Chronicles of Chaos

June 13, 2007 | Print

Thumbsucking

There’s a lot of talk about thumb sucking versus pacifiers.

My sense was always that thumbs are better because they’re more natural, the child’s choice (rather than us putting something in their mouths) and all the rest of it.

I also remember debating (and sort of stressing) about transitioning the pacifier out of Amelia’s life, thumbs seemed less complicated.

But thumbs do have a pretty significant drawback–there’s no getting rid of them. Which when you’ve got a five month old who wakes in the middle of the night and doesn’t go back to sleep until you place in her hand one of the six pacifiers you’ve distributed in her bed, seems like a good thing.

When you have a preschooler whose mouth and chin you notice shifting in the shape of a thumb, you kinda change your mind. If only it were as easy as tossing those pacifiers in the trash.

The good news, I think, is the transition is possible and not that distressing, and easy to model on potty learning. Look for the opening and support your child in walking through it.

Also, there’s help. An osteopath told me about myofacial orologists. They’re easier to find in cities, and some will consult over the phone. There are a lot of them around, so it’s possible to find one who shares similar sensibilities.

The idea is giving up the habit is the child’s choice. We can’t make them stop (in the vein of despite all desires and efforts not being able to make a child sleep), but we can encourage and support them to give it up with positive reinforcement, a few tongue clicking techniques, and lots of patience.

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