Desperately trying to stop my 7 year old from sucking her thumb/biting her nails!! Post Reply

[seabel]

Anyone out there got any advice/tips on trying to get a 7 year old girl from sucking her thumb and biting her nails!
I have tried many things, bribery, good old fashioned explaining that she will look really goofy if she continues, rewards and a Thumbsie which she just pulls off at night so when I check her before going to bed, her thumb is back in her mouth. 
She only does it at night time and early in the morning - never during the day.
If I go down the bitter nail polish route - any tried and tested products? I am nervous to use chemicals..
Thank you!!

[aenerel]

Hiya,

You can get a thumb guard if you don't want any chemicals they are quite cute. You can also get aversion therapy splint which is much bigger and obvious but its also more effective.

[Greyskies]

If she only does it at night time and early morning and not during the day I would just back off and let it go. She is still small and feels the need for comfort. She will grow out of it eventually. I would take a different biew if she was being teased about it and school and it was making her feel unhappy. 

I sucked my thumb as a child and I still have really negative memories of my mother banging on about it and insisting on various thumb guards, nasty tasting chemicals etc. I do not think it did our relationship any good at all. And despite the thumb sucking I did grow up into a relatively well balance adult! 

It will not give her permanent buck teeth. And if it does displace them slightly hat can be corrected by braces when she is older. 

Relax! 

[Vista321]

I sucked my thumb until I was 9 and then stopped (without gadgets) because I thought it was babyish. Try not to worry too much.

[Moonlightdawn]

I was once a chronic, persistent nail biter. My mum introduced all sorts of remedies and deterrents over the years.

Much to her chagrin, nothing abated it. I remember horrible, blazing rows. In the end, she gave up. She eventually accepted that nail biting was just part of who I was.

I ended up quitting but it wasn’t until my twenties, am afraid. My nails and hands look just fine now and I turned out ok in life.

I wonder if there’s a way to frame it as a choice for your daughter. Perhaps start out by going to the place of giving her information. Like, 'Oh, I see you biting your nails. You know why it’s not good to bite our nails? Because there are germs that live under our nails.”

A way that frames it, in other words, as a choice. One that's hers to make. Leave the ball in her court and see what happens. She will grow out of it at some point.

[ronangel]

The way it was stopped many years ago was put chicken S**T on fingers/thumb at bed time.Natural,harmless, and very bitter. Bit hard to get fresh nowadays as people get ready gutted chickens.
If you try let people know how you get on.
Found tis with qick on line search!
https://www.musingsofamuse.com/2011/02/ ... -lips.html
 

[LizC]

Hi! My daughter was a thumb sucker. Twice!

First time we stopped using a thumb guard but when we moved to a new Country (she was 7) I kind of let her suck her thumb again at night. Then it progressed to during the day too.

So I bought this elblow splint thing for stopping sucking thumbs from amazon. It splints the elbow and stops them getting their hand to their mouths. Worked an absolute treat and would be good for you if it's not just the thumb that's the problem but also finger biting.

I'm so glad we did it. She was a day sucker too so she used to zone out in class when sucking her thumb, and was getting to an age where this was causing problems with keeping up at school. I've just looked through amazon and can't find the one we bought....but it was pretty much the same as any other elbow splint - I tried to attach a link but I'm not allowed! But look up elblow splint on the internet and you'll see what I mean.

[dudette]

I’m with the others who suggest you’re better off just backing off. If thumb sucking calms her down and helps her sleep then why stop it. She’s only seven. A lovely harmonious relationship with your daughter is much more important. Don’t be that parent that’s on their child’s case all the time. Pick your battles.

[BridgetDagnall]

A huge list of recommendations on how to stop thumb sucking and nail biting!  I think it would be helpful to try and understand why she does this.  It sounds like a self soothing mechanism.  Has she always done it or is it a response to a change (? new sibling) or other change in the family or a reaction to the strange world we are currently living in?  Above all, try not to worry about it.  Your anxiety will be picked up by her.
 

[Eskimomummy]

Our son sucked his thumb mostly at night so we tried several devices but he just pulled them all off. We were really worried about taking action to stop him as he seemed to find it so comforting. Our Paediatric dentist recommended a wire attached like a brace across the roof of his mouth which we eventually did when he was 8 but not without trying many other methods and serious consideration! I was terrified how it might affect him... it worked a treat! He had it for about 6 weeks (before it was removed) and wasn’t phased at all! He is now 12 and we have very expensive braces to pay for and the roof of his mouth is too small due to the sucking, so I completely understand your concern. NLP can be very helpful but like everything it depends on your child. Good luck!!