How might one go about weaning an 8 year old boy off the thumb?

How might one go about weaning an 8 year old boy off the thumb?

Depends on whose thumb...

We bought some of the bitter tasting stuff sold in the nail polish section for my 8 year old. IT is clear. It did help her somewhat, but we eventually ended up getting a habit appliance from the dentist--broke the habit, but now that the appliance is out, she says she is having trouble not sucking her thumb at night.

So, I'm looking forward to the suggestions you get here as well!

I almost never post of the message boards, but I saw your question and have some experience with it, so I thought I'd respond. I really don't think you can wean someone off the thumb. It's something they have to want to do and then do on their own. 2 of my siblings and I all sucked our thumbs or fingers. My siblings as grown adults still do. I stopped when I was a teen because I was embarrassed of it. My parents tried everything under the sun to get us to stop from the time of toddlerhood on up. The hot sauce on the thumb, the nail polish that tastes nasty, threats, punishments, rewards. The more they tried, the more stressed out we got, the more you do it. When I stopped it was really hard because it's not really something you think about. I had to put my hand under my pillow at night or sit on it on the couch. I've known many thumb suckers, adult ones too, and the only ones who I've heard of stopping have either grown out of it once they left the baby stage or quit because they made a conscious effort to quit.

So if he's ready to stop some things that worked for me were sitting on my hand, chewing on gum, putting a piece of tape around my thumb (because once you put it in your mouth you remember that you weren't supposed to), keeping something in my hand like a pen, and things like that. Hope this helps some.

Edited to add: My 3 1/2 year old sucks his thumb too.

My son used to chew on his shirts. He would have this huge wet spot on his chest from where it was in his mouth. Kids chew for some reason. I remember I chewed my hair. My son eventually grew out of it, though I did get after him for it. He said he didn't even realize when he was doing it. Maybe tie a ribbon to his thumb so when the thumb goes in, it makes him realize something's wrong because now he has a ribbon in his mouth.

How about a glove/mitten or a sock on her hand during the night?

What was the appliance like? Someone told me it can turn the thumb into ground meat? That it causes it to hurt the thumb when they put it intheir mouth?

I'm dealing with a 4.5 yr old thumb sucker. Pedi told us to leave it alone because he started having accidents in his pants when we tried to break him of it last time. WiseKing is very cooperative when we try, but he regresses some. Unfortunatly, his mouth and teeth are pretty deformed from the thumb.

WiseMama

My mom used this really nasty tasting polish on my nails to stop me from biting them. It worked! I swear, to this day, I can still taste it if I bite my nails. It's a taste you never forget. lol

My step daughter didn't stop sucking her thumb till she was 8years old. One of her thumbs is now a weird shape and her teeth may need braces because of the sucking during the yearly years. Everyone in her family tried to help get her to stop doing it, but nothing worked. Then suddenly, one day she just stopped putting her fingers in her mouth. Come to find out the kids at school in her class started laying on the peer pressure... "Why is your thumb all weird?" Hasn't done it since.

It has to be a genetic tick. Our son sucked on his middle fingers until he was 15 months like a switch got flicked and he stopped. Then at about 30 months he decided he doesn't want his hands to be messy. He wants his hands washed after eating and playing in dirt... just like his dear mother... who most likely imprinted the habit on him.

We went with the appliance because she was really messing up her teeth. Otherwise, I was good to wait it out--she seems to have some major stress issues for whatever reason.

Anyhow, it did not hurt; it simply prevented her from putting her thumb up against the roof of her mouth and made it difficult (impossible for her) to find a comfortable spot for the thumb.

I agree that motivation is a big help, and i am going to implement some of the other suggestions again while she is still somewhat out of the habit.

Thank you for letting me ride on the coattails of your question--good luck!

Mama Stork (an almost reformed nailbiter)

I knew an attorney in Detroit who still sucked his thumb. His secretary kept slapping his hand when she went into his office and caught him at his desk reading over paperwork sucking his thumb. haha.

bbqchips.

My siblings don't care at all who see them doing it. I met people in the military who did it too. I'm sure there's a lot of secret thumb-suckers out there. ;)

My siblings don't care at all who see them doing it. I met people in the military who did it too. I'm sure there's a lot of secret thumb-suckers out there. ;)

I did into adulthood. Not sure what changed or even when I stopped. And I have no dental problems due to thumb sucking. Best wishes.

- Sunny