Health Risks Posed by Thumb Sucking

Health Risks Posed by Thumb Sucking

Studies confirm that on an average, seven in every ten children tend to develop the habit of thumb sucking, and a good portion of them start as early as when they are inside their mothers’ wombs. Typically, thumb sucking in children is a natural reflex that is not at all uncommon, and which is merely a sign that they are either unsettled or physically exhausted. As harmless as it may seem and as much as you may want to take pictures and videos of your little champs sucking on their cute little thumbs, the habit should be continuously monitored and put a stop to as early in their childhood as possible.

Why must I discourage thumb-sucking?
For a first, when children bite on dolls and chew on things, they gradually learn about their mouth, and this process is associated with speech learning and development of hand-eye coordination. But thumb-sucking does not play any crucial role in this learning process. As mentioned earlier, it is simply a gesture denoting that the kids are either exhausted or unsettled.

Thumb sucking poses many health risks; and parents often complain about their kids falling ill on an unusually frequent basis. Hard surfaces like bedside tables, cell-phones, computers, door handles and knobs etc are platforms for breeding countless bacteria, where many viruses are known to survive for long periods. Thumb sucking kids, especially those who still crawl, tend to touch things and later suck their thumbs, with no awareness of hygiene and the threats of infection posed.

Moreover, if kids’ teeth are soft at their initial stages of growth, and frequent and prolonged thumb-sucking results in misalignment of the upper and lower front rows of teeth. Over time, the upper lip shapes over the pushed-out teeth, resulting in irreversible changes in facial features.

How can I stop my child from sucking thumbs?
There are many thumb-sucking remedies for children, such as silicone nipples, finger cloaks like T-Guard, and bitter tasting lotions that can be applied to their hands. Common challenges of portability and effectiveness are posed, though. To put in simple words, a silicone nipple might not always be lying nearby, but a thumb sure does all the time. Mavala Stop is another remedy which has to be applied to the hands and will produce an unpleasant taste when it meets the tongue. But such remedies are likely to interfere with the kids’ food habits as they can feel the bitter taste of the lotion while eating dry foods using their hands.

You can also stop thumb-sucking with Kids HandAid, a type of thumb guard that covers the thumb with a behavioral aversion strip and interferes with the habit. Simply apply it to your kids’ thumbs and instruct them never to remove it until they are told so. This remedy don’t restrict finger movements and does not affect the taste of foods, as they can be conveniently removed while eating and then put back on later.