So my son has been sucking his thumb since birth. I tried to get him on Southers, but he wouldn’t stop with his thumb, and now he’s a year and a half still sucking his thumb, and his teeth are starting to cut open his thumb. I’ve put socks on his hands and bought one of those arm braces specifically for him to not be able to reach it but can still play and use his hands. It’s hard cause I don’t want him to get an infection or to ruin his teeth or to continue sucking his thumb. Does anyone know anything that can help?
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When i was young my friends mum used to paint her fingernails with some clear nail varnish stuff that tasted awful. I dont remember what it was called but i think it worked!
I was a thumb sucker til I was 8. Nothing worked on me, not even the ol’ famous “hot sauce” trick. I’m a super spicy 
food eater now lol. The only thing that stopped me was that I had to go to the hospital for a surgery. They kept my hands bound until the drugs wore off. Never sucked my thumb since. 
good luck 
Well let me tell you a story i sucked my thumb sinds birth after 7 or 8 years my parents tried literally everything to stop you know what happened i still suck my thumb
When i got my son he also sucked his thumb but as he grew to one year he just stopped out of nothing so yeah i don’t know why you want ur child to stop it but that thumb sucking is comfort for us thumb sucking people a stress reliever so yeah
(Ella mia no more biting) is for stopping kids to bite their nails it tastes nasty u can buy it at target for like 10$
I had one that would still suck his thumb while he slept at 10 years old. Another did the same until 8. Good luck. 
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Maybe a soothie toy or blanket to replace his active hands? My daughter wiggles her finger around in her blankie, has to constantly “fiddle” while she goes to sleep.
Hot sauce never worked for me, I ended up getting a cut on my finger and stopped. (Not saying to cut your kids thumb!)
Honestly I don’t think you can stop him…it’s his way of comforting himself. My younger son was the same and he eventually grew out of it. Have you tried substitutes? There was a small blanket my son was attached to also
Maybe take his hand out of his mouth, smack it, and tell him no? 
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My daughter did until she was 8 when she got chickenpox she did it when she was ready
My sister still sucks her thumb at the age of 31😅
WOW at some of these suggestions 
it’s a security thing, smacking his hand like he’s bad is definitely NOT gonna help the situation. He will eventually grow out of it, or maybe he won’t. I am 38 and still find myself with my thumb in my mouth when I’m extremely exhausted. As a child my parents tried EVERYTHING including telling me my thumb was gonna rot off.
I wouldn’t worry about him sucking his thumb!
He WILL out grow it!
I was a thumb sucker, as a kid… did it until I was around 11
And I sucked my thumb sometimes until my thumb had a cut as well - at which time I would switch thumbs!!
Biggest problem I now have as an adult from sucking my thumb, is my nail on the thumb I favored has a small indent from I guess my teeth.
Otherwise no other problems! My mother worried and put sour crap on it, I would just suck until the taste wore away! She put aluminum foil on it when I went to bed, I just took off!
What I can tell you is, as an adult because I was able to self sooth by sucking my own thumb IS I’m still self reliant! When growing up I always tried to work things out for myself!!!
So don’t worry about him sucking his thumb, it is comforting to him…
A thumb sucker will never truly stop sucking thier thumb. My mom still does it when she is relaxed and forgets her surroundings. Three of my four where thumb suckers, the really thumb suckers which are two of the three had been doing it since the womb not birth still do when they are stressed, no one is looking or simply relaxed in thier own world. Two had something like a retainer installed by thier dentist that stopped them from doing it because it effected the way thier front teeth grew because of the postion the placed thier thumb in thier mouths. My last child sucked her whole thumb didn’t affect the growth of her teeth, suspect the older ones taught her the trick simply outgrew it on her own but under stress, emotional situations she will find comfort in doing it. This is a battle because they simply always have it with them you can try remedies but the only thing that I found that truly worked was the reversed retainer, do not remember what it was actually called. Lots of patience because it is not easy.
My mom tried everything with my brother mustard, hot sauce, gloves, nail stuff and well hes 32 now and still sucks his thumb. I used to and still do when im extremely worried however my point is he will either grow out of it or it not. If cutting try the material plasters that stretch n be cut to size?
