Papa Atu Diya, BBC Africa
Image copyright, Getty Images
It can be very difficult for parents to help their child stop sucking his thumb. This habit can distort the baby’s teeth.
To find out how to help a child stop finger sucking, the BBC consulted with two health experts who advised us here.
Why does a baby suck his finger?
Finger sucking is a reflection that exists while the baby is in the womb. During pregnancy she got into the habit of sucking the index finger or thumb.
Health experts do not consider thumb or forefinger sucking to be pathology, although it is uncommon.
Usually during the birth of a baby, she tends to suck one of her thumbs or one of her special privileged fingers.
“It’s a way for a child to fight anxiety, loneliness, discomfort, often with a gesture that pleases him,” said Solanj Ugbare, head professor of pediatrics at the CHU in Bogodogou, Ouagadougou.
This may take a certain amount of time.
” Most will stop doing this around the age of 7 months. Some are about 2 or 4 years old “, explains Professor Wedrogo.
Image copyright, Getty Images
When should a baby’s finger sucking stop?
Parents should start thinking from the age of 5 years.
“From the age of 5 you have to worry because from that moment on, most of the baby teeth have fallen out and permanent teeth will be placed,” Professor Solanz Oweedrogo revealed.
The fact that there is always a finger in the mouth, can upset the development at the level of his teeth. This can later become an aesthetic problem.
Image copyright, Professor Solanj Ugbare Oudraogo
Professor Solanj Ugbare Oudraogo
However, pediatricians have commented that a finger sucking is not a reason for advice for parents.
” Parents don’t come for counseling before the age of 4 because the child puts a finger in their mouth, but as a pediatrician and child observer, we can always see them in the counseling room and guide parents on how to deal with them. Dealing with these concerns is something that children are trying to address with their fingers in their mouths. ‘
According to dental surgeon Dr. Amathe Diya, growing children can change teeth by sucking their thumb.
In fact, the finger that the baby sucks will “be at the level of the palate and the level of the maxillary bone that must support the tooth”, the health expert explains.
” The thumb will push the wall forward. So when the teeth come out, it will go much further than usual, ”he continued.
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Nevertheless, according to Dr. Dia, it is possible to replace deformed teeth during suction.
” If the teeth are very forward, orthodontics can bring them back to normal. This is the specialty that corrects the bad position of the teeth, the problems of the position of the teeth, ”said Dr. Dia.
Here are some tips to help your baby stop sucking his thumb:
- Find the right moment to tell the baby to stop finger sucking. He must live in a very peaceful environment where his suffering can be considered.
- Encourage the child to decide to stop sucking their thumb. We can promise him a certain number of things but not ask for difficult or impossible things. Or set a deadline.
- Look for distractions so that the child can have fun and not be upset. He would put his finger in her mouth even when she was upset. We have to find a job for him.
- When sucking is accompanied by a comforter, avoid separating the two at the same time. In this case you need to start with the thumb and leave the comfortable one which is an element of comfort. This is the object they hold in their possession.
- Also read the story on the go and present this sucking off as a challenge as a game.
- Encourage the child not to make the situation dramatic.
- There are also both mobile and fixed devices that help the baby stop sucking thumb, such as the anti-thumb grid. It is a device fixed above the baby’s upper jaw. This thus prevents the thumb from returning to its normal position.