# thumb-sucking and breastfeeding



## mommy2caroline (May 9, 2007)

So has anyone else heard the line, "Breastfed babies (those fed on demand, anyway) are rarely thumb-suckers." Is it untrue, or do I just have the exception to the rule?

My dd is 5 months today, and just in the past week she's become a regular thumb-sucker. She sometimes starts sucking five seconds after she's done nursing. She does it randomly as well as when she's sleepy. It's a lifesaver in the car since it puts her to sleep, whereas before she just screamed in the car when she was tired. Today she was kangarooed in the sling while I prepared dinner... she made two little whiny sounds and the next thing I knew, I looked down and her eyes were closed, thumb in mouth. She's a pretty laid-back baby overall...

Anyway, it had been my experience that breastfed babies weren't thumb suckers. My first dd wasn't one; my three younger brothers who all nursed for 12-13 months each were never thumb suckers; me, weaned at 2 months, I sucked my thumb forever.

Anyone else have a breastfed baby become a thumb sucker? Did they grow out of it? I don't want her to be like I was... I even needed lots of orthodontic work to fix my overbite I'd developed from sucking my thumb.


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## eggsandpancakes (Oct 16, 2007)

I have a 4 month old thumb/finger sucker. I wouldn't worry about it.


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## tbone_kneegrabber (Oct 16, 2007)

I was breastfed and a thumb sucker.....


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## russsk (Aug 17, 2007)

My 4 month old is a finger sucker. I would worry about it - thumb/finger sucking isn't an issue for most kids.


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## brandianndesigns (Jun 8, 2008)

i have a thumb sucker too

it's just a self soothing thing


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## smeisnotapirate (Aug 24, 2007)

My DS came out of the womb sucking his thumb, and is continuing the habit.


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## mommy2caroline (May 9, 2007)

Thanks everyone. I guess I wouldn't be concerned had I not had the thumb-sucking habit myself for so long. It concerns me also that she seems to prefer the thumb to nursing at times. I definitely don't want her to wean early (to me, "early" being before she's at least 2).


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## Jeannabna (Jun 26, 2006)

My dd is only 3 weeks old and she has already found her thumb on several occasions. I was a thumbsucker until this year







:. I know I was bottle fed and weaned from the bottle before the age of 1 so I think I was just deprived. I think breastfeeding will prevent extended thumbsucking and Im not worried about it while shes still a baby.


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## DoomaYula (Aug 22, 2006)

My youngest dd found her thumb around 3m and I think it's great, she does it when she's falling asleep and sometimes she'll pull off the breast for a minute and suck. So cute!

As far as orthodontia, I just don't think there's much you can do about it. If she's still doing it when she's older there's a bunch of non-AP things you can do... I think eventually most kids stop on their own.

Here's a pic of my dd sucking her thumb.


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## mommy2caroline (May 9, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jeannabna* 
My dd is only 3 weeks old and she has already found her thumb on several occasions. I was a thumbsucker until this year







:. I know I was bottle fed and weaned from the bottle before the age of 1 so I think I was just deprived. I think breastfeeding will prevent extended thumbsucking and Im not worried about it while shes still a baby.

This sounds like my situation exactly... I was weaned at 2 months because a doctor advised my mom to wean when she got mastitis. She later realized it was bad advice and went on to nurse all my younger brothers for a year. And I recently read in my baby book that at ten months I was down to just one bottle a day. So I do hope the extended nursing will help. She does still nurse for comfort to get to sleep, so I guess it's not interfering at this point.

And I do worry about the non-AP ways of stopping the habit. My dh was raised that way, with his parents putting some gross-tasting stuff on his sister's thumb to make her stop sucking it, and they put mittens on him at night to keep him from twisting his hair. !!!!!! So that's a concern for me as well, not wanting to have to fight that battle. Our older dd bites her fingernails, and he hates that... I don't want both of the girls to have issues w/ him because of their habits.