How old is he? Did I read it right you brace his arms to keep him from sucking his thumb 
A lot of kids suck their thumb unit school age its a sorce of comfort … DONT bind his arms OMG Thats horrible
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I think you can buy sour spray to put on his thumb so he won’t want it in his mouth.
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He will stop when he’s ready! don’t force him to stop that is a coping Mechanism and some kids don’t stop till 16 or older!
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This isn’t gonna be what you wanna hear but he will probably just quit when he wants. As a past thumb sucker I didn’t stop until 6th grade when my 5th grade teacher told me people would tease me lol. Things people tried to get me to stop were: hot sauce, taping my hand away from my mouth, bribery, and I think like a bitter nail polish (I don’t know the name). But it really comes down to the kids will and how much comfort they get from it. Good luck!
Put something sour on it. There’s something you can put on their fingers where they won’t like the taste. And I do recommend asking his doctor but do not put any type of brace or anything like that on his arms.
Its a comfort thing he will stop when he is ready
Personally I would let him outgrow it at his own pace or ask his pediatrician for advice. I suffered from childhood trauma and have never been able to stop.
I was also a thumb sucker. My parents got me to stop by taking away my pillow! I am now 67 and need to take my own pillow with me because I need my own to sleep. And most stuff you put on the thumb won’t work. They just keep trying until they’ve licked it all off. And don’t stress if he still under 2. At this point it could cause more harm than good to force him to stop.
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awe… don’t force him to stop … he will out grow it …
When my oldest son wouldn’t give up the thumb his dentist recommended giving him sugar free gum. Said “he can’t chew and suck at the same time.” And no kid will refuse gum. He was done with the thumb in 2weeks. This also worked with my second son. Good Luck.
There is something called “thumb” that you can purchase at a pharmacy. I had to get it for my eldest child cuz I could not break her by age 4, no matter what I did. I painted it on her thumbs & she was broke that day. Non toxic, but tastes horrid
I sucked my thumb until the night before my 12th birthday. It’s a hard habit to kick! I said to myself I’m done with it and I stopped that night. I tried the bitter stuff you put on it but it didn’t help…I don’t have any other advice besides they’ll stop when they no longer associate it with comfort. I got made fun of for it for years and didn’t even care because I loved it.
He’ll stop when he’s ready right now he needs it
My son is 10 and still sucks his thumb. Nothing worked to stop him
I sucked my thumb until I was 13. My parents tried everything, spicy thumb stuff and taking things away. Just one day I decided I didn’t wanna do it anymore. He will grow out of it
You can’t stop it. I sucked mine into my 30’s that’s why I always used a pacifier with my girls. You can take those not a finger. I still do it when really tired .
They don’t always out grow it my granddaughter is 10 and she still does it all the time. Her mom has tried everything. Because of that she has been eating hot sauce since she is 4 
. I have a friend that has a friend an adult that sucks hers when ever she is stressed. Very successful but never broke that habit.
My daughter sucked her thumb until she was three or four and quit on her own. I tried everything before she quit. My niece is fourth something and when she gave birth to her first son, her mom walked in the hospital room and her daughter was sucking her thumb,her and her baby were both asleep.
My daughter even sucked hers in womb seriously. We tried EVERYTHING! ( even trapped socks to her hands when she slept)The orthodontist put a guard in her mouth for 6 months she was soooooo excited and never sucked her thumb again
My Son is 2.5yrs still sucks his thumb when tried im just hopeing he will stop when he is ready x
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My daughter just turned on and still has a pacifier her pediatrician said with everything going she dont recommend me taking it away right away cause it soothes her.
I sucked my fingers until I was 10. I had high anxiety as a child. The dentist and doctor both said I would stop when my fingers out grew my mouth. They were right. No I did not end up needing braces.
It’s a comfort thing try to replace it with a different comfort thing and be patient it will take time the dentist told me if i didnt fix it with mine she would get an under bite which you don’t want
They make a special nail polish you put on every couple of days. Makes the thumb taste nasty
My daughter sucked her thumb while she held her blanket. So we took the blanket away and we constantly took her thumb out of her mouth when we saw her sucking it. That was after she saw her dentist around 3 and he told us to get comfortable with an orthodontist. She’s 9 now and she just got her expander out of her upper mouth, had a bar put in and has 4 braces on her front 4 teeth with a spring around the sides to push her teeth back into place. Good luck mama!
