You might think that thumb sucking is harmless. It’s just habit kids develop and eventually stops. While that is sometimes true, when a child has a prolonged thumb sucking habit it can result in some destructive consequences. These consequences include everything from the physical to the social to the emotional. Depending on the child and their development, the habit can harm their growth and ability to cope with their emotions and get through life. Below is how and why you should stop your child’s thumb sucking habit.

Physical Effects

One of the most obvious reasons for stopping your child’s thumb sucking habit is that it causes physical results that can be quite negative. Not only can it cause an open bite or an overbite, thumb sucking leads to the development of a speech impediment and skin irritation. When the teeth are misaligned, it can require professional orthodontic treatment. This occurs most commonly in the top row, creating an overbite. But it can also occur on the bottom row as well. Since the habit impacts the mouth, teeth, and jaw, it can lead to the development of a lisp or the inability to pronounce specific consonant sounds. Finally, moisture from the mouth can cause a skin rash, irritation, ingrown nails, peeling, bleeding, and cracking.

Emotional Effects

Beyond the physical consequences, the habit of sucking thumbs can stunt the child’s emotional depth and ability to cope with life. Thumb sucking begins as a way for the child to comfort themselves and deal with emotions they don’t understand. If the kid continues to suck their thumbs past a certain age, they may not develop the mechanisms necessary to cope with life and their emotions as they get older. This can also lead to other negative habits. It is very crucial to stop this habit so the child has a chance to cope in healthier, more productive ways. Furthermore, the child who continues thumb sucking may have trouble expressing themselves, which can lead to social problems.

Social Effects

When your child has a hard time expressing themselves, it can lead to social issues that make it difficult for them to make friends and have a higher sense of self-esteem. Not only does it make children difficult to communicate, thumb sucking is often the focus of ridicule from their peers. They may be made fun of and maligned. The child might withdraw into themselves and become socially anxious. There are a wide variety of social issues that can result from thumb sucking, which make it all the more enticing to comfort themselves in those difficult moments.

Methods to Stop Thumb Sucking

Luckily there are many methods to help your child stop the bad habit of thumb sucking. First, you can buy them a finger sucking guard. This guard wraps around the wrist and covers the thumb, making it difficult and not as satisfying. Since they won’t get the comfort they are typically used to, they will stop sucking their thumbs over time. A similar product is called a thumbsie, which is the cloth alternative to the thumb sucking guard’s plastic. If the thumbsie doesn’t work, try the thumb guard.

There is even a special nail polish for thumb sucking. This bitter-tasting polish is repugnant to children. Simply apply the polish to your child’s nails and they will hate the taste when they begin sucking their thumbs. They’ll stop because it tastes so bad.

Furthermore, if you have tried thumb guards and nail polish for thumb sucking, you should think about taking your kid to a child psychologist. Thumb sucking may be the result of stunted growth or a symptom of it. They will also evaluate the child and give you some tips on how to help them stop that are based on your child’s idiosyncrasies. It might provide some insight into what’s going on with them.

Thumb sucking is harmless at first, but then it quickly becomes a problem in the future. While your child may use it to cope and comfort themselves when they are young, if they keep doing it you should do your best to get them to stop. Talk with them. Tell them why it is bad. Use the methods above that will discourage them if they don’t stop on their own and, finally, take them to a specialist if they still don’t stop.