Why does a child suck his fist and how to wean him off?

Sucking reflex

By the way, one observant mother noticed an interesting thing. Her son is on a mixed diet - that is, he is fed formula from a bottle along with breast milk. So, the child copes with the bottle much faster than with the mother’s breast, and after that he immediately puts his fist into his mouth. This example is a vivid illustration of the fact that thumb sucking is required by an infant precisely in order to satisfy the sucking reflex. In babies whose mother breastfeeds for a long time (and not according to a regimen, but on demand), such a habit, as a rule, is not observed.

The fact is that for an infant, the concepts of “suck” and “exist” are very close. They suck not only for saturation, but also for development. Studies have shown that when sucking, natural processes that have been established for centuries are launched: nutrients are absorbed, digestion improves, the brain develops, and the child feels psychological comfort.

Age characteristics

Babies under 1 year

If a baby sucks a finger, then this is the influence of a still strong sucking reflex. It manifests itself more significantly than usual during tension and stressful situations. This habit can arise during weaning.

A bad or disturbing dream gives rise to fatigue, which does not go away; in order to somehow help oneself, the child calms himself by sucking. Take a closer look at your baby, check if he sleeps for the hours he is supposed to. Once you establish a daily routine, this habit will disappear on its own.

From 1 year to 3 years

At this age, if a child still puts his finger in his mouth, then we can talk about psychological reasons. Catalysts can be: a tense situation in the house, strict upbringing, lack of tactile contact with parents.

Getting used to the garden is a moment that rarely passes without tears and fears; help your baby adapt gently and painlessly. Before weaning a child at this age from an already bad habit, it is worth getting to the bottom of its origins.

Children 3–5 years old

The first fears appear - the dark, dogs, cartoon characters. A large amount of incoming information can cause emotional overload. Often children are either afraid to tell adults about their experiences, or suffer from something unconsciously.

In these cases, it is worth talking about obsessive behavior, which is expressed in thumb sucking.

Weaning off a bad habit will be difficult; you need to choose gentle methods of struggle.

Over 5 years old

If a five-year-old child is noticed sucking his thumb, then this is a reason to be wary and seek help from professionals. Often in such situations, you can observe hair wrapping around your finger, nail biting, skin scratching, and even an obsessive cough.

All this indicates the presence of neurological or psychological problems (for example, hidden aggression, suppressed emotions of resentment or guilt), which need to be solved as quickly as possible, otherwise they can lead to psychosomatic diseases.

At what age does your child suck his thumb?

From 1 to 3 years 44%, 401 votes
401 votes 44%
401 votes - 44% of all votes
From 3 to 5 years 21%, 187 votes
187 votes 21%
187 votes - 21% of all votes
Over 5 years 19%, 174 votes
174 votes 19%
174 votes - 19% of all votes
Up to 1 year 16%, 146 votes
146 votes 16%
146 votes - 16% of all votes
Read also: Treatment of scoliosis in children and adolescents (all conservative methods and exercises)

Total votes: 908

24.05.2018

You or from your IP have already voted.

What mechanism is responsible for sucking?

Three nerves with very large areas are involved in sucking: the vagus, ternary and nasopharyngeal nerves. No part of the body has such powerful receptors as the mouth. The best thing that nature has come up with for the development of these systems is the mother's breast. That is why it is so important that the baby can receive it at his first request.

Unfortunately, sometimes you have to look for a replacement breast. Of course, a bundle with bread crumb (as in the time of our great-grandmothers) or modern “correct” orthodontic pacifiers are only a pitiful imitation of a mother’s warm breast. But, alas, to some extent they are necessary if your baby is bottle-fed.

Another way to satisfy the sucking reflex, which is literally always at hand, is your own finger. But dentists and speech therapists unanimously claim that sucking a pacifier, and especially a finger, leads to deformation of the palate, the formation of a malocclusion, and poor closure of teeth. In children who suck their fingers, the teeth often grow in a specific way - the upper ones protrude forward, and the lower ones grow slightly back.

What to do? On the one hand, this habit is natural and natural, but on the other hand, it is harmful, and you have to fight it.

Is it harmful?

