Thumb-sucking after five? Better watch out

Bengaluru: Thumb-sucking is causing concern among parents whose children are not letting go of the habit even after crossing the normal age limit. All parents, however, don’t take it as seriously as they should.  “She has still not stopped her habit of thumb-sucking,” laughs off  Vidhya, mother of an eight-year-old who is surprised but not really upset that her daughter continues to sucking her  thumb.

According to health experts, it is normal for a child to suck his or her thumb in the early years, but as the child gets older this practice can be a sign of budding  psychological problems and that’s when timely intervention becomes necessary.

“Thumb-sucking is a common childhood activity that is estimated to occur in 80 per cent of infants and children. As they grow older, it is considered one of the  neurotic traits and a sign of some psychological disturbance that a child might be facing,” informs Dr H Chandrashekar, Professor and HOD, Department Of Psychiatry, Victoria Hospital. He adds, “That’s why timely intervention is a must.”

Explains Dr Vishwanath Veeranna, Director-in charge, Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health (IGICH): “Thumb- sucking can be the result of hunger, boredom, nervousness or tiredness. Most children stop sucking their thumbs between the ages of 3 and 6. It is certainly an issue and the child might have undergone a certain situation or a problem where the child had to take recourse to thumb-sucking and found comfort in it. Then he attached that feeling of comfort to the habit of  thumb-sucking. If the practice persists after 5 years, parents should take notice.”

Another point raised by experts is the issue of self-esteem. “For these children, thumb-sucking is often an ingrained response to stressful situations. The behavior begins to become a concern in pre-school when thumb-sucking can have a negative impact on a child’s tooth structure,” says Dr Chandrashekhar. He adds, “Parental counselling is very important in such cases.”

But parents can take heart. It is not a losing battle. “Punishments do not help. Other techniques should be used to break this habit. Positive reinforcement goes a long way in stopping children from thumb-sucking. Parents can turn their efforts into a game in which their child earns a prize in exchange for refraining from thumb-sucking. Also, check to see if other distractions like a teddy or a toy can be used to replace the thumb,” says Dr Veeranna.