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It is well known that many infants and young children calm themselves by sucking their thumbs. While most children will stop on their own, some children continue with thumb sucking past the age of 4 or 5.
We all know that it is very common for infants and very young children to calm themselves by sucking their thumbs, this is normal and will usually happen in smaller children. However, it is not normal for kids to continue doing this as they grow older.
Most children wil usually stop on their own, though in some cases children will continue thumb sucking even past the ages of four or five. While thumb sucking may seem alright, it can cause some problems and so it's important for kids not to suck their thumbs.
If you child is sucking their thumb past the age of four or five, how can you teach them to stop doing it?
Let's take a look at what you'll need to know as a parent about why kids suck their thumbs and how to stop it.
Is thumb-sucking normal?
Thumb sucking is normal in babies and young children and very common as well. A natural sucking instinct leads some babies to suck their thumbs during their first few months of life. Some doctors claim babies suck their thumbs even before birth. Babies may also suck on their fingers, hands, or items such as pacifiers or anything similar.
Why do babies suck their thumbs?
Babies have a natural urge to suck that usually decreases after the age of 6 months. However, many babies continue to suck their thumbs to soothe themselves much longer. Eventually, thumb sucking can become a habit in babies and young children who use it to comfort themselves. Most common, they are sucking thumb when they feel hungry, afraid, restless, quiet, sleepy, or bored. The fact is that about 70% to 90% of infants suck their thumbs. Most of these children gradually stop on their own between ages three and six, but if that does not happen, it became habit disorder.
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