Worried about my sons addiction to sucking comfort blanket Post Reply

[catboo1]

I desperately need advice on how to take away my son's comfort blanket. He's almost 6 and after a visit to the dentist, realise it's affecting his teeth. The dentist advised going cold turkey, but he's had this muslin blanket in his mouth nightly since a baby. We achieved one successful night last night and today I put him to bed and he can't sleep and is now crying for it. I feel so distressed and guilty about removing it from his bed. Has anyone else been through this? I would really appreciate some advice! Perhaps someone ended up leaving till their child was older and the teeth weren't so bad or were able to have braces sort it out later?
Thanks so much

[JThomas]

There's a book called "helping your thumb sucking child" which you might find useful. I bought it anticipation of needing to crack my son's thumb sucking habit and relaxed when the book said don't do anything before 5 (although as we sail towards 4 with no sign of the habit being dropped I'm trying to recall where it is) so I can't say how useful it was, but it got good reviews.

[pearlywhite]

Whilst your dentist may have told you about the impact on the teeth (which are visible), what he may not have mentioned is the interference in upper palate formation. It's really important to break this habit whilst he's small as no amount of braces will fix the non-visible malformation of his upper palate once he's older.

I realise it's heartbreaking to hear him cry, but this is no longer an innocent habit that it was when he had no teeth!

A habit takes about three weeks to break. It might just be a case of perseverance.

[catboo1]

Thanks for the advice. He's already lost 4 teeth and the upper two are just emerging. I also have a nearly 3 year old with exactly the same problem. He's really resistant to it being taken away and last night cried half the night and eventually I had to give it back to him. Neither of them will sleep without it so I am really stressed out. two tired children this morning! Maybe I have to reduce it first (i.e. take away first thing in the morning as soon as they wake up) and talk to them gradually about how this is going to have to go, rather than just remove it completely.

[bumpontheway]

Can you go down the route of the blankie fairy?

We just did it for a dummy with my 3 year old and we spoke about it over a week period and then he chose a day and that night he put it in a special bag (so in a way it was his actions swell as mine) and then in the morning the dummy fairy had left him a buzz lightyear and a note telling him he was kind and that the babies would really appreciate the dummies. My son told me that he wanted a buzz, so that was a hit. He also questioned the next night that he wanted a dummy and I reminded him in a nice way that 'he' had popped them in the bag and now there were in dummy land. I suppose with your 6 year old it is whether he still believes in father christmas/ tooth fairy etc?

Fot the first few nights I could see he didn't know how to get off to sleep as the dummy was all he had ever known, so you may find this too it was a case of going up chatting to him a bit reassuring him and also making sure that he was exhausting and after about 1/1.5 weeks the habit was broken. The hard bit for them and the same with a blankie is that he probably rubs/strokes it before going to sleep and it's a bit like us when we are pregnant we have to get used to not sleeping on our tummy and it feels a bit strange at first.

I hope this helps...although it was just a different habit!

[catboo1]

Thank you so much for that. A really good idea and I will try this tonight. It's the bit about them not knowing how to go to sleep that i found disturbing and I felt rather cruel last night, that's why I gave in.. It's heartbreaking hearing them cry for it and not being able to help. Both my boys stroke their faces with the tag and then suck the muslin in their mouths. Seemed like such a great alternative to a dummy when they were babies and now seems to be harder to remove than a dummy possibly! My 6 year old does still believe in fairies so this may be help - thanks again, hearing from people who have been through this is such a comfort

[Mumstwo]

This is a subject very close to my heart because I am your sons!! I am 33 and I still have my comfort blanket from childhood! If I'm upset or stressed I hold it and it completely calms me down and it was really helpful when I had my babies as it relieved that awful anxiety you get at night just by holding it! Back when I was young my mum was worried about my teeth, as you are, and she said that she would either take it away or I could use it to rub my face but I mustn't suck my thumb as it was ruining my teeth. I did as I was told and voila! I still have it maybe you could try this tactic? Rubbing their face with the label is okay right? It's just the sucking bit that's a problem. Tell them all the facts about their teeth, they will know you are serious as you've taken them away already.

Also, I would ask your dentist for further advice on this as my mother in law is a dentist and she said that unless you inhertitantly have a misshapen palatte then sucking your thumb won't make it misshapen. Might be best to ask for detailed info as its important for you to know exactly. I sucked my thumb for 6 years plus, my thumb even shrunk, but my teeth are perfectly straight naturally I never had a brace, they were not at all effected.

Anyway, I hope you appreciate my highly embarrassing post!! I thought I should bare my soul just in case my mums tactic works for you hope so. Xoxo

[Erykah]

I could have written that post! Well done Mumstwo! it takes courage!
I gave up sucking my thumb at 6/7 and continued to take transitional object to bed for a loooooooong time after. My parents were just keen that i didn't drag it around the house all day. And I'm the same with my kids and their comfort cloths. Don't stress. I have straight teeth and never needed a brace x

[catboo1]

Thank you soooo much Mumstwo for sharing that touching story. I am extremely grateful! I have been fretting for much of the day over this and you have really set my mind at ease now. Very good advice about discussing in more details with them and suggesting the scratchy bit rather than the sucking element. I will start that tomorrow! Hopefully I will sleep more peacefully tonight now in the hope that it's not definite their teeth and palate will be affected. Thanks to Erykah as well, thank goodness for the wonderful support on this site. I don't know what I would have done otherwise

[catboo1]

Hi there, I wanted to follow up with what happened after all your helpful advice. My son has now totally let go of his comfort blanket. I took all the advice given and let him hold the tag and scratchy bit, which we agreed was allowed and I explained in detail what might happen if he didn't give up the sucking element. It took about a week to settle him into the idea that it had to go and after a few days, he just seemed to give it up completely.
What's interesting is he seems to sleep more peacefully without it and doesn't grind his teeth much now either.
Now I have to tackle the issue with my 3 year old who isn't budging! But I will give him a bit longer and try in a few months time.
Thanks again everyone

[Reilly11]

I take my daughters comfort blanket she always chews away and of course have to give her one for bed and she just puts that one in her mouth. How do I prevent it all together?

[catboo1]

Goodness, what a trip down memory lane! Reading this post which is almost 10 years old- that little chap is now a 6ft 1 teenager!!!
Well we successfully took away the comfort blanket and refused to buckle under pressure. He soon accepted the situation and all was well. I then had the same thing with my youngest son whose teeth had actually begun to stick out from the sucking… thankfully they moved back into place a few months after we took the blanket away. It was all fine in the end!