According to many surveys, up to age 4, your child can safely suck on their thumb or pacifier without damaging their teeth or jaw.
But you want to help your child stop thumb sucking if their permanent tooth grows by age 6 or 7, or there may be a bite. You can also look for the best ways to stop thumb sucking through various online sources.
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Another reason to stop thumb sucking is that our baby will start school when she is around 5 or 6 years old. Children who suck their thumbs are often teased by their peers.
It is important to remember that thumb sucking is normal at this age unless your baby is thumb-sucking too much or starting to suckle because they are extremely anxious or stressed out.
Forcing your child not to suck his thumb too quickly can do more harm than good by breaking the habit they use to entertain themselves.
How can you help your child stop sucking their thumb?
First, talk to your baby about the need to stop thumb sucking. Turn it on by asking his opinion on why he did it and how to stop it. This strategy can also help.
Tell your baby to stop breastfeeding throughout the day. Thumb sucking during sleep and at night is usually accidental. Once you have controlled daytime sucking, you can start to work on nighttime sucking.
Find a "helper" to remind your baby not to suckle. It can be anything from a bandage on their thumb or a cute sticker on its miniature to colored gloves without gloves, or even baseball gloves.