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• Thumb Sucking
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How To Help Your Child Stop Sucking Their Finger or Thumb

This is a three week long program. POSITIVE reinforcement is necessary. If your child is not doing well, drop the program and try again 3-6 months later. Don’t “bug” your child about finger/thumb sucking. Only reinforce the times when they DON’T suck their finger or thumb. For instance, praise them if they DON’T suck their thumb while watching TV, or when they get upset. This changes habits much faster than repeating “take that thumb out of your mouth”.

Your child places a band aid on their thumb or finger every day as a “reminder” to not suck. He/She must keep the band aid on throughout the day to receive a sticker that evening. Before bed, place a sock on his/her hand and hold it in place with masking tape. In the morning he/she will get another sticker if they kept the sock on all night. Have your child place their stickers on a calendar to keep track of the days they are following the program.

At the end of the first week if they are being successful, they get some reward or prize from you. The same goes for the second week of the program. Plan a fun activity or surprise if they are successful.

At the end of the third week they should have 21 days of stickers on their calendar. At this time, they are to receive a prize of great importance that they already know about and that you have agreed to. Make this significant because the alternatives to this program (appliances/braces) are not cheap. Your child should put a picture or some reminder of this prize on their calendar to remind them what all those stickers are for.