Question
The 1.5-year-old baby has been sucking on her fingers since two and a half months old. Now, at over 1.5 years, she still does it, and her thumb is worn out from the constant suction. If she’s not allowed to suck, she cries, and she must suck her thumb to fall asleep for naps and when she’s hungry. She’s been given bitter melon water and ammi visnaga extract to rub on her thumb, but she doesn’t mind the bitterness and keeps on sucking. We’re at our wits’ end. We’re seeking any assistance on how to break this bad habit of thumb-sucking.
Answer
Thumb-sucking is a response to a lack of security, so it’s important for you and your family to provide the baby with plenty of skin-to-skin contact to make her feel very secure at all times. At the same time, I suggest buying a teething ring or something similar for her to chew on in her mouth, which will gradually help her break this bad habit. You must never be harsh or scold her in any way to try and change this behavior; it will only be ineffective!