# 6yo suddenly started sucking his thumb/fingers



## remijo (May 22, 2009)

It seems like every time I look at him, he has his fingers in his mouth. This is a new occurrence, he has never done this before. We have moved and there might be some stress there but it doesn't seem to be showing in any other way. I redirect him, tell him its bad for him, remind him, nothing seems to work. Any other suggestions?


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## eirual (Mar 21, 2006)

does he already have his 5yo molars? Could it be teething/losing teeth-related? Or does it seem to be for comfort?


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## aelf (Jun 9, 2009)

My daughter started biting her nails right after she turned 6. We told her that hands easily get dirty & germy and that if we put our hands in our mouths constantly, we're more likely to get sick easily. So whenever we saw her biting her nails, we'd remind her about the dirt & germs, and ask her to go wash her hands. At least if she was going to be putting her hands in her mouth, they'd be clean hands!







But also, while you're washing your hands, they aren't in your mouth.

We've been needing to remind her less and less, and I just noticed last night that I need to trim her fingernails, so a few months of this and it seems to be working.


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## MommyDOK (Jan 9, 2003)

My 6 year old picks her fingers.. (dh does too). I explained to her what she was doing was hurting her, but then had to brainstorm to come up w/ ideas. No one wants to hear, "stop that" all the time. So I bought her some silly putty and that has worked wonders. We also try anything that's like silly putty---you know stuff from the toy stores that is slimy and what-not....works well.


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## KristaDJ (May 30, 2009)

No advice but my 7yo has taken to chewing on his shirts so I can sympathize. Must be age related


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## OboePlayerMom (May 23, 2005)

After reading the other responses, now I feel better. My DS just turned 6, and he has recently started putting his fingers in his mouth and pulling on his lips. He just started Kindergarten, so I know that's a bit of a stress on him. I wouldn't be surprised if it was age-related and stress-related. I am asking him to wash his hands more frequently to keep the germs at bay.


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## TiredX2 (Jan 7, 2002)

I think it is definately stress & age related. DS had a child in his class last year who *constantly* had his finger in his mouth. It has really cut back this year (definately a less stressful year w/the same teacher & same kids). Now, when he is playing he doesn't put them in his mouth at all.

I would watch, primarily, for other kids reactions. As long as your kids are doing it in a way that doesn't alienate their peers, it isn't a big deal. It becomes a concern, IMO, when other children start to avoid them because of their habit.


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