When did baby start sucking her/his thumb?

[modestmothering]

Just curious.  If your babe sucks/sucked a thumb, when did it start?  

My DD is five months and I REALLY want her to suck that thumb because she is SUCH a comfort sucker at the breast.  We use a pacifier when it is really needed, but not very frequently at all.  

So, when was it?

[avismama24]

DS is a total thumb sucker....we didn;t encourage or discourage it. He used a paci for a bit, but never really took to it, and then voila he found his thumb. With these types of things I find it is best not to have a prefernce bc the LO's never do what we want them to doso by having no agenda they figure it out!

Oh he started this behavior on his own at about 5 months

[erigeron]

Our daughter loved her paci, until she decided one day she didn't. She's never been interested in her thumb. Some of my friends' babies have never been interested in pacifiers. My mom said that of the two of us, I loved a pacifier and my sister preferred her thumb. 

I think if your LO does not want to suck her thumb, there's probably not a whole lot you can do. If she likes a pacifier, I'd probably just give her that. Personally I think the pacifier hate gets ridiculous--sure, it's good to wait until breastfeeding is established before starting one--but it's totally possible to have a baby who loves the pacifier and still breastfeeds great, mine did. I think a lot of people worry about paci use because "what if it interferes with breastfeeding" or "what if it's hard to wean her off it later" but, to me, that kind of borrowing trouble is unnecessary. If it becomes a problem later on, you'll deal with that problem THEN, and it might not even become a problem, and in the meantime if it's working, do what works today and let next month or next year take care of itself.  

(Of course, feel free to ignore me if this has nothing to do with your reason for not/rarely doing pacifiers.)

[Escaping]

My son has done it since almost day 1 (he's now 8 months). I've tried hard to discourage it and replace it with a pacifier, even if it means waking up all night to replace it lol
I was really bad thumb sucker and both me and my parents got such a hard time from people for it. I personally don't see what's wrong with thumb sucking but everyone else seems to be really against it when bigger kids do it.

[fruitfulmomma]

Well, her whole fist really but In-utero... we saw her on ultrasound with her fist up by her mouth less than 24-hours before birth and she was born with a nuchal hand. She pretty much always sticks it in her mouth when frustrated, she will even unlatch to do it. 

[avismama24]

My DS will unlatch to suck his thumb too, if he is feeling frustrated! I don't see any harm in thumb sucking.....I don't see many 18 year old boys at college sucking their thumb in college, it will work itself out!