Parenting after 35
RP: Help..DD is starting to Suck her Tumb :-(
DD is 3 months old and has never taken a pacifier. She always spits it out or gags on it. She absolutely hates it! This past week she has discovered sucking her thumb. We're not thrilled about this for obvious reasons(crooked teeth, etc).
Did anyone else's LO do this and were you able to break the habit right away? We would prefer DD to take the pacifier vs the thumb b/c at least we can always take away the paci later on but we can't ever get rid of the thumb. Any suggestions on getting DD to take the paci instead? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
TIA
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Re: RP: Help..DD is starting to Suck her Tumb :-(
I don't know what to say... because I was a thumbsucker and sucked far too long. But, again, sucking is self soothing... so it's a toughie.
I'm inclined to say let her suck for now, since she's so little. But find a way to break the habit later. Though perhaps ask your pediatrician for advice, too.
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I tend to agree with PP. Its part of self soothing which is a wonderful step towards confidence and independence. Ditto that it doesn't fall, get lost or roll under the couch and get dog hair on it..::cough cough uh hummm:: not that I speak from experience on that last one. Maddie does both, so even if you get your LO to take the paci, it doesn't mean it'll will replace the thumb.
Anything your baby learns to do that allows her to soothe herself is a positive, in my opinion. I think the thumb is way better than a paci because it won't get lost, dirty, fall out in the middle of the night, et cetera. Having to keep up with a paci can get old really quickly.
Your daughter is still a very young baby and it's tough to tell right now if she'll turn thumb-sucking into a longer-term habit. Even if it lasts into toddlerhood, it's not necessarily a bad thing. Little ones that can self-soothe are fabulous! They can put themselves to sleep, comfort themselves in a carseat when you're driving down the road, et cetera, et cetera. The benefits are endless. These are just my immediate thoughts after having gotten two children through infancy.