4 mo sucks fingers - is it ok?

[maba]

My 4 mo DS has been sucking his index and middle fingers for about 3 weeks now. I usually try to pull them out of his mouth when i see him sucking or put on his mittens. I EBF and I try to nurse him when he does that. But he sucks his fingers even after he's done nursing? Is it a bad habit, in that, will he eat less as a result? Would it affect is dental development?

[Knitting Mama]

It sounds like he's self-soothing, which, if you ask me, isn't a bad thing at all! Some babies have a higher suck need than others, and want to suck even if they're not hungry. As long as you keep feeding him on demand, you should be fine!

[Laurski]

My almost 5 month old does the same thing...we say it's because she must taste like apples and vanilla (you know...because she's so sweet).  She still nurses like a champ, though...it's like Aimee said, it sounds like self-soothing, which, as long as you're still feeding on demand, is a great thing!

[Monkey Keeper]

Self-soothing babes ROCK!  :D  

My DS (also 4mo) sucks his thumb, and I am not discouraging it.  He is the most content, easy-going, fabulously-sleeping baby I've had.  Plus, that thumb isn't very satisfying when he's not hungry, so no worries about not feeding him on demand.

[MamitaM]

my doctor asked me if he did this and if i let and i said yeah,sure i see no problem with it. she said good, let him do it. it keeps him quiet and happy so it's ok for now.

[peainthepod]

My three-month-old chews the side of her fist. Part of it is a self-soothing sucking thing, but I also believe she's started teething. Either way, it's so cute!

[Amanda_Reyasmom]

Lila turns 4months tomorrow and she's a sucker too.  Fingers, fists, mittens, diapers (prefolds), or sling.. if she can get it to her mouth she sucks on it! I think it's adorable. 

[maba]

Thank you all for your input. During the day I can tell if he's hungry or merely wants to suck but at night I'm not sure and feed him whenever I hear him suck and sometimes, he stops nursing and goes back to sucking.

[Kuba'sMama]

my baby does the same thing (same fingers too). I do think it's "okay", however she does breastfeed less often than her older brother and sister did, who did not self-soothe. She is 8 mos. now and I really think she breastfeeds only for milk, not for soothing at all. She does nurse, then plop off and put her fingers in and fall asleep that way. She is also much more enthusiastic about solid foods than her older siblings were at this age. Probably due to the fact that she does get less milk than they did. I'm more careful about offering her a varied diet, rich in protein and calcium (legums, meat, veggies, etc). I think it's just that she's different. Fwiw, my friend had a finger sucker as well, just the same as our kids and he did wean before she was "ready" at about 16 mos, while his older brother breastfed until 3. I'm anticipating my dd weaning herself around 1 as well, and you know what after nursing the others for 3 years around the clock, day and night, not being able to leave them with daddy for an hour... IT IS OKAY!!

[karen1968]

My DS sucked his first and middle fingers from ~4 months to 2.5yo. I do not think it affected his feeding or growth in any way, and has not caused tooth or orthodontic issues.

For us, it was a great sleep cue (along with hair twirling). He stopped all on his own. The only time we asked him to take his fingers out of his mouth was when he tried to talk around them!

Here's a photo of him on his second birthday...

[Knitting Mama]

Originally Posted by Kuba'sMama 

my baby does the same thing (same fingers too). I do think it's "okay", however she does breastfeed less often than her older brother and sister did, who did not self-soothe. She is 8 mos. now and I really think she breastfeeds only for milk, not for soothing at all. She does nurse, then plop off and put her fingers in and fall asleep that way. She is also much more enthusiastic about solid foods than her older siblings were at this age. Probably due to the fact that she does get less milk than they did. I'm more careful about offering her a varied diet, rich in protein and calcium (legums, meat, veggies, etc). I think it's just that she's different. Fwiw, my friend had a finger sucker as well, just the same as our kids and he did wean before she was "ready" at about 16 mos, while his older brother breastfed until 3. I'm anticipating my dd weaning herself around 1 as well, and you know what after nursing the others for 3 years around the clock, day and night, not being able to leave them with daddy for an hour... IT IS OKAY!!

