Chlidrens Habits From Infancy

One of  the habits that I have come to appreciate is the thumb-sucking that babies do from the moment they are born.  It is a soothing for babies and keeps them calm.  This is no different than a child who cannot get rid of a baby blanket, or refuse to get it washed because of its smell.

According to Wikepdia:
"Thumb sucking is a behavior found in humans, chimpanzees, captive Ring-tailed Lemurs,^[1] and other primates.^[2] It usually involves placing the thumb into the mouth and rhythmically repeating sucking contact for a prolonged duration. It can also be accomplished with any piece of skin within reach (such as the big toe) and is considered to be soothing and therapeutic for the person. As a child develops the habit, it will usually develop a "favorite" finger to suck on."

The other day, I saw a 10 year old child suck his thumb while he listened to music. But this is a 10 year old.  How do we get children to stop sucking their thumbs after it has become an ingrained habit?

Well, I have come to learn that kids actually have control of their own thumbs.It is important to create a way where the child stops on his or her own such as him or her when the thumb sucking is going on.   For example, you can make kids hand you something you need, or tell them to play a game without actually telling them that your aim is to specifically distract them from the thumb sucking.  As to a child's point of view, making them notice will only appear like nagging. It is also okay to have other people like a doctor or a teacher comment on the thumb sucking to make a child aware that he is too old for thumb sucking.  The comment to the child when this is addressed must not sound negative, but rather a positive approach is preferred.

For those mothers who worry about thumb sucking, try theses methods and see if they work.  Feel free to comment on this article as to your experience with your little ones.