How can parents encourage a child to stop thumb sucking?
Set a positive tone and praise the child when they’re not sucking. Thumb sucking is a stress-reliever and offers comfort. Look for any factor that might be causing discomfort or anxiety and seek solutions to correcting them, rather than focusing on sucking as the issue. Reward the child when he or she doesn’t fall back into the habit, especially during stressful situations. Schedule an appointment with the child’s dentist to talk about what is likely to happen if the habit continues.