This makes me think of the old chicken and the egg adage-- which came first? Did she suck on her fingers because she didn't want to nurse as much, or did she not want to nurse as much because of sucking on her fingers? I always wonder about this kind of thing...

[Kuba'sMama]

hhmmm... interesting question!

I think that she just found very early on (like 3 weeks old i think) that sucking on her fingers feels good! Breastfeeding just didn't offer the same feeling of comfort perhaps. She does twirl her hair along with it too (what little she has, lol), it's weird hearing someone mentioning that. Now what that means about her personality or psychological make-up - i don't know. Is she going to be an aloof, distant person? Judging by those wide goofy grins at the sight of us, I'd say not, lol! She is by far my most calm, easygoing, "settled" baby.

[motherhendoula]

My DS is 5 mo old and ALWAYS has something in his mouth ....fingers, thumb, my shirt...he went after buttons on my blouse recently, and he often attempts to sneak his thumb into his mouth WHILE nursing!  Pick your battles ...he has 24 - 7 access to his fingers  - let him at them!

[Monkey Keeper]

Originally Posted by Kuba'sMama 
She does twirl her hair along with it too (what little she has, lol), it's weird hearing someone mentioning that.

DS twirls his too, and he did in utero (I had a few late term u/s due to breech presentation, and his elbow always was up around his head.)!   We thought it was a genetic thing since my BIL and his daughter did/do it too.  Too funny!
 

[lach]

Sucking is a calming reflex that fades at about 3-4.  It's normal and there's nothing wrong with a baby who sucks on her fingers.  Let hr go crazy: she's just soothing herself.

[fyrwmn]

i have a house full of finger/thumb suckers lol. as far as dental issues, our dentist has said not to even worry about it until they start losing baby teeth/getting adult teeth in. dd has sucked 2 fingers since hours after birth, ds1 literally came out, was placed on my belly, and put his thumb in his mouth, and ds2 we have ultrasound pics of him sucking his hand/thumb. i encourage it because as dd points out, it helps them comfort themselves. she's 5yrs and we've started trying to remind her during the day now to take them out to start weaning her from it before her adult teeth do start coming in.

karen...love the pic! my dd sucks those 2 fingers as well, but she puts them in her mouth upside down.

[maba]

Thank you all for your input. Karen, that's such an adorable picture of your baby. My baby sucks those 2 fingers too, but on the right hand.

My mom has asked me to discourage the habit as it would mean less time at the breast and therefore less milk. Is there any merit to this? Also, does it lead to earlier weaning?

[maba]

I just came across this article by Kathy Dettwylers which jibes with what my mother said. What are your thoughts?

http://www.kathydettwyler.org/detthumb.html

[lach]

Originally Posted by maba 

Thank you all for your input. Karen, that's such an adorable picture of your baby. My baby sucks those 2 fingers too, but on the right hand.

My mom has asked me to discourage the habit as it would mean less time at the breast and therefore less milk. Is there any merit to this? Also, does it lead to earlier weaning?

Babies are smart little things.  It may take a minute, but if they're hungry, they'll figure out pretty quickly that what they're sucking on isn't producing milk and demand some friggin milk!

And I can't imagine force feeding a baby that wasn't hungry.

Your supply, barring any issues, is self regulating.  Baby sucks when hungry, so your body learns how much milk to produce.  Making baby suck when not hungry is just going to produce more milk than you need, and will probably make a grumpy baby.  One of mine would have sucked away, milk or no milk, hungry or not... the other two were quite clear when they were done, tyvm.

[peainthepod]

Babies are instinctive little creatures. I don't feel it's possible (or desirable) to try and change their behavior before they're in the toddler years, so I would never "discourage" a DB from doing something as natural as sucking on her fingers (and toes, and clothes, and toys, and whatever else she can bring to her mouth). My first didn't have nearly the sucking urge that my second does; with him, he was done eating and that was that. With her, I try to honor the impulse and give her safe and comfortable things to suck on. I get touched-out and can't tolerate her constantly sucking and chewing on my nipples even when she's not hungry, so things like Sophie the Giraffe and her fingers are more than okay with me.