Thumb/Hand Suckers

[saffrongirl]

My baby is 7 weeks old and really seems to like sucking on her hand/thumb when it happens to land in her mouth. She absolutely will not take a pacifier - she takes it as a personal affront that we would even suggest it - but loves that real live feeling of her hand (or my finger).

Those who have children who are thumb suckers - when did your child start to really bring their hand to their mouth to suck? My dd can't quite figure out that it will make her happy to do it and doesn't really keep it in her mouth unless we hold it to her mouth the whole time. Is there a chance she will use this to soothe herself in the future when she's more coordinated or would she have figured this out already?

And FWIW, I was a thumb sucker until I was 12.

[Icehockey18]

My ds is 5 mo and used to do the same thing. Now he still sucks on whatever part of his hand he can get in his mouth, usually it is two fingers. He also hates the pacifiers but will occasionally suck on my finger. His all time favorite is still my breast though. At night, recently, I have watched to see if he can go back to sleep without my help, and sometimes he will suck on his fingers. He still usually needs me to soothe him, but watching him try his fingers gives me hope that they will eventually replace one of the MANY night time feedings. I'll take fingers over a plastic pacifier anyday!

[Mrs-Mama]

DS figured out how to get his thumb to his mouth by himself when he was just over 3 months old...several days later he started sleeping through the night. I would hear him wake up but by the time I got to him he was back asleep sucking his thumb!

He suddenly and mysteriously stopped sucking his thumb just after he turned 3 years old.

[ihugtrees]

My DD figured it out literally overnight. Night before, it was a struggle, and in the morning, she could do it without hesitation. I think she was around 3 months? She has always hated pacifiers, too.

[Shanelovr]

i did too.

anyway...ds is 5mo and when he was a newbie he would do the same thing. his hand would wind up near his mouth and he LOVED it. but it didn't last. he won't take paci's either, and now he only occasionally sucks on it. not sure why? i think the fact that momma is always available AND much more comforting than any other object could've curbed his desire for his thumb/hand. in the beginning family gave us so much crap about him sucking his thumb, i told 'em to just leave us alone, but like i said, it didn't last.

[LiLStar]

both my kids figured it out about 3 months. I started a similar thread when ds was a few weeks old and from the replies I got it seemed like 3 months was the magic age for thumb finding. I love my lil thumbsuckers

[mamadelbosque]

I'm not sure when DS1 found his fingers, but DS2 found them 1 or 2 weeks ago now, around 12 or so weeks.

[saffrongirl]

Sounds like it's around three months that they are able to find the hand consciously. We still have a few weeks to go. Seems like it will really help when she has the ability to soothe herself. Right now it's all nipple and she will totally overeat and get all spitty. In the evenings she's attached for hours basically.

[sky_and_lavender]

My daughter turned 12 weeks old today. She's started consistently sucking her thumb a little more than a week ago. Just this week she started sleeping for long stretches in the night (5 hours in a row--what a treat--and she is taking naps without being in my lap!)

She also wants to suck on something almost all the time she is awake lately.

So I guess we are confirming the trend noted in this thread.

[TIFF4NY]

my LO is only 3wks old and already sucks her thumb when she can get it otherwise she sucks her hand or soothie. She was literally days the 1st time she got her thumb. She always has her hands by her face and was like that inside me. She has had an amazing grip since day one too and can grasp and hold onto her soothie. Her latest trick has been to grab her soothie and forcefully pull it out of her mouth. Both DH and I got hit with it at some point last night. I think she's really a teenager trapped inside a 3 week old body.

[bajamergrrl]

DS would only accidently get his hand in his mouth until he turned about 3 months old. Now he purposely puts his hands and fingers in his mouth every chance he gets. He will still take a pacifier sometimes but he mostly prefers his hands.

[coldandsleepy]

Originally Posted by TIFF4NY

I think she's really a teenager trapped inside a 3 week old body.

Bwahahaha. I know what you mean.

My son will be 8 weeks on Monday and he's been purposefully directing his hands to his mouth to suck for two or three weeks now. (Can't remember exactly when, though it was right around when he started smiling!) He is NOT always successful... I'd say maybe 75% of the time he actually gets it in his mouth and boy is he delighted then.

The other 25% of time he bonks his face around his mouth. He gets awfully crabby if he misses a bunch of times in a row. I feel bad for the little guy, but it's pretty funny to watch.

Looking forward to the day when he can do it consistently.

[leaves]

sounds just like my ds! at 13 weeks he learned how to use his hands and reach for things, and he LOVES sucking on his fist (but hates a pacifier )