Taking to the thumb...

jmo866

So DS has a night time paci habit that we are dealing with, but I will save you the long, drawn out sleep training story, which has nothing to do with my question... Over the past few days, since I have started to sleep train away the paci, he has just started to really go to town on his thumb during the day, all of the sudden. However, he is not using it at night from what I can tell (I watch him on video). If your LO sucks their thumb, was it a gradual thing, or did they immediately use it to comfort for sleep? I am just wondering if he will ever put 2 + 2 together and realize it's just as good as that darn paci. TIA!!

 

DHYGchica3

I guess I'm a little confused. Are you encouraging the thumb sucking?

As for that, I'm just going to say that while him using his thumb to soothe may seem like a simpler solution, it's harder down the road to brake the habit. DS would be a thumb sucker, but I retrained him to take a paci instead, typical paci use ends around 2 yrs, where as kids who thumb suck can go on until 5-6 years.

 

jmo866

DHYGchica3:

I guess I'm a little confused. Are you encouraging the thumb sucking?

As for that, I'm just going to say that while him using his thumb to soothe may seem like a simpler solution, it's harder down the road to brake the habit. DS would be a thumb sucker, but I retrained him to take a paci instead, typical paci use ends around 2 yrs, where as kids who thumb suck can go on until 5-6 years.

 

Not encouraging or discouraging really, but I'll give some back story... I didn't want to go through the whole explanation of his paci issue and sleep training (for all of your sakes lol), but he was waking just to be paci popped multiple times a night, not hungry, and it's really just a sleep association for him. So, we did one night of CIO, and he is doing much better, but still wakes a couple of times, wimpering a bit or fussing, and I know he wants it. So I don't love the idea of a thumb sucker, because I totally agree, the paci is a million times easier to deal with down the road-- I can't cut his thumb off, but I am just tired, so if it helps him sleep, so be it. 

ETA: I have read Ferber.

DHYGchica3

Ahhh... so maybe I'd do a paci during the day when he tries to suck his thumb then skip it at night. If he isn't sucking his thumb at night he probably won't.

jmo866

DHYGchica3:

Ahhh... so maybe I'd do a paci during the day when he tries to suck his thumb then skip it at night. If he isn't sucking his thumb at night he probably won't.

Makes sense... I just hope he gets over missing his paci at night with time!

It just seemed so ironic that all of the sudden he just started going to town on the thumb like a pro, literally the day after we did the CIO. We do give the paci in the day if we are in the car, restaurant etc. but he usually had no care for it while playing. Then the other day, he just started playing with his exersaucer with one arm and sucking his thumb on the other! lol... he is a great multi-tasker!