Okay y’all I need some tips/advice. This is for all the moms of thumb suckers/finger suckers. My son is 5, he’ll be 6 in August. Ever since he was born, litterly the day he was born he would suck on his index and middle fingers together on his right hand. I don’t know what all to try to help him quit this habit. I have tried the “stop the bite” nail polish at Walmart which I tried it myself before I even put it on him. It’s just very veryyyyy bitter tasting, it was so gross. But it obviously didn’t work or else I wouldn’t be writing this. Idk what else to try. I know it’s a very hard habit to break. He doesn’t do it out of being upset or anything, he just litterly only does it when he’s tired, or relaxing watching tv, or just when he’s bored. They look dry and kinda cracked. Anyone have any tips or tricks to get him to stop sucking on his fingers?! TIA
I sucked my thumb deadass til I was like 18, when I was younger my mom let me have the privilege of painting my nails if I’d stop and it worked while I was awake but I continued forever in my sleep, finally I just outgrew it somehow
Following. My daughter is 4 years old and sucks her middle and ring finger since she was 3 months. Exact same as you, only does it when she is tired. I have tried many things. Nothing works. Best of luck to you mama.
I used to suck my finger when I was little my parents put hot sauce on my fingers idk if that’s something you would try just a suggestion but I didnt stop sycking my finger until I was ready it was a security thing
Not kidding I am 36 and still put my thumb in my mouth when I’m sleeping.
I am an advocate for self-soothing and part of that can be finger sucking. I sucked my thumb until I was 11 and decided to stop on my own. I have cousins who are in their 40s and still suck their thumbs. None of us needed braces or had any speech issues. I say, let him do it, its better than a pacifier.
Lemon?? But I’m guessing if the bitter nail thing didnt work… you may just have to keep them clean and dry as much as possible and wait for him to grow out of it…sorry x
I sucked my thumb until I was in my late teens. I don’t even remember what finally made me stop but sometimes when I’m tired, I still have the urge to do it. My parents tried everything and I would just wait until they were asleep and wash whatever they were trying that night off. I remember I even tried to break the habit myself when I was younger by putting socks on my hands at bedtime, but I would just take them off in my sleep unknowingly. Good luck mama. My almost 3 year old still sucks his binky and I’m afraid to take it away because that’s how I started tumb sucking at his age. He’ll grow out of it when he’s ready.
I stopped when I was ready when I was little. My daughter stopped when she was 8. What’s wrong with letting them stop by themselves
My son did this with his index finger up until about 2nd grade. He finally just quit doing it on his own. Nothing I ever did made him stop.
You just gotta constantly tell him not to. As soon as you see them in him mouth tell him to take them out.
I sucked my ring and middle fingers till about that age, my older brothers best friend got me to break the habit by giving me pocket change every day i didn’t suck my fingers. (About 2 weeks) till the habit was broken.
My almost 12 year old middle schooler JUST decided this past spring break he was ready to quit the thumb and did! He used nail no bite polish for the first day but that was it. Hasn’t looked back! But before he made up his mind nothing worked!! We tried gloves with the fingers (minus thumb) cut off. Band aids. Toys. You name it I tried it! In kindergarten we set a quit date and planned a “party”, made it a big thing for him. That did motivate him to quit. And it worked for a whole year until he got sick and hospitalized, then the thumb came back… Ultimately it came down to him though 
idk what exactly changed his mind this time, maybe peer pressure finally caught up? I feel for all the parents currently dealing with it though!
My granddaughter going be 5 in July. She sucks her thumb when she tried and relaxing. I’ve tried everything possible get her to stop. Nothing helped. It’s just smoothing thing. My daughter use to suck her thumb also when she was tired and relaxing. She finally stopped on her own.
My sister did this until her nail fell off. Nothing worked for my mom. Sometimes its a comfort thing.
We tried for a long time to get our son to quit and then we just gave up
Hes 5 and a half and just randomly stopped on his own about 2 months ago
My son stopped when he started kindergarten and a kid called him a baby. It ended that day.
Probably an unpopular opinion but I’ve worked in dental for years and seen this numerous amounts of time. Apart from setting little goals to the get him to stop sucking you can go to an orthodontist and they can put a little plate in, doesn’t hurt him but makes it very uncomfortable for his little fingers when he tries to put them in his mouth. Definitely save it as a last resort if you find absolutely nothing works!!
Tell them there is dirt and sometimes poop from going potty under their nails that can make him sick and sucking on his finger is going to make his teeth crooked. It’s a very yucky bad thing. Talk to them. This worked with all my kiddos. Anytime I see their fingers in their mouths I remind them it’s not clean.
Discipline them every time you see them do it too. This does help.