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## LittleLegos (May 10, 2004)

I was concerned about this too and posted about it about 4 years ago! I would offer to nurse anytime dd was starting to suck her thumb and mostly she would nurse. I found once she was a bit older, nursing was almost enough sucking for her and she didn't suck her thumb very often at all. When she was 2 years I encouraged her to stop sucking her thumb and she did. She was still nursing quite frequently. Six months later she had forgotten she had sucked her thumb at all. Of course it was around this time that I needed to start chemo and cut back on nursing. Eventually she started sucking her thumb again and loves it... The dentist is not concerned at this point.


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## LianneM (May 26, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tbone_kneegrabber* 
I was breastfed and a thumb sucker.....

me too


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## baggybears (Oct 10, 2007)

I was breastfed for about a year and sucked my thumb til I was about 8 I think. My sister was a finger sucker, but didn't keep it up nearly as long as I did. I think it just depends on the kid. DD #1 always tried to suck her index finger while she nursed and still does it when she's drinking from her sippy cup at night. Makes for a lot of slurping sounds, lol.


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## 70toes (May 20, 2008)

I was interested in this, too. Your DD sounds just like mine. I started checking into thumb sucking when she was a few weeks old and what I found was that most babies who are thumb suckers are traditionally bottle fed and CIO, which isn't the case in our house. So, I don't know how accurate that is. I, personally love it and think it's adorable!


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## ellymay (Aug 4, 2005)

My ds is a finger sucker and he knows when he is done eating he'll let go and put his fingers in his mouth he is 5 months old


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## EvansMa (Jan 19, 2008)

I was breastfed and a thumb sucker for 13 years


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## darkviolets (May 11, 2005)

My DD started sucking her thumb at 2 months. She was exclusively and on demand breastfed, but she never nursed for comfort. She nursed to eat, when she was full she was done, and she used her thumb for comfort. She never used a pacifier, either. She's 9 now, and still sucks her thumb. I've tried everything within reason to get her to stop, but she's still so attached to it. We have a deal that she can't actively suck on it, just keep it in her mouth. I keep a close eye on her during the day whenever she has it in her mouth, so I know she's not sucking, though she does at night when she's asleep. So far she has no problems with her teeth, I'm crossing my fingers she never develops any.

My DS, on the other hand, used me for a pacifier and nursed every 45 min. - 1 hour for close to a year. He never used his thumb or a pacifier.


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## mommy2naomi (Jun 4, 2007)

My DD was breastfed for 15 months and is a HUGE thumb sucker. I don't remember when she started but by a year she was a pro at it. She's a very emotional child and so I think she really needs to comfort herself down most times.

Oh and I was bottle fed and I never sucked my thumb.


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## mamadelbosque (Feb 6, 2007)

My DS' 15.5 months and has sucked his two middle fingers for as long as I can remember. Mostly he seems to do it when he's tired/sleeping. He's never sucked his thumb though - always just those middle two


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## rrs (Jul 11, 2007)

I was breastfed, and am not a thumb sucker. My sister was breastfed and was a thumb sucker. We were each weaned at a year, during my mom's subsequent pregnancies. My brother was breastfed (and my mom did child-led weaning with him), and was a pacifier ADDICT.

My son is breastfed (up until this month, exclusively, he's experimenting with solids, now!) and will occasionally suck his thumb while breastfeeding (ouch!).


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## chase_mommy (Nov 11, 2007)

My Great Great Grandma, mother of 15 children, always said that the best babies suck their thumbs. DS didn't suck his thumb and was a pretty difficult baby. DD, on the other hand, sucks her fingers, thumb, wrist, hand, which ever gets their first and is a very calm easy baby. I gues old granny knew what she was talking about after all.


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## *Erin* (Mar 18, 2002)

my ds is an awesome baby, nurses on demand, and sucks his thumb sometimes!


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## trinimommy (Nov 3, 2007)

My daughter was breastfed and never sucked her thumb (and was a fantastic calm and happy baby)...my son is still only a month old so only time will tell....he is a bit fussy and pacifies on my breast quite a bit...my mom tried to introduce a pacifier today and he rejected it... I pray that he does not start sucking his thumb...my 3 godchildren all suck their thumbs (10, 8, and 5) and it drives me nuts! And they don't look like they will be stopping anytime soon. They were also breastfed though but weaned early...but if I remember correctly they were sucking thumb since birth.


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