# When do babies find their thumbs?



## Wackadoo (Jun 12, 2003)

My six-week-old would be SO much happier if she could find her thumb! She got it once a few days ago, but hasn't been able to find it again. I honestly can't spend hours with my pinky in her mouth; she doesn't want the milk that comes along with sucking on me and ends up spitting up; I even tried 2 different pacifiers just to give us both some relief. So, thos of you who have thumb/finger suckers - when did your kid get it figured out?

Thanks!


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## paquerette (Oct 16, 2004)

It should be soon, I think. I think it was somewhere around 2 mo here. Have you tried getting her thumb into her mouth for her? That might work for a little while once she gets started.


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## the_lissa (Oct 30, 2004)

3 months or so.


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## MamaSpruce (Aug 10, 2004)

Mine just found his recently, at almost 10 weeks. He still doesn't find it every time but he seems very entertained slobbering all over his fist, likely thinking "I know its here somewhere". We certainly are--sooo cute...


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## AmandaBL (Aug 3, 2004)

You may find that your milk supply will become a bit more regulated & she may be able to comfort nurs a bit better (that could be helpfull if she's just not a thumb sucker) I have tons of milk this time around & think that has played into my sons thumb sucking. He started at about 1 3/4 months. Recently my milk suppy has really evened out & he nurses a lot - for comfort too, without being flooded with milk







Good luck...


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## AngelBee (Sep 8, 2004)

My daughter sucked her thumb from birth to age two.....almost straight!









She also nursed every hour to hour and a half and feed for 30mins at a time.


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## kavamamakava (Aug 25, 2004)

I was going to be a smarty pants and say "In the womb."
Amelie is a big time thumb sucker. She started sucking it regularly around six weeks. She won't let me stuff it in there.


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## faythe (Oct 2, 2003)

dd2 at 13 weeks (but she was a 34-weeker)
dd4 at 6 weeks

Funny, dd3 was the only one we saw sucking her thumb on ultrasound, but she never did once she was born.


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## scheelimama (Aug 2, 2003)

My first started really sucking her thumb at 2 mo. She also started sleeping through the night once she started sucking her thumb! My second one was one that liked to suck on my finger all the time. She didn't seem to like a pacifier and around 2-3 months she found her thumb a few times, but she never seemed to like it. However, we kept offering a pacifier, during those sleepy times when she wanted to suck, but didn't want the milk that came along with me, and eventually around 2.5 to 3 months she became very attached to her binky. Now, at almost 7 mo. she has to have her binky to fall asleep. She never did get her thumb.


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## AugustineM (Mar 21, 2005)

My baby has never sucked his thumb! I have wished he would many times but I don't think I've ever seen him do it....


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## justmama (Dec 24, 2002)

dd1 never sucked her thumb. dd2 found her fist(fist sucker, not thumb) at probably about 3 1/2months I think. Maybe closer to 3months? She's a 34weeker though. So things are usualy going closer to her adjusted age. I think before 2 months they have a hard time getting their arms to stop waving around even if they GET the thumb in there. My dd would try for the fist but get it but she couldn't keep it until about 3-3 1/2months old. Now it goes in and out all day long depending on wht she wants. At nearly 5 months old she's a convicted fist sucker!
Meg


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## LEAW (Aug 5, 2004)

DD is 4 mos, and is just starting to get the thumb in on a regular basis. But not for comfort yet, she keeps pulling it out and getting frustrated. Same with the fingers, and she's a sucky kid, so she does lots of extra comfort nursing and we give her a paci in the car and when she's frustrated with the milk and ends up puking back her meal because she wants to suck suck suck!


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## mamabohl (May 21, 2005)

um, my babies never found their thumb, so don't expect it! My older ds did eventually start sucking on the back of his hand...but I think that didn't happen until he was 9 months old and went on a nursing strike...I had never heard of such a thing and thought he was weaning.





















My other ds is 7 months old and he only sucks on the boob.


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## sbgquilt (Jan 7, 2005)

My dd found it once so far about two weeks ago which was when she was 3 weeks old. Hasn't found it again. Once found two fingers, but that was only once. I hope she finds it soon.


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## lisahas2cats (May 4, 2004)

I kept trying to help DD "find" her thumb when she would obviously be looking for something, and all I would do is annoy her. When she was about 2 months old, she found her two middle fingers and was quite pleased with herself







Maybe that's why she would get so annoyed when I kept trying to "help" her find her little thumb...LOL


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## BlueStateMama (Apr 12, 2004)

I think it was around 3 mos for DS. I'm anxiously awaiting that time for DD (another mama who spends her day with a pinky in her baby's mouth!!







) She nurses pretty much every 45-1 hour (whenever she starts turning toward my breasts and nuzzling) but she'll spit up if I comfort nurse her too much in the evenings (she's a hefty little amiga...no worries about her getting enough mama milk!!







)


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## kamesennin (Jan 3, 2005)

Around 7 weeks here....dd won't comfort nurse AT ALL--gets very angry if I try to give her the boob. Maybe it's because I have such a strong letdown and gets pissed at all the milk. She still sucks on 4 of her fingers at once, though.

When she finally finds her thumb, don't forget to write it in her baby book!


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## Wackadoo (Jun 12, 2003)

Thanks so much for sharing all your stories! It sounds like we're just heading into the finding-her-thing-to-suck phase, which is great. My elder daughter found her thumb one time, at right about 6 weeks but then had no interest - just wanted the pinky or me! Bah! This one just _seems_ like she's going to be more interested in some part of her hand. It's funny to hear the similarities with other moms & babes - pissed off at the milk; pissed off at offers to help; and (my personal favorite) just generally pissed off! Hahaha.

I'll be sure to post back if she has success!


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## shannon0218 (Oct 10, 2003)

hehe, Molly only can find her thumb when she has a pacifier in--we use the rubber ones from the hospital so it has opening at the nipple, she sucks on her thumb while it's stuck in the nipple of the paci--guess she doesn't want to gob on her thumb.


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## pixiexto (Mar 6, 2003)

Our first DD never did! Our second found hers almost right out of the womb. I guess, like all things, it just depends on the baby


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## threeforme2005 (Sep 12, 2004)

I'm actually kind of freaked out about my DD sucking her thumb. She's my 3rd baby and my other 2 NEVER sucked their thumbs...not once! About a week ago my 3 1/2 month old found hers and LOVES it! I'm shocked she is a thumb-sucker. It actually soothes her to sleep.







I'm actually sad about it because we'll be in a nursing session and she'll pop off and stick her thumb in her mouth and fall asleep


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## Calidris (Apr 17, 2004)

Fern found her thumb one night at about 7 weeks and fell asleep withouit nursing!!! It was such s bittersweet moment ..........

then she never found it again, and it frustrated the hell out of her, I was always trying to help her find her thumb, she would struggle with it for ages getting more and more annoyed, I even bought her a pacifier (which she refused outright). Basically, by the time she found her thumb again, she didn't need it.


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