regulate the orthodontist. A crooked soul, caused by the annoyance of thumb sucking, is much harder to put back in the balance.

Did I forget something? Can you think of any more points?
I´m looking forward to your experiences and additions.

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