I told my daughter that the taste of your fingers change when you turn 5. The night before her 5th birthday I polished her nails with BITE STOP. She tried to do it for couple more days but she quit that week, it tastes disgusting. *I polished them while she was asleep because she knew about nail polish remover.
My daughter was a thumb sucker and I never tried to stop her. As she got older she only did it around family, close friends, and at bedtime, she completely stopped at 10 or 11. It was her comfort and when she started feeling uncomfortable about it she stopped. She was also a blanket baby…always with her blanket and thumb lol she got rid of the blanket around the same time she stopped with the thumb. I wouldn’t force it and make it an issue though because it could cause them to want it more. Oh and she never needed braces.
Mine sucked their thumbs until the braces went on
I’m 35 and have a blanket I use, some people drink to reduce stress/anxiety. He will stop at some point. My daughter used a paci until she was 4 and gave it up on her own. She has straight teeth and you’d never know. My son who is now 3 has never used a paci or sucked his fingers and his teeth are all too close.
Paint his finger nails with polish.
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They do have fixed dental appliances (depending on age). This is something you could speak with his dental provider about if you’re concerned that his thumb sucking could be affecting his dental development.
When he is ready my sis did it til like ten
My sister is 24, and still sucks her thumb. Its just a coping mechanism.she doesn’t do it often, but when she’s especially stressed, she sucks her thumb till she falls asleep. Her teeth are better than anyones ive seen
Spray it with something… I used thumbs away when my kids were younger
My sister suvmed her thumb until she was 14 and started liking boys my daughter sucked her thumb until she was almost 9 they will stop on their own nothing you can do to make them stop
I sucked my thumb until age 10 and messed my teeth up to the point of wearing braces for 8 years straight starting at age 11. My oldest son started sucking his thumb around a year old on his own. He is 7 now and still sucks his thumb. Thankfully nowhere near as much as he use too but if he is extremely tired he will suck his thumb or sometimes I catch him with his thumb in his mouth while sleeping. He is already going to need braces in the next couple of years. They have this stuff called stop the bite. It’s a nail polish that goes on clear and its suppose to stop them from sucking their thumb or biting their nails. Its sold at Walmart. Haven’t tried it yet myself but do plan do get some and see if it works for my son. He also bites his nails.
It’s a comfort source to him. He will stop when he is ready.
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Ours is 4 and still sucks hers
Put something bad tasting on his thumb so everytime he goes to suck it, it tastes horrible. He’ll learn to associate the bad taste with sucking his thumb
Or switch his attention to something else (a dummy perhaps) if it’s a coping thing.
My son is going on 7 and he still sucks his thumb. His front teeth have been delayed coming in so we’ve explained how he needs to try and stop for the care of his teeth. He’s getting better and doing it at bedtime only. It is a comfort thing so I would start small and work with your kiddo.
Please do not put hot sauce or pepper on your child’s thumb! I can’t believe people still suggest this. It is cruel! I would not even address it until your child can communicate with you. There are a lot of articles to look up from pediatricians and dentists that you can look up. Good luck!
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Sucking is a comfort thing… so you do want to be careful about how you handle because you don’t want him developing fears or not feeling comforted. Try and offer pacifiers as often as you can, as they will help with the teeth concerns and can be removed easier when time. However, these days, all kids get expanders and then braces. You probably won’t get out of that piece. Good luck!
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I had the same issue with my oldest. I always gently grabbed his arm and pulled it away and said “yucky”… I had to be very persistent with him. It was constant for the first weeks, until he finally caved. Constant redirection-- hopefully this helps some. Best of luck mama!
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My daughter did it until she was 8 and it affected her whole mouth structure - we tried multiple things but her orthodontist gave us Mavala ro put on it and she stopped within three days. We then had to get an expander in and first round of braces 
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My 7 years sucks her 2 fingers since 7 months and we have tried a ton of recommendations and nothing has worked …dr and dentist have worked with us it is a comfort issue with her and so then no luck 
if anyone has a good plan please help
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Took my son to an orthodontist because he sucked his thumb until he was 6/7. Orthodontist gave me 2 options, pay hundreds of dollars for a metal contraption that inserts in mouth to keep from sucking his thumb or cheaper option tape two popsicle sticks to thumb. Needless to say we did the cheaper option and he quit even trying to suck his thumb in 2 days. Didn’t believe it, but it worked.
