Is It Normal For My Child to Suck His/Her Thumb Or Use a Pacifier?

Sucking is a natural reflex and infants and young children may use thumb, fingers, pacifiers, and other objects on which to suck. Around age 3 is the time to take note, and gently encourage your child to stop the habit. Thumb/pacifier sucking that continues beyond age 3 may cause problems with proper growth of the mouth and tooth alignment.

Here are some helpful tips for getting your child through thumb/pacifier sucking:

• Wait until the time is right (low stress) 
• Use positive reinforcement by praising your child when he/she is not sucking 
• Use a reward system 
• Some suggest a pacifier habit is easier to break than a thumb habit, because you can throw away a pacifier. 
• One helpful trick to wean your child off a pacifier is to progressively cut off a small piece of the tip each week until, eventually, the entire nipple is gone. If the child has multiple pacifiers, do this on all of them, and do not replace any lost pacifiers. 
• If your child has a thumb or finger habit, try placing a sock over their hand at night, or using tape on the fingers they suck to remind them to stop.
• Ask your child’s pediatric dentist to speak to your child about stopping the habit, and what could happen to their teeth if they continue.
• Ask your child’s pediatric dentist for other tips on helping your child stop their habit.