When a baby sucks his fingers, bacteria from the external environment enter his digestive system. And these bacteria are not always harmless. Some of them can be causative agents of acute intestinal infections. It is clear that when the baby is still in its cradle, the likelihood of such a development of events is small. But the time comes when the little one begins to move independently and actively study the objects around him. That's when it's very undesirable for his little fingers to constantly end up in his mouth. This is unhygienic to say the least.
A child's thumb sucking in infancy does not have much effect on the growth of his teeth. But if the baby does not get rid of this addiction before he reaches the age of 5, this is fraught with the formation of an incorrect bite in the toddler. Often, in such children, the upper front teeth protrude forward, and the lower ones grow a little back.
Among preschoolers and children of primary school age, there are not so many owners of this habit. But those little ones who have not yet managed to get rid of it may experience problems communicating with peers.
The fingers that the baby sucks also have a hard time. Cracks and calluses may appear on them. And it is possible that when experiencing pain, the baby will begin to suck his thumb even more actively in order to calm down.

As your baby grows up, the habit of thumb sucking can cause him to develop an incorrect bite.

Is thumb sucking harmful for a child? From the above we can conclude that, yes, it is certainly harmful.

It is imperative to rid the baby of it. But how? This directly depends on the reasons why the child sucks his thumb and his age.

Why does a child suck his thumb?

There may be several reasons.

Breastfed babies often suck their fingers before or after feeding - in this way they show that they are already hungry or have not yet “pumped.” After all, the baby eats the main portion of milk in the first 5-10 minutes, and the rest of the time they suck just “for pleasure,” squeezing out the milk drop by drop. If your baby puts his fingers in his mouth after breastfeeding, you may be holding him less at the breast than he needs.
The child is teething - and then with special enthusiasm he pulls into his mouth everything that comes to hand.
At an older age, a child may suck his thumb if he lacks parental love and affection.
Sometimes thumb sucking becomes a sedative - this is how the baby instinctively relieves excessive excitement or calms himself before bed.
Your child may simply be bored.

Causes of thumb sucking

With the birth of a baby, his reflexes and instincts are born. Many of them are quite understandable to the mother: she cries - she wants to eat or it’s time to change the diaper, she rubs her eyes - it’s time to sleep. Why does a baby suck his thumb? There are several reasons for this:

Hunger. One of the most obvious and common reasons. How can you show your mom what you want to eat? That's right, put your finger in your mouth, then mom will guess that it's time for a snack. Watch your diet. If you use an adaptive milk formula when feeding, then prepare it according to the instructions, taking into account age-related characteristics, and do not increase the intervals between meals. When breastfeeding, feeding on demand is considered a priority, because breast milk has less calories, and it is impossible to accurately calculate the volume of milk that the baby sucked.
Lack of contact with mother. Many specialists in the field of pediatrics note that up to one year, a child needs 70% of his mother’s love and care and only 30% of toys and educational toys. Sucking at the breast is not only a way to get food, but also calming, a manifestation of feelings, the main sign of the emerging attachment between mother and child.
After 9 months inside, the next 9 months outside are called the “gestation” period, when for the baby there is nothing more reliable and desirable than the mother’s arms and breasts, if this contact is broken for some reason, if the time spent together is negligible, a feeling of discomfort grows - the baby sucks his finger in response to this. This situation can be found in families where it is decided not to accustom the child to handling, so as not to spoil him. Only “smart” adults don’t understand that this is not pampering at all, but a vital necessity - to be caressed, to be sure that you are loved, that you are needed.
Read also: What preventive examinations (and at what age) should your child undergo?
Emotional discomfort, stress. As already mentioned, instincts rule the actions of a newborn. The instinct of self-preservation is the most important. The vision of one- to three-month-old children is blurred; they cannot distinguish faces, but they perfectly recognize voices and smells. If there are often scandals at home, conversations in a raised voice - the child experiences stress, if a stranger takes you in your arms - stress, going to the clinic where you are carefully examined - stress again. Who will come to the rescue and relieve you from worries? Either mom's breast or thumb.
Teething. This is a physiological process accompanied by severe itching and profuse salivation. The baby seems too capricious. He can put everything he can get his hands on in his mouth, suck on toys, corners of blankets, pillows, and the side of the crib. Most often you can find your own fist in your mouth: you definitely can’t lose it and no one can take it away. Help your baby, offer him safe silicone chewers or special cooled rings; they will not only help alleviate suffering, but will also serve as a good toy.

