Limit thumb sucking initially to bedtime or naptime.Provide comfort to your child if thumb sucking happens when he or she is anxious.
As a parent, you may need to begin to regulate and intervene if thumb sucking starts to become a bigger problem for your child. It may also affect your child’s speech after that, by causing a lisp or other speech impediments. According to the American Dental Association, if thumb sucking continues as adult teeth come in, this can lead to problems involving improper alignment of teeth and growth of the jaw, gums, and roof of the mouth. Most children stop thumb sucking between the ages of two and three years. If you have a young child whose adult teeth are starting to come in, that’s when thumb sucking can start to be a problem. Problems can occur of kids continue the habit when their baby teeth begin to fall out, around six years of age. Thumb sucking is not a problem among infants because they generally do it to sooth and comfort themselves. For infants who are still growing their baby teeth, thumb sucking can help with stimulating growth and development of their baby teeth. You shouldn’t be concerned if your baby regularly sucks his or her thumb. It’s normal for infants to explore the function of their mouths by putting objects like their thumbs inside it. Matthew Pierce and Owais Sultan and our team want you to understand the potential issues that can surface down the road if the habit isn’t broken early on. It’s common for children to suck their thumb at a young age.