Thumb Shaped Teeth at 18 months!

I always thought I would be waiting until 4 or 5, but after her 3 and a half year old dental check Aurelia was really interested in stopping sucking.

“My daughter, Aurelia, sucked her thumb from 10 weeks old. Even at her first dental check, at 18 months, her “thumb-shaped teeth” were pointed out to me. However, I wanted to wait to broach the subject of stopping thumb sucking until Aurelia was a little bit older and I felt that thumb sucking for comfort was behind us.

Aurelia was beginning to suck her thumb from boredom too, particularly in the car.  We managed to stop her thumb sucking then by encouraging her to play with few toys, which worked well.

I always thought I would be waiting until Aurelia was 4 or 5 and thinking about starting school, but after her 3 and a half year old dental check, when the dentist suggested a rigidity plastic thumb guard that held the thumb out at an angle as well, she became really interested in stopping sucking.

We began to sow the seeds of needing to stop sucking and gave her options such as the Thumbsie® or a gloved long-sleeved top. Once she chose the Thumbsie® we couldn’t order one fast enough! Though choosing just three prints was a challenge, there was such a lot of lovely fabrics! As soon as they arrived, we cracked out the Thumbsie® book, ‘Thumbs Up for Ted’s Thumbsie’ and read it several times which really helped to introduce the way that the Thumbsie® would work….and of course showed how a child gave up easily. Then a couple of nights later the Thumbsie® went on.

I had expected quite a protracted period of difficulty, resistance and long nights. The first night of learning a new way to fall asleep of course wasn’t easy, and took 1 hour 45 minutes, with a little protestation about the Thumbsie®, but Aurelia kept it on. We had one wake-up in the night and then on to night two. I was pleasantly surprised that she fell asleep after only 35 minutes, again with one wake-up. Night three I was utterly amazed – not only did Aurelia fall asleep in about 10 minutes, she had no upset or wake-ups!

Since then she has been sleeping through and falling asleep without concern for her thumb. It took a couple of weeks for her to sleep in as normal in the mornings. I am extremely pleased with our purchase, both the Thumbsies® and the book. The Thumbies® are well made and comfortable, with delightful prints, and have helped our daughter stop sucking her thumb gently, much preferable to the rigid plastic splint recommended by the dentist.”

Mum to Aurelia