And in this short video, pediatrician Yulia Rogozina will tell you about the main reasons for thumb sucking and ways to get rid of this habit.

How to stop thumb sucking

The “ingenuity” of some parents simply knows no bounds. They:

they smear their children’s fingers with mustard, aloe juice, and cover them with a special bitter varnish;
they tie their hands and bandage their fingers;
They put on (and sometimes sew on a shirt so that it cannot be taken off) woolen mittens.

These are quite cruel methods that cause a lot of suffering to the baby. And, most importantly, they stop working as soon as parents stop repressive measures. And everything returns to normal.

Constant shouts of “take your finger out of your mouth” are also useless - at some point children simply stop reacting to them, this is a kind of protective reaction of the body to a habit that, for one reason or another, is important for the body. Moreover, threats and punishments sometimes lead to the exact opposite result. After all, as we found out, a child often sucks his finger to calm himself down. This means that in a stressful situation for himself (namely, shouts and punishments lead to stress), the baby will strive with redoubled force to somehow calm himself down - with the help of sucking.

Find an alternative

Dr. Komarovsky says that the fight against instincts and reflexes cannot end in victory. If you are going to take a finger from a child, then it is worth offering an alternative option.

Instead of a finger, infants can be offered teethers, rubber toys , and accustom them to a pacifier.
Starting from the age of one, children are well distracted by bright multi-colored toys created from different textures. You can use busy boards, which are now fashionable - playing with them is so exciting that two hands are not enough, and putting a finger in your mouth at this moment is an unaffordable luxury.
Older children who already speak well can be encouraged to express all their dissatisfaction and worries . The “containing” method is good in such cases. Accept your child’s emotions with the phrases: “I understand that you are offended (offended, upset). You wanted to go for a walk (play)"
For children over 5 years old, you can paint your nails and explain that the varnish will crack and fall off if it comes into contact with water. What girl doesn’t want to be beautiful, which means she has to look after herself and her desires. Preserving beautiful fingers is much more pleasant than keeping the same fingers in your mouth.
Dads will come to the boys' aid. Take a grown-up boy to the garage, let him wipe and lubricate the bearings, let him play with pieces of iron to his heart's content , then there will be no time left for his passion.

How to break the habit of thumb sucking

If we are talking about a baby under one year old, try increasing the sucking time. You can simply offer the breast to the baby more often and hold it longer (thirty to forty minutes). It is more difficult with artificial ones - you will have to choose a pacifier from which it will be quite difficult to suck, in this case the baby will need more time to absorb the same portion of the mixture than before. Ideally, this should take about twenty minutes. It may be worth adding another feeding; it will disappear over time.
If your baby is no longer an infant and sucks primarily for self-soothing, find other ways to soothe him. For example, if he is upset, teach him to express his feelings in words, hug him, caress him, read an interesting book together. Sometimes children put their fingers in their mouth in some repetitive situation - for example, while watching TV. In this case, find an adequate replacement - give him a small rubber ball or another toy that can be crushed with your fingers.
It is important to keep your hands busy. Speech therapists and psychologists get tired of repeating the benefits of developing fine motor skills - this is very important for speech development. Let the child tinker with clay, pebbles, sand, assemble a construction set from fairly small parts, put together mosaics or puzzles.
The little fashionista will appreciate her first “real” manicure, just like her mother’s. Perhaps she won’t want to spoil such beauty?
Sometimes a visit to the dentist can help and tell your child about the dangers of thumb sucking. This is a person who is quite authoritative for the baby, and he will confirm that parental demands are not an empty whim.
Focus your child's attention on the fact that once he stops thumb sucking, he will be a full grown adult. This habit is permissible only for the smallest, but for such a respectable young man or adult girl it is simply unacceptable. By the way, most children actually wean themselves from this habit between the ages of two and four years.

