Thumb sucking

Hi Sanju. Children resort to thumb sucking because they find it soothing. The habit usually disappears between 3-4 years, but if your child is still doing it, it may be a way for her to feel better in a stressful or anxious situation. Or could be that it has become such a habit for her, she does not even realize anymore that she is doing it. Thumb sucking at this age can affect the roof of the mouth and the alignment of her front teeth. I can suggest the following : 1. Do not pressurize her to break the habit or embarrass her in front of others by talking about it. 2. Try and find a connection, if she starts sucking her thumb in a particular situation that may be stressing her out / making her feel insecure. 3. Team up with her and together set rewards for no 'thumb sucking' days. Appreciate and reward as you find suitable. If you catch her doing it, remind her lovingly - its a 'no thumb sucking day'. 4. For night time, you may want to cover her hand with a glove / her favorite hand puppet. Involve her in solving the problem. Hope this helps. All the best.

Hi Sanju. Great tips suggested by Neena here! I would like to add another thing- You could try to be creative and bring up her favourite character or toy, for example, Cinderella, Snow White or a Barbie and ask her if they suck their thumbs! Let her picture it in her head and try and talk to her about how to consciously make an effort to stop. A 5 year old understands more than we think they do. Good luck and keep praising her when you notice that she is not sucking her thumb.