My nephew sucked his right thumb and would give my sister the left thumb for the hot sause, he’s still a smart ass kid, they took him to the dentist and had a thing attached to the teeth that would not allow him to suck the thumb at all. I don’t have thumb suckers, but if I did I’d probably go the dentist route too 
yeah moisturize his fingers so they don’t become worse…
what about a sensory chew toy. my asd girl chewed/sucked anything and everything…
Leave him be. It’ll go away eventually.
I sucked the same two fingers and he will stop when he is ready! But I used to suck them and had to play with hair like dig into someone else’s hair.
My has done that too since he was born hes about 2.5 now. Thankfully its not constantly only when hes about to fall asleep and while hes asleep.
My daughter literally came out sucking her thumb. She will be 7 in June and still does it. I talk to her about stopping and she will just cry like I’ve hurt her feelings so bad and be like but mama it’s so hard to stop! I think it’s definitely a comfort thing, I just don’t want her to be teased or it to mess her teeth up. I even tell her she’s gonna have to have braces but she still hasn’t stopped. I do push the issue but I also think they will just stop when they get ready.
Is there a medical reason or dental issues that are becoming a problem because of it? If not, to each their own, but my daughter is turning 6 and she’s sucked her thumb since she was in the womb, literally. She finds comfort in it, and who am I to make her stop, if it’s not hurting her or her teeth. I assume she will not do it forever and will stop when she’s ready.
My daughter is almost nine and I cant get her to stop. I have tried just about anything I could
My 15yr old still sucks her thumb at night… I haven’t found a way to break it yet
I was a finger sucker, exact same ones… I sucked my fingers far longer than was “normal”. I’m turning 29 this year and can confidently say I no longer do. He’ll grow out of it. There’s was nothing my mom could do to get me to stop. I stopped when I was ready to. Be patient and don’t make too big an issue out of it. If you do, he’ll just become a “closet sucker”, so to speak.
My son was doing this in the womb and it was his first action after birth. I tried the polish, hot sauce, and several other things progressing as he got older. His fingers had small marks but he stopped on his own. It is a comfort thing and your baby will grow out of it
Eh, better than sucking his toes, constantly biting his fingernails, chewing on pencils or taking drugs to self-soothe. Gotta pick your battles. One day another kid will tease him or he’ll just stop on his own, probably before college 
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Can you substitute a stuffed toy, blanket, or another more acceptable habit to calm him?
I asked my daughter when she was going to quit and she told me when I go to school. I did not pressure her. She quit on her own after she started kindergarten.
My nephew was the same. He stopped around 7. It’s a comfort habit. He will grow out of it. Hes only 6, don’t get on it too hard.
He will not quit until he is ready. Don’t stress yoursself
You could try a sock on his hand…maybe with medical tape to keep it from coming of too easily?
Try putting them in apple cider vinegar. Tell him it’s hot sauce
My almost 6 year old does this with his middle and ring finger I have an ultrasound picture of him doing it lol we’ve tried everything and nothing works dentist has suggested a piece that goes in the roof of his mouth so that will be our next step his fingers fingernails and teeth are messing up…
My son is a thumb sucker, he is 10. He has been sucking it since he was 3 months old. We’ve tried just about everything. He stopped doing it so much during the day and does it mainly at night now. He wants to quit but it’s hard to quit at night. He has a cross bite now and will have to have it corrected by a dental appliance.
My son is 4 and still sucks his thumb I sneak in his room at night while he’s sleeping and put Medela lanolin oil the nipple ointment for breastfeeding on his thumb and by morning it’s much better I haven’t found anything else that has worked as well. It’s just a habit for some littles
Best to leave her alone. She’ll stop on her own. I twirled my hair and I’m 71 and still do it
I don’t know how to stop it naturally, but I broke my arm in 3rd grade and couldn’t reach my mouth anymore, and the other thumb did not do the trick. Absolutely not saying to do this, only sharing my own personal experience with it. I was skating and fell btw.
I’d say hot sauce but it didn’t work on me when my parents tried
The dentist can put a device in his mouth that pinches the fingers. My niece had to have this to stop, but it worked.
Hot chilies wipe it on his fingers. Try it I know what sucking a thumb can do I had a son sick his thumb to long because he was my last baby I let him his speack was delayed and I took him to see a speach therapist she stayed all that sucking his thumb made his young flatten out which made it difficult for him to form his words and they practiced clicking of the young making the L sound keeping the tong on the roof of the mouth helped
I hope this doesn’t happen to other moms out there the things we don’t know till it’s to late
Thank you for asking this. My 4.5 yr old sucks her thumb ~ I’ve thought about using the ‘non nail biting’ stuff, but I feel like it’s harsh on her tummy 