When should I be concerned about sucking?

Answer: when it’s a problem.

The good news is that if your baby or little toddler is sucking, it is a really NORMAL part of their development. Your little one is making sense of their world by putting their fingers/thumbs (& lots of other things) inside the mouth as a part of their exploration.

However, sucking thumbs and fingers can become part of a pleasure-reward feedback loop and be much harder to stop.

If your child hasn’t stopped sucking naturally by 3 years old… it can start to have some consequences.

- Dental alignment issues: crooked teeth, ‘bucky’ top teeth and front teeth that don’t meet each other (anterior open bite).

- Social concerns: some children will find it embarrassing as they start school to be sucking and this will prompt them to want to stop.

- Shame: if there has been a lot of negative reinforcement or shame around the sucking habit, kids can start to become guilty about their sucking which only increases the habit.

The most important part in a successful sucking habit program is that the child WANTS to stop. A child who is ready and just needs the tools to stop the habit is ALWAYS successful.

Let me help your child today!

x R.