Need Help to Stop Thumb Sucking (5 1/2Yr Old)

I had the thumb sucking issue with my daughter and my mom always said to ignore it. Children are in constant need for attention, no matter if it is positive or negative. Your son my have the "second child syndrom", you know, most second children are not purposely left out. The oldest get their share for being the first and the last for being the younger one... Maybe is his way of getting your attention. Instead of making it a big deal, just try to ignore it and pay attention on something else more positive.

Had this problem with my daughter. I noticed she only sucked her thumb if she was holding a spacific blanket. I took the blanked away and the thumb sucking stopped. Six months later she asked for her "blanky" back. As soon as I handed it to her the thumb was back in the mouth. I took it away for over a year and have never had a problem since. She is now 14 and still has the "blanky."

I worked for a pediatric dentist for 9 years before I started working at home. Talk to your dentist about a thumb sucking appliance. They can run up to $750, but your dental insurance will most likely pay for 1/2 and some offices will let you make payments on the balance. It's important to try all you can to try to avoid costly braces later on.

My youngest is 10, was a thumb sucker. We bought several devices on the market. None of those worked. She could remove them. And she likes the taste of hot sauce. We also did the taped up gloves, even tried socks! We even considered ordering a dental device. But our pediatrician offered that other than dental damage, thumb sucking wasn't a big deal. Usually, in older kids, its because of some other issue and their need to comfort themselves.

I decided that we really needed to combate the root issue. In our case, we had some major life changing issues happen at the time she probably should have stopped, and was close to stopping. Unfortunately, she ended up regressing....

So, we took a positive approach. I stopped negative words on my part. I reminded her that other people didn't understand that she sucked her thumb because she was uncomfortable. We talked about the things in our lives that changed and how we could comfort each other as a family. I decided from that point on, never ever to tell her to stop sucking her thumb. Instead, I made a point to try to have a conversation with her so that she would have to take the thumb out. I also gave her things to hold...like at a store, please hold this, hold that....and so on.

We also talked about the "thumbsucking" where I would ask if she wanted to stop, which she did...as she was a bit embarassed. We talked about what she could do instead of sucking her thumb, especially around other kids. Ever hear of going to your happy place? That helped her. I told her not to worry, one day she would stop. As for her teeth, I told her that she ought to rotate thumb sucking spots so her teeth won't spoon out.

About six months later she stopped...at about 8 years old. And no dental problems.

So basically these steps helped us:
I stopped saying anything remotely negative about the thumbsucking process.
I reminded her how much I loved her.
We talked about the current changes in our lives.
Found other things for her to do instead of sucking her thumb.
Let her know she can talk to me about her thumbsucking.
Reminded myself, that it was doubtful that she would go to college with her thumb in her mouth.
In the big scheme of things, thumbsucking is not a big deal (rather have a thumbsucker than a bed-wetter.)
Good luck to you.

Ahhhhh, the thumb sucker!! I was a thumb sucker to. So is my 8 month old son. For me, I stopped on my own when I was around 9. One day.... I just decided to stop. At 6 years old, he old enough for simply just talking about it. All the time. I would do it in a way that just talks about facts. Talk about what you will have to do at the orthodontist... sores he can on his thumb from sucking it.... teeth that are not straight.... It is hard to say what will work and stick with him. I do have to say, sucking a 'finger' is a VERY big comfort, and it isn't as easy to stop as many people think. He WILL stop, it just might be later that you may want......

I sucked my thumb until I was 13 years old. My dentist told my parents NOT to give it any attention... but they did everything you said above. It was always discussed and I didn't quit doing it.
When my daughter started to suck her thumb, we had the same pediatric dentist and this time I followed his advice early on. She has since moved on to other things and stopped sucking her thumb.

The cage/bar was something my parents eventually used with me (22 years ago) it did eventually cause me to quit sucking my thumb but it also scarred my tongue and left me with a permanent speech impediment (slur) that although the Orthodontist said would go away, in 22 years is still there.
Another option is to get him gum or sugar free candies to suck on something to address the oral fixation.

Have you tried the nail polish especially to help stop that? Actually I think it is made to help stop biting nails, that's what I used it for to help stop my son from biting his nails. I know Sally's beauty supply carries it. It tastes really bitter, you paint it on thier nail and if they suck on it it tastes worse than hairspray (if you've ever had the misfortune to taste that). Even if nothing works, it might not sound great to have that cage put on.. but if you can't find a solution, don't worry so much. He has a habit. Breaking a habit is very hard even for adults and can take months. Even with smokers, the nicotine patch doesn't curb the craving to "puff" on the cigarette. My daughter used to suck on everything, fibers, her hair, her pillow, etc. I had to break her of the pacifier once she started chewing it so hard it would break into pieces and was dangerous. Gum helps a lot. If they swallow it it won't hurt. Life savers, sugar free. If they choke, there is a hole in the middle and they won't die. Try replacing that sucking sensation a little at a time with other things and ask him to think up his own rewards, it might motivate him more.

My oldest son sucked his thumb. He did it when he was asleep, so we had no way of stopping it. He had to have the "rake" put in by the orthodontist, but he was older. It is good that you are seeking professional help now because he will do less damage and your orthodontist bill will be much less. There are orthodontists that accept payments, and some dental insurance plans will pay up to a certain amount. Good luck.