Amy Childs: How do I stop my 4-month-old from sucking her thumb?
"You can take the dummy away, but not the thumb... any advice?"
Blimey, it's a tough one, isn't it? When your little one starts sucking their thumb...
Especially when they're as young as 4.5-month-old Polly here, the daughter of reality star Amy Childs, who has just started to show signs of the comforting habit.
It seems harmless enough at first, and for many little ones it's just a phase they go through as they learn to self-soothe.
But it can in some cases go on to become a routine that follows them well into their first school and secondary school years, often causing serious damage to their teeth.
One member of team MFM can verify: thumb-sucking can lead to years and years of bulky braces and pricey private dental work.
It's unsurprising, then, that Amy is feeling pretty cautious about it, and has sought advice on how to nip it in the bud early.
She frequently asks her community of mum followers for tips on topics like teething and weaning, and has taken to Instagram for their help once again.
"OK girls... So Polly has decided to start sucking her thumb lately ? " she began her post.
"The minute she starts sucking her thumb I put her dummy in straight away but she seems to be wanting her thumb more.
"Mummies out there what should I do!! I always say when she is growing up you can take away the dummy but not the thumb ? any answers would be great... xxx"
What Amy's followers said
While a few mums weren't convinced Amy needed to worry...
"Leave her to it she's just found a way to comfort herself x" wrote one.
"My lg is the same. She's learning to self soothe, so I dont think its a bad thing (kind of cute) and especially if she's teething she's obviously finding comfort from it," added another.
"I'd leave her and start phasing the dummy out. She'll drop the thumb sucking naturally I'm sure ☺️ "
And a few said their children had sucked their thumbs for years and had yet to see any damage to their teeth...
Other mums, who had experienced the long term effects of a child sucking their thumb, advised Amy to cut it off quickly:
"I wished I'd stopped my daughter sucking her thumb," confessed one mum.
"I tried all sorts over the years. Finally when she was 12 I bought her an ipod. I said if I caught her sucking her thumb I would take it away. It worked.
"Shes 15 now & wearing a brace trying to put right the damage sucking her thumb did to her 2 front teeth! ?"
"Don't let her do it, I sucked my thumb until I was 15, but ended up having to have double jaw surgery at 18 to close the thumb-sized gap in between my teeth as I couldn't bite!" added another.
"You couldn't tell physically that there was a problem...no sticky out teeth or anything but I was struggling to eat meats etc.... such a bad/tough habit to break! Make it taste nasty and hope she grows out of it xxx"
And another mum suggested this practical solution: "As a young mum of 4 girls aged 3,4,5,7 I'd suggest trying different shaped dummy teets the can fit more comfortably in her mouth and persistence keep up with replace dummy for thumb! ?? ? ?? "
What do you think?
We'd generally err on the side of caution when it comes to thumb-sucking, and try to move away from it.
But we'd love to know what YOU think and hear your experiences. Has your little one ever sucked their thumb, how long for, and did you notice any damage to their teeth?
Perhaps you've got tips for how to curb thumb-sucking? Let us know in the comments below, or on Facebook
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