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I sucked my index and middle fingers at night until I was almost 9 and just stopped one day in my own. My parents never pressured me and no major issues with my teeth. Good luck
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Be gentle & persistent. It takes time. Don’t expect him to just stop all of a sudden. Constant gentle reminders. We used the soft thumb covers for years at night. She was 6 & still sucking at times though. Had to have a soft pallet expander for orthodontic work. We finally didn’t have to remind her not to suck anymore when she had her expander in.
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My mother tried everything to stop me from sucking my thumb. I had metal bands with sharp metal in my front two teeth as a last resort. Didn’t work I bent them so they wouldn’t prick my thumb. I sucked my thumb until I was 25. The only reason I stopped was because I got married and didn’t want my husband to know I still sucked by thumb.
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I took my daughter to a pediatric dentist at 3 years old. She sucked her thumb at night to go to sleep. He told me that as long as she stopped by the time her permanent teeth came in, it would be ok. He talked to her and she tried hard to stop, but she couldn’t at 3 years old. I didn’t push her. She had stopped on her own before her permanent teeth came in. She was so proud of herself!
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I had a son that did. Noticed the trigger was his favorite blanket. So I had him watch me put it in the closet for safe keeping and told him he could have it back when he no longer sucked his thumb. He went along with it with no tears as he knew where it was. Problem solved!
My daughters dentist put a metal “cage” in the roof of her mouth for 6 months when she was 5 years old. We tried everything to get her to stop before that and she either took it off or found away around whatever we used. The “cage” was the only thing that got her to stop. Good luck!
Please let him be. I was heartbroken when I read this. My son sucked his thumb until about the age of 6 (he is now 26). But he did outgrow it. He is still too young for him to even realize that he is doing it out of comfort. Would you rather have him sucking on a pacifier? Weigh your options my friend. Give it some time yet, and I am sure all will be fine
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I will tell you what worked for me to get my daughter to stop sucking her thumb. The dentist suggested that I put tape around her thumb. This way when she put her thumb in her mouth out of habit, it felt different and she would realize what she was doing. It worked! About 2 weeks later not thumb sucking. She was about 4 yrs old. Good luck.
I used to say “no calories…No cavities”! My daughter finally gave it up on her own. The more attention given to the behavior as a “problem” the longer it will last. Catch your breath mom and feel gratitude for a healthy child!
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Let him be. My mother was always in my case to stop. It made it worse because I was stressed. I’m now 76 years old & still remember!! My daughter sucked her thumb. I never once told her she had to stop. We talked about it & I told her I would help when she was ready. Her first day of Kindergarten I guess she was made fun of. She asked me how she could stop. I told her to put her thumb under her pillow & just be conscious of when you put it in your mouth. Within two weeks she was done. Please don’t put pressure on your child, be supportive. 
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My middle is 8 and he still sucks his thumb and uses his blankie to sleep. Thankfully he doesn’t insert the whole thumb it’s an odd way he does it but his teeth are still perfect per dentist and one day they’ll be grown and you’ll forget the soothing things they did.
He’s too young to try to stop it; he’s still in the oral stage and literally needs this. It’s a good skill to be able to self soothe. I had two who did this and it’s hard because you can’t take it away. They’re both very well adjusted and successful adults now. Try not to worry. Worst case he’ll need braces at some point. The majority of kids do for one reason or another.
As a former thumb sucker I can tell you that it doesn’t matter. My parents tried putting numerous hot things on it, and finally resulted to putting sharp needles in the roof of my mouth. I’m not one to use this word to often, but it was traumatic. I was only a small kid. And there was a reason I needed that comfort. I know not all situations are the same, but pay attention to when they are doing it. And talk to them. Find the cause and fix that… you wouldn’t imagine taking away a child’s favorite blanket… it’s the same thing.
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My son sucked his till he was 8 or so, stopped when a kid his school said something to him about i, Dr. Said leave him along, more trauma done with trying to prevent it.
