Patient's question:
A 1.5-year-old baby has been sucking their thumb since they were two and a half months old. Now they are over 1.5 years old and still do it, and their thumb is already worn out. If you stop them, they will cry. They must suck their thumb to sleep naps, and they also suck when they are hungry. We have tried applying bitter gourd water and Shidi drops to their thumb, but they are not afraid of the bitterness and still suck. There’s really nothing we can do.What kind of assistance is needed: Breaking the habit of sucking the thumb.
Doctor's answer:
Sucking fingers is because they have a sense of insecurity. They expect you and your family to give the child more skin-to-skin contact so that she always feels very safe. At the same time, I suggest you buy something like a teething ring to let her hold in her mouth. This way, the bad habit will gradually be corrected. You must, absolutely must not, be harsh or scold her to change this habit, as it will definitely not work!