Inessa Smyk

As a conclusion

You need to unlearn this bad habit, but if nothing works, then you should stop and take a breath. Thumb sucking is, of course, a worrying sign that requires an adult response. However, it cannot be considered a disaster.

Experts recommend acting consistently and with maximum caution. You cannot force a child; punishment will also not help in the fight against a bad habit.

The choice of the preferred method will depend on several factors, including the age of the child and the cause of the negative addiction. It is better to abandon harsh methods such as smearing mustard on your fingers or tying your hands.

Thus, the process of weaning off the habit of thumb sucking can take a long time. And yet there is no need to despair. The mother needs to gain strength and patience, and the baby will definitely very soon give up the idea of putting his fist in his mouth.

Sources

Chi P., Wang XJ. . // Zhonghua Wei Chang Wai Ke Za Zhi - 2021 - Vol24 - N4 - p.297-300; PMID:33878817
Shih HS., Winstein CJ., Kulig K. Young adults with recurrent low back pain demonstrate altered trunk coordination during gait independent of pain status and attentional demands. // Exp Brain Res - 2021 - Vol - NNULL - p.; PMID:33871659
Carannante F., Bianco G., Lauricella S., Mascianà G., Caricato M., Capolupo GT. TaTME approach as a rescue during a laparoscopic TME for high rectal cancer. A case report. // Int J Surg Case Rep - 2021 - Vol82 - NNULL - p.105870; PMID:33857768
Baek SJ., Piozzi GN., Kim SH. Optimizing outcomes of colorectal cancer surgery with robotic platforms. // Surg Oncol - 2021 - Vol37 - NNULL - p.101559; PMID:33839441
Shimizu J., Iba K., Emori M., Sasaki M., Yamashita T. Reconstruction Using Free Vascularized Fibular Grafts after Wide Resection of Humerus Chondrosarcoma in a Patient with Cleidocranial Dysplasia. // Case Rep Orthop - 2021 - Vol2021 - NNULL - p.2302879; PMID:33747589
Del Gutiérrez Delgado MP., Mera Velasco S., Turiño Luque JD., González Poveda I., Ruiz López M., Santoyo Santoyo J. Outcomes of robotic-assisted vs conventional laparoscopic surgery among patients undergoing resection for rectal cancer: an observational single hospital study of 300 cases. // J Robot Surg - 2021 - Vol - NNULL - p.; PMID:33743145
Flynn J., Larach JT., Kong JCH., Warrier SK., Heriot A. Robotic versus laparoscopic ventral mesh rectopexy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. // Int J Colorectal Dis - 2021 - Vol - NNULL - p.; PMID:33718972
Ziati J., Souadka A., Benkabbou A., Boutayeb S., Ahmadi B., Amrani L., Mohsine R., Anass Majbar M. Transanal total mesorectal excision for patients with rectal cancer: a Systematic review and meta-analysis. // Gulf J Oncolog - 2021 - Vol1 - N35 - p.66-76; PMID:33716215
Nasir I., Mureb A., Aliozo CC., Abunada MH., Parvaiz A. State of the art in robotic rectal surgery: marginal gains worth the pain? // Updates Surg - 2021 - Vol - NNULL - p.; PMID:33675509
Jayasimha S., Nagasubramanian S., Jayanth E ST., Muthukrishna Pandian R., J C., Kumar S. Management of proximal migration of double-J stents after Anderson-Hynes pyeloplasty in children. // J Pediatr Urol - 2021 - Vol - NNULL - p.; PMID:33622628

Prevention

Breastfeeding on demand is the best prevention for thumb sucking. It not only satisfies the sucking reflex, but also helps bring mother and child closer together, establishes close physical contact, and prevents the emergence of fears and anxiety.
When bottle-feeding, choose a good, high-quality pacifier for your baby . Remember that the size of the pacifier depends on the age of the child. An incorrectly selected pacifier can cause a malocclusion.
Give your baby some beautiful teethers , then the teething process will be easier.
The development of fine motor skills has a beneficial effect on mental abilities, harmonious physical development, and speech development. And most importantly, he keeps his hands busy with useful and interesting things: assembling construction sets, putting together puzzles, playing in the sandbox.