What are your opinions on children sucking their thumbs?

Thank you for your reply. I agree with you, I think that there should be a sort of cut off age.

My brother sucked his thumb until he was 16 years old. It was a big habit for him, but it didn’t really affect his teeth. I don’t think there is anything wrong with it, as it’s a natural reflex for younger children, and sometimes they just continue to do it while growing. Everyone eventually gets over it.

I’ve seen older people doing it too, and not all had teeth complications, so I was wondering why only some people are effected negatively by it. Thank you for your reply though, it’s nice to see what everyone here thinks about it.

I think it’s normal for a child to suck their thumbs for a little while, after their pacifiers have been taken away. However, a child should not suck on their thumb past the age of 2 or 3 in my opinion. Just as they should not have a pacifier or bottle past a certain age.

If a child is still sucking their thumb, using a pacifier, or bottle when they are well past the age where they should have been weened of of it, or had the pacifiers and bottles taken away… I personally believe it is the parents fault, not the child’s. The parents are responsible for taking them away once they no longer should have them, and they are responsible for letting the child know they can’t do that particular thing anymore.

Parents who allow their child to continue sucking their thumbs, pacifier, or using a bottle past a certain age are lazy, and irresponsible in my opinion. They are too lazy to put any effort towards trying to ween them off of certain things, or they just allow them to do it because they don’t want to deal with the tantrums and crying.

I do believe that sucking their thumb, pacifier, or using a bottle for several years can have a negative effect on the child’s teeth. It can lead to crooked teeth, buck teeth, etc…

Well it is a normal thing but like after a while it should be put to a stop.

Well, my mom allows my sister to because my mom herself did it til she was 13, so it’s not that she’s lazy, it’s more that she’s got a mind set that says that it’s not a big deal because it’s just a comfort. I appreciate your opinion though

Well, according to Freud, there are certain stages of development that every person has to go through to reach adulthood successfully. The first of those stages is the oral stage, when all of the child’s pleasure comes from their mouth in some way, when they’re eating, sucking on something, or biting something as their teeth come in. This is also the stage where the kids take to sucking on their thumbs. But, here’s the kicker…the oral stage typically should only last about a year and a half. A bit of extra information: http://funadvice.com/r/14qjhbids1l If you scroll down a little, although you could go look yourself, there’s this: “Too much or too little gratification can result in an Oral Fixation or Oral Personality which is evidenced by a preoccupation with oral activities. This type of personality may have a stronger tendency to smoke, drink alcohol, over eat, or bite his or her nails. Personality wise, these individuals may become overly dependent upon others, gullible, and perpetual followers. On the other hand, they may also fight these urges and develop pessimism and aggression toward others.”

Hmm, well I appreciate your reply. I don’t really agree with a lot of the beliefs as Freud myself, but it is very interesting.

Children sucking their thumbs, Teenagers playing with their crotch………there is an age for everything. Cutting habits out is a good practice and there should be done at every opportunity from an early age.

I’m turning 17 in two months and I still suck my thumb. Regularly. I think I always will. I don’t really see the problem. It makes me feel safe and comfortable - no harm done.

i was a thumb sucker an and now i have a gap in my front 2 teeth an dhave to wear braces :\ if children want to do it tho try and stop it slowly an dfind a substitute for it (not food tho)