Thumb Sucking, How Old is Too Old?
This question pops up all the time. When the children are young they are so adorable when they suck their thumbs. But as they get older we begin to get concerns as parents. Dental issues, peer pressure issues, and poor eating habits possibly? And the real question is, what are the implications if my child doesn’t stop sucking their thumb soon? I know half my kids are thumb suckers and the other half, well.. they suck fingers or fists. Of course I don’t have much concern for my 4 month old gnawing down on her fist as she is now teething.
DrGreene at drgreene.com answers some questions regarding the issue of thumb sucking.
How old is too old?
According to the American Dental Association, thumb sucking does not cause permanent problems with the teeth or jaw line unless it is continued beyond 4 to 5 years of age. As it turns out, somewhere between 85% and 99% of children have finished thumb sucking spontaneously before this period.
Read the full article to see the answers to:
*Which children keep sucking their thumbs?
*When do children suck their thumbs?
*How do you get children to stop?
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POSTED IN: Advice, Parenting, Parenting Studies
1 opinion for Thumb Sucking, How Old is Too Old?
Mike
Jun 5, 2007 at 10:38 am
Our daughter (4 1/2) still does it while reading stories before bed sometimes. Most of the time it is only for a couple minutes so we haven’t bothered to try doing anything about it. It might be interesting to see what happens when the new baby is born in October.
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