Finger sucking

When did this start? When was the pacifier been removed?

My daughter had been doing since in utero (I have ultrasound pics of her sucking her two fingers). The doctor and dentist have no concern with her doing it as it hasn’t shifted her teeth.

My oldest was a big thumb sucker and it was affecting her teeth. The dentist was very understanding and said not to bother trying until she was ready because any effort wouldn't work before then. When she was 5, I had a big talk with her. We looked in the mirror at our teeth and I explained how it was changing the shape of her mouth. She told me she wanted to stop, but most of the time didn't even realize she was doing it. I put a bandaid on her thumb 24/7 for a month straight. That was enough to give her the reminder to stop when she went to suck. She would even come to me to replace it if it fell off after washing her hands. She's 7 now and the dentist has seen improvement in her teeth 🙂

My son sucked his fingers since he was small I put an end to it after age 1. I bought a glove off Amazon and used it for 2-3 weeks maybe and that was it they can shower in it it’s breathable. Dentist wasn’t too worried about the finger sucking but advised it could become a problem which I wanted to take care of it asap. He didn’t cry he just got used to having the glove on and when I decided to take it off it’s like he never noticed and completely stopped!

@Samantha she has never token. A pacifier and it’s been ever since she was a baby

My middle child is 2.5y and is a thumb sucker and he also does it for comfort when he goes to bed or when he's upset. His teeth are totally fine and I'm not ready to take it away from him just yet. Your little one is a little bit older and I understand that you want her to stop. I don't know if it's affecting her teeth or not. Have you tried nail polish? There's one for people who bite their nails. I heard it tastes disgusting. I just don't know if it's toxic but I would assume it's not since it's meant to stop nail biting.

We used bitter nail polish

@Kyla I highly recommended getting a referral to a developmental specialist. They have resources and tools to help with this.

I actually did this when I was younger and I don’t remember when I actually stopped but I know I was way past the normal age of sucking fingers (I want to say 9/10🥴) . I guess it just really became a comfort thing..I can remember my dad threatening to duck tape my fingers or put hot sauce on them while I was asleep lol(he never did). My teeth were not that great in those years, but when I did stop, my teeth did actually end up straightening up on their own..I never had braces or anything. But I know everyone is different! Hope you’re able to figure out what’s best for your little one!