Parents may find thumb sucking just a normal thing for their babies to do. However, it can become a habit until their babies grow as children and this can become difficult to overcome later. Parents may prevent this from becoming a habit by understanding more how they can deal with it. Babies thumb suck because they need to be comforted or they may just be hungry. They may also do this because they are trying to explore their physical body. Parents are advised not to pull their babies’ thumb right out of their mouths if they see them doing it. They may only be encouraging their babies to develop the habit instead.
Most babies are able to stop their thumb sucking problem by the time they reach the ages of 3-6. Parents though have to understand that their babies may just be not getting enough fill when they are breast fed or bottle fed so they suck on their thumbs by instinct. Mothers have to see to it that they feed their babies at regular intervals like every three hours so that their babies’ hunger needs are met as this would prevent them from turning to thumb sucking. Babies may start sucking their thumbs even before they are born but parents can help their babies stop it from developing into a habit.
Experts say that most breast fed babies are usually more satisfied during their feeding time and as such, they do not usually tend to resort to thumb sucking. Mothers who bottle feed their babies on the other hand will have to see to that their babies are able to finish their bottles for about 20 minutes. They have to check that the nipples do not have too large or too small holes and they also have to replace the nipple with new ones from time to time. There are also times when the feeding time is not the problem as thumb sucking can also be observed when teeth start to come out. Mothers who are aware of this will understand that the thumb sucking is a way for their babies to relieve the pain and the discomforts that are brought about by teething.
Parents can help their babies by providing the love and the care that they need. They do not have to make their babies feel very conscious about the thumb sucking problem. Babies may be given toys to play with so that they get distracted and for them to refrain from developing the habit. Parents have to remember that corrective measures are most of the times not the best ways to stop the problem. They may instead encourage their babies to stop sucking their thumbs without threatening them in any way.