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I’ve been there with infections on the thumb many times and she was completely fine without it it actually helped bc she didn’t like the gauze on her hand but every kid is different shes 13 now n doesn’t unless stressed
My son is a thumb sucker. His little thumb did get infected once and the ped had to drain it. He was just fine after that. I have two different dentists tell me that they really don’t worry about their teeth until they begin to get their adult teeth. The second dentist said if it’s not worth the fight then don’t stress about it. (He has a thumb sucker too). My brother was also a thumb sucker and just eventually quit on his own 
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We just did this for our 3 yr old that was sucking her thumb since 2 months old! : i showed her a video of what happens if you keep sucking your thumb! So we started with the video first, then i carry her to nap and tell her that ill help her hold her hand while she falls asleep. I made up a funny no sucking thumb song that she asks now everytime! Ha! We going on our 1st week with no thumb!
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We used bandaid for both thumbs. It worked great for us. We changed it all the time. He was about two when we did this and had to do bandages everyday on both thumbs for about two weeks
Chill, dont fight it, as you will not win. If his teeth dont grow in properly, braces will fix the mouth as a teenager or young adult
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He will stop. My nephew sucked his thumb till he was 6 yrs old. His teeth are beautiful and did not need braces. Some need it for comfort.
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I was 12.when i stopped sucking my thumb. I broke my arm and it was in a sling so couldn’t put it in my mouth. I would suggest wrapping his hands when he is tired and likely to suck it.
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Yes put hot sauce on it every time he puts it in his mouth he will stop that’s what they did yeasts ago
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He will be fine. All of mine did that, they grew out of it. The harder you push the more he will do it.
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There’s a liquid that is harmless and tastes gross. My pediatrician recommended it.
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Put something that tastes bad but cant hurt him on his fingers. Like clove oil or vinegar. It helped me stop chewing my nails when I was younger.
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I sucked my thumb for many years. No one tried to stop me. It’s a comfort measure. My teeth are straight and strong. I also drank a lot of milk, we never had soda and was never put to bed with a bottle. I would think biting your thumb would indicate anxiety
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We bought something from the chemist that you paint on their nails which doesnt taste great, it worked with our little girl. It was recommended by the pharmacist x
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My daughter is 9 and sucks her thumb. She will grow out of it. The doctor, nor dentist, worry about it. My daughter said she will never get covid since she has built up her immune system. 
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First of all it’s too late to save his teeth. Second of all, get a pacifier. then when he’s ready to get rid of that tell him if he puts his pacifier under his pillow the pacifier fairy will come by and give him money. Dentist and doctor told me that the pacifiers easier on the teeth because it’s shaped for it.
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My son sucked his thumb until when he was 20, he left home to work in another town that’s when he stopped. I couldn’t believe it because I didn’t try anything to stop him
My 4 year old granddaughter does it when she’s tired of not feeling well. She’s got great teeth dentist said. She used it to soothe!
The only thing you need to stop it is time. He doesn’t understand ;e is too young. Give it about another year.
Keep it wrapped with stretchy tape. The kind the nurse wraps your arm with after a blood draw. Use Suran wrap , regular clear tape, st John’s wort, sour candy powder, sour koolaid powder, sour jolly racher goop, sleeping bag zip him up where he can’t get out. Zip ties , Tabasco sauce, apple cider vinegar, something he hates I know I’m not going to put up with mine doing it.
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My 2yr old thankfully doesn’t have this problem, but my younger brother used to suck on his right index finger up through third grade. What made him stop is my dad put lemon juice all over his finger every day. He hated the taste and stopped. (My dad may have also told him if he kept doing it his finger would fall off 
). I would not suggest that part.
I sucked my two fingers. My parents did a lot of things until I was about three, then stopped. I did it until I was 11, mostly when I went to sleep. I stopped then because I cut the top of my finger off and had to get stitches all the way around.
I let my kids do it because I knew it was just something they did. It will stop soon enough.
My 6yo literally just stopped sucking his thumb…I got a special bitter nail polish and painted his nails a nice green for him with it. It is not pleasant lol I accidently got some in my mouth once. Anyway, he’s had it on his nails for about 1.5-2 months now and I’ll probably continue with it the rest of the summer to ensure he isn’t doing it anymore when school starts back up. I wasn’t really concerned with it when he was younger, but he now has a cross bite (stinkin cute!) and the dentist is concerned. Plus his poor thumb was all cracked and it hurt him every once in a while.
My son sucked his middle two fingers. I never tried to get him to stop. He found comfort in it. He stopped when he was ready. His mouth is perfect today. He is 53.