Is Thumb Sucking Bad for Children?

Speaking of baby eating hands, many parents are worried that eating hands is very unhygienic, and the baby may be invaded by bacteria or viruses. Therefore, the baby should correct his hand from the first time he eats his hand, and try to prevent him or her from putting his hand in his mouth. But the babies will eat with perseverance, and even cry to express their dissatisfaction. Should we intervene in eating hands?

Basic Information

nickname

Suck

English alias

Fingersucking

Multiple groups

Infants

Common causes

Finger sucking after 4 years of age is behavioral bias, which usually occurs when lonely, tired, depressed, sleepy, and hungry; the number of separation anxiety and disease increases

Common symptoms

Repeated or involuntary sucking of thumb, forefinger or other fingers; stubborn finger sucking after 4 years of age can cause irregular dentition, affecting chewing, swallowing or pronunciation

Clinical manifestations of baby eating hands

Early infants' lips and lip contact with any object will cause sucking reflexes, and the proportion of sucking fingers is as high as 90%, which is a normal physiological phenomenon. Babies from 1 to 2 months can not actively open their hands, and will not open their fingers into their mouths. Therefore, the performance of the baby during this period is sucking fist. The baby will hold the small fist around the mouth and suck, sometimes more than half of the fist can be put in the mouth. Babies around 3 months start learning to suck fingers, often thumbs. Or put your thumb and index finger in your mouth at the same time. The completion of these complex movements is a signal of the infant's intellectual development, and it is one of the signs that the infant enters the stage of finger functional differentiation and hand-eye coordination preparation. In infants, this finger sucking that occurs occasionally or does not last long should not be considered pathological.

Baby eating hand treatment and prevention

When you find your baby sucking your fingers, don't be nervous and worried first, because more than half of your babies will stop eating their fingers in about 7 months. All you can do is wait patiently, there is no need to force a stop. If forced to stop, it will easily play a negative strengthening role. What parents need to do is help their baby keep their little hands clean to reduce the risk of hand-to-mouth transmission of the disease. Keep your lips clean and dry to avoid eczema.

After 4 years of age, stubborn finger sucking in children can affect mandibular development, cause dentition, and even affect chewing, swallowing or pronunciation. Behavioral therapy should be performed. Appropriate neglect, distraction, or praise and encouragement when not fingering can be taken to achieve gradual elimination.