[ca_dawson]

Lexi has taken to finger sucking. I tried so many different types and brands of pacifiers, but she did not like any of them. She goes to town on those fingers though. I know this will be an issue to break her of the habit in the future, but for now I'm not worried about it. However, I am having major issues with other people and THEIR issue with it! My inlaws insist upon grabbing her fingers and yanking them out of her mouth! No one would ever grab a paci out of a 7 month olds mouth and take it away from them, so why do they feel its okay to do this with her fingers! It is her self soothing mechanism and I am fine with that up until a certain age. She also chews on her hands alot too so I'm thinking she may pop some teeth out soon. Anyways yesterday MIL comes over and both of the babies are asleep (Lexi and her cousin Sophia who is 4 months old) Lexi had been in quite the mood because everytime she tried to take a nap someone came over and woke her up. So she FINALLY gets to sleep and is taking a nap when MIL and their gang arrives. I'm in the kitchen cooking and I hear MIL say "Oh the babies are sleeping" and I kid you not, less than a minute later Lexi is screaming her head off! Apparently Lexi was asleep sucking on her fingers and MIL goes over there and rips them out of her mouth, instantly waking her up and once again, ruining her nap! Seriously, are these people ***** retarded?! Why would you do that? And then complains because she is crying and wants nothing to do with you. Hello, you just woke her up and ripped her fingers out of her mouth! I'd be pissed at you too! So part of this was venting, but that brings up some questions I have.

At what age do you think its appropriate to start breaking the habit of finger sucking/pacis? I don't want to start too soon at an age where she legitimately uses it to self soothe, but I don't want her to be too old and do it out of "habit" either.

And how do you break one of such habits? Pacis you can take away, but the fingers are just there. We do try to keep her hands busy during the day if she starts sucking on them, we'll offer a toy instead, and that seems to work, but obviously for night time that doesn't help.

Any BTDT moms who went through this have advice? Or anyone else with any input is much appreciated!

[MommaLee]

dang, i'd be peeved. i do take julie's paci out but never forcefully....like when she is talking or laughing with it in hanging half way out of her mouth.

if julie keeps her paci until age 3, i'm fine with it after that we'll just have to see. i would say just take it in strides cause she may just quit on her own. My brothers littlest started sucking her thumb at age 3...she will be 4 in 3 months and although the frequency has lessened, she still does it. When we see her doing it, she is told to stop and she will but typically starts doing it again a few minutes after.

[pthree]

Avery sucks her fingers and people do the same thing - it drives me nuts. If she's happy sucking her fingers, let her. Anyway I plan on letting her do it as long as she wants - if she's still doing it when permanent teeth come in, then it's an issue because I don't want them to grow in crooked, but until then, who cares? I do have a student (I teach 8th grade) who still sucks her fingers and her teeth are really crazy because of it. Yikes.

[Oreobaby]

Rayanne has also started sucking her fingers/thumb. She took one paci at the beginning, but she was not overly into it...so she stopped...and just her fingers/thumb. I would say once they are about a year, random finger sucking...like if they don't really need it...most people will take away paci's except for bed time or nap time once they are over a year, and that is what I would like to try to do with Rayanne if she continues with it. I would never RIP her fingers or thumb out of her mouth, but by the time she is one or over one, I think they would be able to understand if you said that she shouldn't be sucking on her fingers, and make a game out of it...your a big girl silly, you don't need to suck on your fingers/thumb?? I'm not entirely sure, so would be open to idea's, but I would definitely kick my MIL A-$-$ if she did that to my kid!!

[Oreobaby]

I should put that during the day I would try to limit her thumb/finger sucking, but nap times and bed times would be ok I think for a bit older than a year.