how can I wean my baby from sucking on my fingers?

[jsh7809]

I seriously need a break here... for months, the only way she will fall asleep is by sucking on MY fingers. I know she can get her own fingers and thumbs, although she seems to have a harder time when she's sleepy... she's 5 months old, and it's to the point now where she grabs my fingers and pulls them to her mouth and holds them there, BUT won't suck on her own when she wants to sleep.
Since she's not a great night sleeper, and a catnapper, this means I sometimes spend hours and hours every single day with my fingers in her mouth. The only way to get her to take a nap longer than 45 minutes is to keep my finger in her mouth for hours, and sometimes that's a crapshoot anyway. She's not hungry, she just has a very high suck need. But she won't take a pacifier (I've tried and tried, many ways, many different kinds) and she's not seeming to self soothe at all.
Do you think she may start sucking on her own fingers, eventually, even if I keep offering mine every time she is tired and fussy? Otherwise, I'm afraid of trying to figure out how to "teach" her without a LOT of crying... A few times I was able to rock her to sleep instead but very very rarely. I am burning out and exhausted!

[Ldogg]

DD was like this too. She's 6 months now, and I think it was right around the 5-month mark that she exclusively sucked on her own fingers - and now rejects ours! (along with pacifiers, etc.) She definitely has a harder time finding her fingers when she's upset or really sleepy though... and gets *mad* when I help her! So stubborn, these babes.

[jsh7809]

Originally Posted by Ldogg

DD was like this too. She's 6 months now, and I think it was right around the 5-month mark that she exclusively sucked on her own fingers - and now rejects ours! (along with pacifiers, etc.) She definitely has a harder time finding her fingers when she's upset or really sleepy though... and gets *mad* when I help her! So stubborn, these babes.

Oh, goodie, you're giving me hope! I keep telling myself that if I hadn't been giving her "the finger" all of these months, I'd probably just have a screaming baby (rather than thinking I made her addicted to sucking on my fingers), but I've been started to get nervous it will never stop!

[elder.sandi]

My daughter did this too. She refused to suck her own fingers until she was about 5 months old, she only wanted to suck on mine. Then she started cutting her first tooth and wanted something in her mouth constantly. When my fingers weren't available, she would jam hers in. That is when she figured out how to enjoy sucking her thumb. Good luck!

[mummy marja]

I've got a finger-sucker over here too! He is almost 3 months. I've been managing by wearing him in the wrap most of the time, even for all his naps. He does sleep at night without a finger in his mouth though. Just in the last week I got him to take a soother with a rubber nipple--he rejected all the silicone ones. He'll take the soother after sucking on my finger for a while, once he's calm and almost asleep.

I hope you find some relief soon!